Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Cut, Run, Or What?

Over time, the republican propaganda machine has been trying to push the Iraqi malaise down our throats as something that will, with a nice spoon full of sugar, be good for us. In the process, they have tried to paint all those who would disagree with their actions with one brush: "Cut and Runners."

Contrary to the belief on the "right," I don't believe that all who disagree with the war in Iraq suggest that we should "cut and run." Moreover, I think it does a great disservice to resolving the republican lead, republican fueled, and republican sustained Iraqi conflagration. Oh, and before you slap me with the "it wasn't just the republicans who supported the war," bit - yes I know that the Dems voted for it, but it was the republicans who led the charge and spoon fed us the intelligence that got that vote. But I digress.

Iraq a serious problem that requires a serious solution, not more dualistic rhetorical arguments that pose as debate. In fact, we don't need debate. We need solutions. It does no one any good to paint those who point out it was wrong to go in to Iraq in the first place as something other than those who disagree with the president and his ilk. Wagging the finger of blame expose facto does a similar amount of good, although, I do think that there will be a time for folk who brought us the war in Iraq to be judged for their actions and justice meted out. Even so, we can't eat food purchased with predictions of what might have been if our government behaved differently.

Certainly, the release of recently declassified documents (timed politically, of course) doesn't seem to do anything to resolve the Iraq crisis:
Mr. Bush said he wanted to release the document so voters would not be confused about terrorism or the war when they voted for Congressional candidates in November. But the three declassified pages from what is certainly a voluminous report told us what any American with a newspaper, television or Internet connection should already know. The invasion of Iraq was a cataclysmic disaster. The current situation will get worse if American forces leave. Unfortunately, neither the report nor the president provide even a glimmer of a suggestion about how to avoid that inevitable disaster.

I think it is time to put aside our disagreement about the legitimacy of the Iraq invasion and come up with real solutions. What say you?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...


More of the same vs Cut and run

The President continually begs the question, since invariably he postulates a favorable outcome for More of the same, or as he puts it, 'Staying the course.' He begs the question again when he proposes a bad outcome for leaving Iraq to the Iraqis, or as he puts it, 'Cut and run.'

'Staying the course' without a plan is like driving on a flat tire. Are you hoping for a garage to appear? Well, get over yourself, hope is not a plan.

While there may be good reasons not to revisit Why, exactly, we're in Iraq, there's no good reason not to revisit the Republican management screw-ups that have made Iraq the mess it is today. In other words, What, or Who, has made 'staying the course' so problematical? And Why should we trust the fools who brought us the Iraq problem not to screw it up worse than they have in the past?

Were Iraq a poker game you were in, in which you went broke, you don't need a plan to quit.

Having lost the game, the President would like to ante your security, your fortune, and your children.