President Bush’s plan raises the question of whether or not we Americans continue to be a nation of suckers. We all know fool me once, it’s your fault; fool me twice, it’s mine. Suckers repeatedly fall for the same scam. How many times have we been taken in by the same rhetoric, the same tactics dressed up as a new strategy, the same fairy tales about Iraq’s larger role?
We already know that Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki can’t and won’t do what Bush outlined as his part. The blunt truth is that the U.S. has already suffered defeat and has no role in Iraq. As soon as we get out, the civil war will run its course and someone will rule in Baghdad–undoubtedly the Shiites who now have the dominant power. They will make a deal with the Kurds and force the Sunnis to accept a secondary role.
It is unconscionable to require further sacrifice by our brave military by staying longer so Bush can hand the problem to the next president.
