Bush lied, hundreds of thousands died...is, indeed,
true. I must admit it!

But it wasnt THIS Bush.. it was the elder who has to
bear that stigma.

For the history is fresh enough that we know the
withdrawal from boots on ground in Iraq was coupled with
incentives for southern Shia and Northeastern Kurds to
rise in rebellion against Saddam. With the implication
that the US would be supportive of that effort.

Just WHO it was made that promise is unclear, but it
doesnt matter, in the end. Because it was made, and
Saddam killed tens of thousands as a result.

Would the result have been any different if Saddam had
waited for Clinton to take office before invading
Kuwait? We cant know that either... but what we DO know
is that the US in forgoing the chance to take Baghdad,
then, was mindful of our 'allies' opinions' on the
matter. It was certainly Powell doctrine, after all.

We had air cover for those areas, yet Saddam was free to
go in and massacre whole villages. One would think the
CIA or NSA would have people on the ground in there..
certainly we had gained the local Iraqi trust.


But we cut and ran.

And today, there are voices howling for us to do exactly
the same.

The only debate among most of the center/left is:

1. Cut and Run now

2. Cut and run after we make and publish a timetable for
cutting and running.

We hear that Bush 'has no plan'. And evidently that is
so because there are no clearly established 'deliverable
dates'.

That's of note.. suppose our progress in Europe had been
predicate on meeting deadlines in the advance into
Germany?

We would have pulled back from the "Bulge" and,
possibly, we would have been forced to reload troops on
the beaches of Normandy and scuttle back to English
bases.

Plans cannot always be used in war, and certainly not
this war. Seems to me a good plan here would be to base
success on ability of the Iraqi's to defend themselves
against terrorist/insurgents.

Wait, isnt that what we are trying to do? Isnt that the
greatest FEAR of the insurgents?

Else why would they be bombing Police training
academies?

The ONLY thing the Dems are right about is that "WE"
cannot win this war.
But the Iraqi's can... and we can do everything in our
power to help them do it.

By 'staying the course'... which, to me, sounds like a
'plan'!