The New Yorker
The best paragraph about the President and Iraq I have read.
"In the current Presidential campaign, Bush has expertly drawn attention away from how high a price the United States has paid for the war in Iraq. It is difficult to find anybody in Washington, in either party, who will seriously defend Bush’s management of Iraq. Most of the available armed forces of the United States are pinned down in a place that represents a threat chiefly because American troops are there. That limits American options in places that pose much more genuine threats. The reputation of American intelligence agencies has been badly damaged—would anyone now heed warnings from them? It is increasingly difficult to imagine other major powers joining the United States in an international endeavor, even one that isn’t a war. The government’s financial resources are depleted. The U.S. military in Iraq has started trying to take back areas of the country now controlled by insurgents, and it may not be safe enough there for the scheduled elections to be held in January. The country still has no meaningful army or police force. It doesn’t seem that there will be, any time soon, a way to extract the American forces without risking Iraq’s descent into chaos, of a kind that would be both dangerous and humiliating to the United States and would betray Bush’s repeated promises to bring the Iraqis a better life."
Might be the most depressing look at America in the last 4 years. The fact that the Prez is simply a bully and nothing more is an awful picture to paint. Lemann's attempt to frame his actions as a fundamental shift in politics is a stretch. Wouldn't a simpler solution for the Iraq war fit? Something along the lines of what he's saying about the insularity of the Bush White House.
Imagine a discussion of the benefits and costs of a war in Iraq in early 2001. In a discussion where the upside of a "war president" would be huge [motivate the base, vets, and get people to feel good toward government (the part they like anyways)]. No downside, the war will be over in a week with minimal casualties, and we'll have all the oil we need. Rumsfeld and Cheney are for it also because it will help transform the military and show off some cool toys. Sounds great, lets do it.
Too bad that no one thought it through. The fact that Brent Scowcroft has to write an op-ed in the WSJ to get heard is incredible. He was there less than a decade ago and he's being ignored. No true voices of dissent. Powell looks the fool. Totally coopted by the cabal around the Prez and seemingly powerless. This President has led us into a disaster. The best part about this is that there is no way to get out. We cannot allow Iraq to fail, but at the same time we also have to figure out Iran, NK, and Pakistan. I don't think I want this guy making any of those decisions.
