Andrew Sullivan: What I Got Wrong About the War

[mburbank]

I repsectfully disagree. I think our continued presence in Iraq in gasoline on the fire, and that we will inevtiably taint any party or parties there we support.

Our continued presence there also reduces significantly our bargaining powers in every other global arena.

Staying without an immediatte focus on massive reforms of how we are handling the war (An end to sanctioned totrture and the transperancy to make it credible, and public refusal to suppport parties enaged in torture would be a good start. The resignation of Donald Rumsfeld could lend reform credability, and basically negates it as long as he stays) seems counterproductive.

I also think politicians committed to staying need to concider what the cost and benefits are and argue them.

In addition, while I applaud (seriously, not sarcastically) Mr. Sullivan for observing the situation and learning from it, a candid amdission of massive failure leading to a terrible bloody mess is not a convincing argument to allow the people who made it to stay in power. I think anyone bold enough to realize how bad a fuck up this is should ethically follow it by asking theri leaders to step down. Anythin else is lke if Custer had survived the Little Big Horn and we made him Commander in Chief.