Friday, April 27, 2007

The Error in Letting the Generals Decide the Fate of Iraq

The White House has been using strange logic to make the case for not setting a "timetable for withdrawal" from Iraq. It goes like this: "Politicians shouldn't tell the commanders (the experts) how to wage war." On the surface, this sounds nifty. There is not doubt in my mind that the commanders are much better at waging war than the politicians. But to say that the warriors want more unlimited war is a no brainier! Nuclear physicists want nuclear power plants, oil moguls want more oil rights, surgeons want to cut people open, preachers want to preach, builders want to build, investors want to invest, and (surprise, surprise!) soldiers want to fight! For this reason Congress should give the military unlimited funds to wage war in Iraq. Makes sense to me!

The illogical White House aside, the answers to Iraq still aren't clear to me. I'm about to the point of giving up in despair.... There is only one thing left to try, American must pull out its troups and let the Iraqis arrive at peace on their own terms. Could it work? Vietnam doesn't look so bad 40 years later.