The photo on the left comes to us from the future. There is a helicopter. There is a helipad. It’s Baghdad. Maybe it’s the Baghdad of August 16, 2005, after the Iraqis have submitted their constitution for a democratic republicmini-Iran. Maybe it’s the Baghdad of August 2006, a last ditch ploy to build up some support of a nationally crippled GOP heading into a midterm massacre. Hopefully, it isn’t the Baghdad of 2012, seven years after it became completely obvious that there was no fucking way out of Iraq with anything resembling a victory (or even peace, with or without honor) in hand; a time measured also in countless thousands of dead soldiers and tens of thousands (or even more) civilians dead; a time measured in a prolonged, disastrous civil war, a civil war that’s kind of like the melee at the end of the Faber College Homecoming parade, with a young Kevin Bacon in his ROTC uniform representing the remains of the US Armed Forces, shouting, “Remain calm! All is well!”
I have no idea. What I do know is that no one in the Bush administration is brave enough to go on the record to admit that Iraq is unwinnable. A complete clusterfuck. Given the opportunity to hide behind a journalist, though, they’re willing to complain and complain to the WaPo about how it’s time for the US to seriously lower its expectations regarding Iraq. Getting out is more important than stabilising the region. I told you that photo came from the future.
At the same time, things are changing here, and I encourage my teeny readership to peep Frank Rich’s column in today’s NYT. It’ll all end up behind a firewall or some shit eventually, but, luckily, there’s a substantial portion quoted here. Rich writes sentiments I’ve been reading over on lefty sites for years now, probably better than any of those lefties have been able to. But the gesture of the column itself is more important than the style. Things are getting really ugly. Gold Star Mothers are making the front pages of newspapers, the NYT is getting really critical, and approval ratings are tanking. Look back at that photo above and try to fix a date on when it will have been taken. Can that date come early enough?
August 14th, 2005 at 15:22
Someone’s talking, though they aren’t naming theyselves, via WaPo
August 14th, 2005 at 15:31
oh, never mind, you already got to it.
August 14th, 2005 at 15:43
I cleared it up a bit in the link. Thanks.