WP Cohen: Coming Clean About This War

[grytpype]

A very tough OpEd by Cohen in the WaPo...

Coming Clean About This War
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37080-2004Sep20.html

By Richard Cohen
Tuesday, September 21, 2004; Page A21

<snip>

At one time I would have ruled out anything less than what might be called a U.S. victory in Iraq -- a secure nation governed by democratically elected rulers. I would have argued that no matter how the United States got into Iraq, it simply could not preemptively pull out. To do so would have great and grave consequences.

<snip>

Now, though, we all have to face the prospect that Iraq will end up a mess no matter what. The administration's own national intelligence estimate raises the possibility that civil war may erupt by the end of next year. That's the direst prediction, but it now seems more likely than the one President Bush once envisioned: an Iraq with some sort of Jeffersonian democracy. That ain't about to happen and bit by bit, Bush has been scaling back his rhetoric. The truth is that we'd now settle for a pro-American strongman such as Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf or Egypt's Hosni Mubarak. Both countries are essentially military dictatorships.

<snip>

As for Bush, he talks about Iraq with the same loopy unreality as he does his National Guard service. He's a fabulist.

I still don't think the United States can just pull out of Iraq. But I do think the option is worth discussing.

<snip>

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. In the end, it looks like Scott Ritter was right.

We will be driven out of Iraq by the mouse that roared.

[Dudley_DUright]

2. Cohen, all of these questions should have been asked

BEFORE we went into Iraq. This mess was completely predictable from the get go, and many here at DU and elsewhere were warning about the catastrophic consequences of an occupation of an Arab country. Instead, I distinctly recall you cheering on BushCo from the sidelines.

[KT2000]

3. Right

everything that is going on is exactly what we all predicted here at DU.
Why is it that we knew what the "aftermath" would be and they refused to even put it up for discussion in their columns?
They will never examine themselves though.

[Keirsey]

4. "fabulist"

One entry found for fabulist.

Main Entry: fab·u·list
Pronunciation: 'fa-by&-list
Function: noun
1 : a creator or writer of fables
2 : LIAR

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=fabulist

[regularguy]

5. Yes, old Richard still walks a little funny after

all that time spent down on his knees.

[bemildred]

6. Oh! I feel so used! Like a soiled old glove.

:puke: