Making the Last Mistake in Iraq

Real Clear Politics ^ | 11/22/06 | Tony Blankley

[Obadiah]

The decisions made on Iraq over the next few months will take the measure of America's maturity and sense of responsibility. Because, whether we like it or not, our decisions -- and our decisions alone -- will determine whether the barely containable murderous pathologies of the Middle East will just be dumped into the face of humanity -- or whether rational efforts will be persisted at to contain and mitigate its civilization-threatening forces.

We have the most profound obligation to attempt to calculate the consequences of the impending American decision to wash our hands of the Iraq unpleasantness. In that regard, the words of President Kennedy come to mind: "There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction."

If we, the most powerful force on the planet, in a fit of disappointment and anger at our bungling policies to date, decide to shrug off our responsibilities to the future -- we will soon receive, and deserve, the furious contempt of a terrified world. In fact, even those Americans who today can't wait to end our involvement in the "hopeless" war in Iraq will -- when the consequences of our irresponsibility becomes manifest -- join the chorus of outrage.

Expedient Washington politicians, take note: Your public is fickle. They may cheer your decision today to get out of Iraq but vote you out of office tomorrow when they don't like the results.

[Obadiah]

I still hold a grudge against Tony for his demand that Hastert resign, but in this column Blankley is spot on. He provides a much needed bucking up to those who would cut and run from Iraq.

I understand that because of the Democrat's and the MSM's incessant carping and barking about EVERYTHING that the public wants all this unpleasantness of the war to simply go away, but the consequences are too grave to cut and run, and Tony gets it. I can only pray that our leaders get it too and that we don't get "Jim Bakered".

[100-Fold_Return]

realclearpolitics.com--CNN's lacky.

[03A3]

Much of the world (and a fair portion of the American public) may hate us today for our alleged arrogance. But they will spit out our name with contempt through time if we permit to be released the whirlwind that will follow our exit.

Great. Hate us if we stay, hate us more if we leave.

[arthurus]

If we "wash our hands of Iraq" we will not be shut of the war unless we do it by also replacing the Constitution with Sharia and require Americans to Convert.

[NonValueAdded]

For your 'nailed it' consideration. Every paragraph seems to be directly on point.

[unkus]

"Your public is fickle"
Winston Churchill was voted out after WW II.

[misterrob]

Why be angry at Tony? Hastert did a piss poor job as Speaker as judged by the bottom line.

[duckln]

Hastert did a great job. One of the best speakers ever,
despite being overpowered by the administration and senate.

[MNJohnnie]

No he is not. What he should be doing is pointing out the utter absurdity of the Junk Media noise on Iraq then weakly try to argue that well we got to stay.

What he SHOULD be doing is speaking truth on Iraq to the Junk Media noisemakers who have been doing nothing but shouting disinformation, hysteria and out right lies about Iraq from the start. Instead of saying "Yeah Iraq sucks but we got to say" Tony should grow a pair and say "You Drive By Media types and DC Politicians have not bothered to cover the order side of the story. If you all want to "Fix Iraq" sit down, shut up and get out of the way".

Some where the Ghost of LBJ is laughing his butt off watching another hyper arrogant bunch of DC idiots try to micromanage another war into defeat from DC. JUST SHUT UP DC Noise machine. Instead of arrogantly clinging to your dogmas try actually listening to what Gen Abizaid said when he came back from Iraq to testify to the US Senate last week.

Everything people think they "know" about Iraq is utter nonsense. They can start learning the facts by reading any of a dozen posts by Freeper Sandrat here on Free Republic each day and by reading these.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_Security_Forces

http://icasualties.org/oif/

http://icasualties.org/oif/IraqiDeaths.aspx

[Thrownatbirth]

Great. Hate us if we stay, hate us more if we leave.

We should be more like the Russians. They love it when people hate them.

[Tolik]

Thanks! Its very good. I heard Bill Bennett discussing it this morning but had no time to check it out.

Incoming...

[Tolik]

Tony Blankley:

...Much of the world (and a fair portion of the American public) may hate us today for our alleged arrogance. But they will spit out our name with contempt through time if we permit to be released the whirlwind that will follow our exit.

...Al Qaeda and other terrorists are already gloating that they have whipped the "cowardly Americans" in Iraq. We will be seen (in fact, we are already beginning to be seen) as a weak reed for moderate Muslims to rely on in their hearts and mind struggle against the radical Islamists. Bin Laden was right in one regard: People fear and follow the strong horse; even more so in Middle Eastern culture, where restraint is seen as weakness and murder is seen as strength.

...We have only two choices: Get out and let the ensuing Middle East firestorm enflame the wider world; or, stay and with shrewder policies and growing material strength manage and contain the danger.

