Unimaginable? Sure – just as President Clinton could not imagine that the terrorists who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993 would, within less than a decade, acquire the skills to turn both buildings into rubble; just as President Bush, when he unveiled that “Mission Accomplished” banner four years ago, could not imagine that the Iraq war was only just beginning.
When the U.S. went into Iraq, it was said that failure was not an option. The consequences would be too dire. Today more and more people believe failure is the only option. The consequences be damned.
If we have met our match on the mean streets of Baghdad, there is no reason to delay the inevitable. But there is now a new U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus. He is pursuing a new and different strategy. It is not just a “surge.”
Retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, a frequent critic of the Bush administration, recently returned from Iraq. He calls the situation there “grim” but concludes there is a “basis for hope” – indications that Petraeus and his troops may be learning to fight and win a 21st century war.
Because defeat in Iraq would, McCaffrey writes, “imperil U.S. interests for a decade or more,” he urges support “for this one last effort to succeed,” adding that it will take only till the end of summer to determine whether that is possible.
Members of Congress should consider his argument – whatever the polls show.
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