How to Win a War

The stalemate continues between congress and the white house over funding for the Iraq war.

Diehard Republicans – most Republicans I guess – continue to sport the current one-liner that a timetable only tells the “enemy” when we surrender. No way to win a war, they say.

But who is the enemy? It isn’t the Iraqis, either Sunni or Shia is it? These are the people we came to liberate.

Then it’s Al Qaeda; a terrorist organization – or by now a militaristic philosophical movement something like Nazi Germany where nationalistic fanaticism is replaced with religious fanaticism.

The very nature of Al Qaeda means that they generally pursue the route of least resistance for access to Americans to kill and terrorize (with the notable exception of 9/11). It seems obvious that invading Iraq is only an invitation. And now it could be argued that 9/11 has served to bring the their enemy – the infidel American – to them through an ill-planned invasion and bungling occupation.

That Iraq would likely implode in violence from internal religious and tribal fundamentalism if we left, and if we stay our troops remain targets to Al Qaeda, means that we are stuck.

We can’t leave; and we shouldn’t stay.

Bush’s refusal to recognize, accept, and properly act on reality borders on the pathological.

We are told that we need to defer to the analysis and recommendations for the generals in the field. Yet if those generals disagree with the political agenda and spin from the Pentagon or White House, well, you’re fired.

Perhaps there was a window of opportunity to win over the general population. But now it seems as if every opportunity has been squandered through sheer arrogance and incompetence.

No credible plan has yet employed to effectively occupy Iraq. A situation the is plagued with incompetence and a fundamental failure to consider Iraqi culture and the consequences of unleashing the tribal tensions that Saddam had kept screwed down tight.

It is the Bush administration that has brought us to the situation we now face. A situation that Bush continually fails to address. A situation to which we should have never arrived in the first place.

It seems to me that the intention and desire of the current funding bills that either have been vetoed or will soon be vetoed is an attempt to deal with the realities of the current situation. A willingness to face a tough realization and decision.

Yet it remains a valid question: Is this any way to win a war?. The question, however, needs to be asked of George Bush, Dick Cheney, Condi Rice, and Donald Rumsfeld (wherever he’s hiding right now).

And one, apparently, that Republicans should be asking themselves.

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