Blunders leave troops with no hope of success

[BR_Parkway]

A scorching about face! Too many great quotes to post here

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/viewpoints/editorials/070429iraq.html

It is time to bring our troops home from Iraq.

This stand represents a shift in the newspaper's editorial position. Until now, we have supported the military mission in Iraq, though at times we have been harshly critical of President Bush in his role as commander in chief.

<snip>


But in supporting this war, we made a tremendous error. We believed the president and his team possessed the skills and judgment needed to make the mission a success. We were wrong.

<snip>

It should be noted that the failure in Iraq has nothing to do with the influence of the president's opponents at home. Bush was given broad and sustained support for this effort by the American people. If this war is lost, it is solely because this president was not up to the job of winning it.

[lapfog_1]

1. They really just don't "get it"

the war was wrong from day one.

the war was NEVER "winnable". The best we could have hoped for was to do a massive invasion (say 500,000 troops), depose Saddam and put ANOTHER SADDAM in his place (and he would have to have been another Sunni dictator). Then get the hell out.
And then we would have been right back where we started. We never had any chance of making Iraq into a pluralistic democracy where the rights of the minorities would be respected. Never.

[Demeter]

2. Give Them Time

After all, it's only been 30 years since Vietnam, and they're still trying to get used to the taste of stupidity.