They Understand it Not At All, Or Too Well

Vietnam, a word burned into our collective memory, even for those who were not old enough to experieince it. The name of that far away country conjures up powerful demons.... I sit back and watch the current lines of "debate" and it occurs to me that the liberals of our country either know nothing of what they are doing, or are "dumb like a fox." The "demands" are growing for us to withdraw from Iraq. In daily conversations, I have been asked by friends "how much longer should we be there?" with the issue of "we need to set a deadline" hanging in the air so thick you can cut it with a knife. I take to expalining we should be there as long as it takes and then launch into the discussion regarding how you never tell your enemy when you're leaving, for they merely get deeper in their foxholes, knowing they will soon be able to proceed on their mission with impunity. Somehow, I don't think they want to hear that. So they call for a pull out, most likely figuring that we can just deposit a bunch of munitions and arms, and supplies for the fledging Iraqi Army and Police and run, ala "Vietnamization." Possibly good idea, but the timing they ask for makes for bad execution. Sort of like pulling all the teachers out of elementeary schools, and telling the kids "hey, you're on your own now, but never fear, there are books in the library and food in the cafeteria. Do great things." Now, this being the set up, I look at the situation like this: 1) Either they recall the circumstances that prevailed at completion of Vietnamization, and are counting on the same thing to happen here (Failure) OR 2) They are completely clueless about what the likely outcome of their demands may produce. If we leave now, or announce a timeline that has a terminal date, we are bound to meet with more failure. I would be cynical to believe that the liberals are purposely after this course of action because they need to find a way to allow the time to pass and show a massive failure, as the Sunnis and Baathists return to take control. This would tube the President for the remainder of his time in office, and damage the next Republican to make the run for the Oval Office. I'm more likely to concede that the libals are doing this completely unconsciously. It fits their "MO" like a glove. Besides, the accepting that this would have been planned indicates there is someone with an ability to think strategically in the DNC, but that seems like a long shot. We should go when the Iraqi government is able to stand enough to show they can take care of themselves, and not a moment sooner.