Victor Davis Hanson : Has Iraq Weakened Us?

Commentary ^ | February 2005 | Victor Davis Hanson

[My2Cents]

Serious observers, not to mention shriller commentators like Paul Krugman and Maureen Dowd of the New York Times, have concluded not only that the United States is stuck in a hopeless quagmire in Iraq

Of course, the likes of Krugman and Dowd have been crying "Quagmire!" since before the US and its Coalition partners invaded Iraq. In fact, they've screamed "Quagmire!" so often over the past two years it's been like crying "Wolf!"

For the Krugmans and Dowds of the world, their desire isn't so much to visualized a victory of the "insurgents," but to lust for a Bush failure in Iraq. Of course, the best way to guarantee that failure is to have al-Zarqawi and the terrorists win. I seriously question whether anyone other than the usual suspects even pay attention to Krugman and Dowd.

[My2Cents]

Alistair Horne, the eminent British military historian, recently likened the American situation in Iraq to the French debacle in the “brutal Algerian eight-year war”

There's one main difference here: We're not French.

[BartMan1]

The next step, reforming or changing the governments in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran demands its own flexible strategy and its own proper diplomatic and military calculus. But, contrary to the imagining of critics, the post-Iraq reformation of the Middle East will not necessarily have to be accomplished by the invasion of tens of thousands of American troops. Other remedies may well suit our national and humanitarian interests—strategies opened up, ironically, by our previous determination to use our ground forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as by our will to see the process through to its end, without hesitation, apology, or compromise.

Erudite as always, is Mr. Hanson. Without hesitation, apology or compromise.

[IncPen]

Interesting.

All the liberal chickens are running around saying, "We need more troops to carry out Bush's plan". No, we don't. Freedom has a way of raising its own army.

Ordinary Americans know what the oppressed in Iran, Syria, Cuba are thinking.... "Bush is right. I do deserve to be free. All men do." And the diabolical princes lay awake at night.