Amsterdan

A plan to fail, following a failure to plan

President George W. Bush is sending 17,500 more people to Baghdad. I agree that now that Bush has our tit in their wringer, we should do what we can to overcome the myriad disasters there. But Bush's half-measure, hell, quarter-measure, will fail. Period. After failing to plan, Bush now offers a plan to fail. The only potentially winning MILITARY strategy is the Powell Doctrine, and now that Bush and Clinton have reduced the size of the standing army, that would require an FDR-like mobilization of the full resources of the United States of America and its people. Not gonna happen? Right. Because George W. Bush correctly says that the stakes are huge, Western civilization hangs in the balance, and then Bush antes only enough to lose. The best alternative is a POLITICAL strategy like the one advocated by the Iraq Study Group with emphasis on engaging regional neighbors, forcing political compromises within Iraq, phased troop withdrawals and an serious, renewed effort to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian peace.

We will have to wait till 2009 for what we hope will be a strong, intelligent (A-student), inspiring leader to reassess the whole Mideast mess and devise a long-term, full-throated strategy involving the entire country.

Labels: Bush, Iraq, Mideast, Powell, surge

posted by DanZ @ 9:36 AM