Those who call themselves realists are the least realistic. Their great unreality is that they can't imagine that the passions of the people -- for good or ill -- are to be reckoned with. Thus it was they who for half a century supported and exploited the Middle East dictators who caused the Islamist pathologies that threaten the world today. It is they who will do business with the corrupt dictators to the very minute that they are overthrown by the Islamist mobs. They will keep the cash register humming until it is flooded with blood. The "realists'" unjustified conceit is, today, the most dangerous pathology facing America.

As in all struggles, each side will make mistakes. We have certainly made several. But as the last century's great chess master Savielly Grigorievitch Tartakower once famously observed: "Victory goes to the player who makes the next-to-last mistake." Retreating from Iraq would be the last mistake.

Nailed It!
Moral Clarity BUMP !

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[CharlesWayneCT]

Matthew 12:43-45: 43"When an evil[f] spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."

We cannot afford to be seen once again as the country that sweeps the place clean but then leaves it unprotected, that promises a feast but won't help clean the dishes.

[Red in Philly]

Leaving Iraq as a failed state sitting on all that oil cannot be in the interests of the US. Somehow the media and the Dems think that set timelines for withdrawal will secure security and stability. The left feels that since no weapons were found, this is a war for oil, the Bushes, lies, etc. I would like to see the evidence for that. The Dems had the Senate Intelligence Cmte in 2002 and could have insisted on more/better intelligence if were not convinced by what they saw. On the other hand, I am still not convinced that what is needed to stabilize Iraq is a mission that the US armed forces can accomplish. A mission like removing Hussein and looking for weapons seemed doable but not what they are doing now. Now we are dealing with disgruntled Sunnis, AlQaeda types, Shia militias, corrupt criminal gangs trying to seize Iraqs resources, influences fron Iran/Syria. It will take more tahn 150k American troops training Iraq forces, many of them unreliable, to achieve stability, security, democracy, national reconciliation, cooperation against islamic radicalism and economic revival. The solution is far more complex than that and will not be achieved by force only and certainly has not been achieved by elections and "purple fingers".

[Obadiah]

Actually, I think that is what Blankley istrying to say, that we are being led astray by a myriad of voices who sing the siren song of "get out, it's too hard".

But I do agree with your larger point. Is there ANYONE who is willing to defend our work in the Middle East? And this is where I have my issues with the Bush Administration. Like it or not, part of being CIC is ensuring that the nation remains on board along the tough road. I do not believe that Bush has done an adequate job in this regard. On occasions that Bush or officials have gone on the road with a positive Iraq message (working to bypass the MSM) the public usually responds positively. Bush's problem is that he believes his policy in Iraq is correct and that history will judge it as such, therefore, he can maintain an attitude that he doesn't need to waste his time re-explaining things over and over again to the MSM/public, and lapses into a now trite "stay the course" mantra.

People have absolutely no idea of the real stakes involved in this current conflict. It is part of the CIC's job to keep everyone on board.

[M. Dodge Thomas]

I think things are much worse than most commentators suppose, IMO what happens in Iraq is pretty much irrelevant to what's happening in the wider Islamic world - we just prefer to believe it's important because it's the one little sliver of the Islamic-World-Wide meltdown of US (and Western) policy we have any chance, however slim, of controlling.

But “win” or “lose” in Iraq we still confront an Iran perhaps (we don't know - as there is so much else we don't know - what we don't know is far more than what we do) teetering on the edge of control by a messianic religious cult almost completely disconnected from reality (unless, of course, it just continues to be ruled by ordinary Islamic fanatics), a Pakistan already possessed of an atomic arsenal and teetering (how precariously, we don’t know) on the edge of control by a military part of which supports the Taliban and Al Qaeda, a Lebanon which is close (but exactly how close, we don't know) to control by Hamas or renewed Civil War, or both, an Egypt which if it held elections tomorrow would empower the Muslim Brotherhood, ditto for elections in Algeria, an alley – Israel - whose borders – irrespective of what they are - will likely be under attack for generations, and a set of “strategic-partners” - mostly of dubious stability themselves - who supply the energy needed to keep a gluttonous world economy running.

And whatever happens in Iraq – despite our wishes that it was otherwise – it is unlikely to much change any of this and certainly won’t change much of it; if our experience in Iraq to date should have taught us anything, it’s how little – really – the things it is practical for us to do will matter to the course of events within Islamic counties over the next few years.

[SJackson]

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[Harrius Magnus]

"realclearpolitics.com--CNN's lacky."

Please explain.

[Joe 6-pack]

"Great. Hate us if we stay, hate us more if we leave."

"We should be more like the Russians. They love it when people hate them."

Yep...and people love them when they leave!

[Nathan Zachary]

"On the other hand, I am still not convinced that what is needed to stabilize Iraq is a mission that the US armed forces can accomplish."

What do you propose? That we send terrorists flowers? The ONLY way to stablize Iraq is to eradicate the evil WE are allowing to exist there. We need to take the gloves off and kick serious butt. There is no other way. What is preventing success is all this PC nonsense. We will NEVER eradicate terrorism if we keep allowing it to flourish.