Iraq - One Downside of an Exit Date

Yes, I want us out of Iraq. The sooner the better. But it seems to me that there is one downside to a fixed exit date that could be summed up in a very old question: "Do you want to be the last person to die in [fill in the blank]?"

I know that soldiers fight to save themselves and their comrades but, surely, from this day forward, and each day that we get closer to that exit date, they can't not be thinking "how do I stay alive until x"? (Obviously the same problem exists for tours of duties that have specific end dates, but this exit strategy must certainly add to the effect.)

Fighting to stay alive is both rational and normal in any war, but when you're told that your country not only wants to leave the field of battle but plans to leave by a fixed date, the nature of the conflict, psychologically, must change, mustn't it?

Just a thought.

Chutzpah, Thy Name is Republican

On NPR's Weekend Edition this morning, Scott Simon interviewed Senators James Webb (D) and Jon Kyl (R) about the war in Iraq. When he asked Kyl if the military's presence in Iraq made it less able to respond to other crises, Kyl blamed, guess who? Yep. You're right. It's all Bill Clinton's fault for weakening the military.

So, let me see, Bush 43 has been in office for over 7 years, and the Republicans controlled the Congress during Clinton's last 6 years, but Bush still isn't responsible for the state of the American military? Not that this absolution should surprise us. The biggest success of the Republican media machine was in turning Bush into the hero of 9/11 rather than the villain. 9/11 did, one must remember, occur 9 months into Bush's administration. Had it occurred on Clinton's watch is there any doubt that the Republican Congress would have impeached him again for dereliction of duty? Of course not.

Oh, I almost forgot. Kyle also blamed for U.N. for the Iraqi election that has not resulted in a viable government. Gee whiz, weren't Republicans almost giddy about all those pictures of Iraqis with ink-stained fingers proving that they had voted? Oh, well.