You Say Tomato, I Say Disaster

The headline on the A1 story in The Washington Post:

Bush Says Iraq Pullout Would Be “A Disaster”

Isn’t that what it is now?

"If you think it's bad now, imagine what Iraq would look like if the United States leaves before this government can defend itself and sustain itself," he said.

..."If we[withdraw], there will be horrific sectarian cleansing in the mixed areas, particularly in Baghdad, and civil war," [former ambassador Peter Galbraith] said. "If we stay the course, there will be horrific sectarian cleansing in Baghdad, and civil war."

Ah, but then we get into that old definition of a “civil war.” Last week I ridiculed the debate. But it turns out I wasn’t far off.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld argued that Iraq would not have civil war until the Confederates attack Fort Sumter. "It seems to me that it is not a classic civil war at this stage," Professor Rumsfeld argued. "It certainly isn't like our civil war."

No, so to help us keep things straight in our mind, let’s ask Sen. George Allen if he could lend his confederate flag to one side in the conflict. Then we’ll know who to root for -- and who he’ll root for.

Footnote: From today’s stories in The Post, it’s clear we have achieved a nexus.

Several prominent Democrats rejected Bush's call for staying the course in Iraq, saying the problem there is not a lack of will but lack of a winning strategy (emphasis added).

...ABC News's Martha Raddatz was not satisfied [with Bush’s defense of the war]. "The violence has gotten worse in certain areas," she reminded him. "Is it not time for a new strategy?" (emphasis added)

When the press and one political party ask the same question, it’s safe to say the other political party is in deep doo-doo, as W’s father might say..

Comments

[Bob]

And the ranks of Hezbollah supporters are growing not so much because of what the organization did. After all, Arab countries initially opposed its actions. Rather it was what we didn’t do: Tell Israel to stop. That helped turned moderate Lebanese and Arabs across the region into Hezbollah followers.

[John Cole]

I couldn't agree more from "You Say Tomato." I can only add my support in the authors recognition of the truth.

Bush is probably the most delusional individual I know, his words about how all of us will come to see the truth that the conflect in Lebanon was all Hezbollah's fault doesn't help the fact that their ranks are growing enormously.

The power base in Israel has never wanted a stable nation next door that could potentially have the ability to raise an army the size of Sadam's.

So folks one thing we can depend on, we'll be taking shoes off at airports for a long, long time.

We desperately need a new strategy and to fully give the people of Iraq that responsibility is the only way for them to accept their own responsibility. They don't need to be looking at us for someone to blame, we're already responsible for that blunder. Civil war will come, it's been in the hopper for a long time but they wont have anyone to look at but themselves,so be it.