Jack & Jill Politics

It’s the Iraqi Insurgency — And You Don’t Understand, Son!

Had to go old school and reference LL Cool J when I read the newspapers this am.

Bush’s thinking of a “surge” is dangerous and denial. We’ve lost the war already. All continuing denial of this self-evident truth costs us lives, our hard-earned tax dollars and our national reputation. Proof we’re losing the war? Baghdad is under siege and has very little electricity. The situation has gone from bad to worse to rout. Re-construction is not a real option under the current circumstances. Why — the insurgents have won the battle there. We are unlikely to get it back.

I’m with columnist Eugene Robinson. A “surge” or escalation, even if temporary is a really dumb idea.

Whom would they fight? Would they ally themselves with those elusive “mainstream” Sunnis, or maybe those publicity-shy “moderate” Shiites? Would they capture and hold territory, or would they continue the practice of staying for a while, turning the job over to Iraqi forces and then watching as the militias move back in? If an extra 20,000 troops were sent to Baghdad tomorrow, could they realistically be expected to establish order in a sprawling megacity where some two dozen armed militias control the streets? Since we would be providing 20,000 new targets for snipers and roadside bombs, how many do we calculate will die?

It is unconscionable to think about dispatching more young men and women to Iraq without the realistic expectation that their presence will make a differenBlogger beta: Jack and Jill Politics – Create Postce in a war that is no longer in our control. Here in Washington, proponents of a troop “surge” speak of giving the whole Iraq adventure one last try. But they sound as if they’re more concerned about projecting an image of American resolve than anything else. Does anyone think a symbolic troop increase is going to have the likes of Moqtada al-Sadr or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tossing and turning through sleepless nights?

Conservatives have made America look weak and ridiculous on the world stage. They failed to go into Iraq with enough troops, failed to keep the country under control, failed to win hearts and minds. The humvees our troops drive are *still* not fully armored. It’s time to cut our losses now and take our lil handguns home.