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The Slightly Fuzzy Math of the Washington Monthly | Home | The Bankruptcy of Conservative "States' Rights" (Part 1 in an unending series)

Wake Me Up When September 1968 Ends
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Who said this, and when?

Well, I definitely think the [American anti-war] demonstrations are prolonging the war in that they're giving the enemy, who I believe must face defeat on relative comparison of the power of the two nations, they are giving him encouragement to continue, to hold out in the hope that division here in America will bring about a peace without defeat for that enemy.

Many of the demonstrations now taking place in this country could not legally take place if there was a legal declaration of war, so we, I think, are faced with a choice here. But again, and I'm sure the Senator agrees with me, America will jealously guard this right of dissent, because I think the greatness of our country has been based on our thinking that everyone has a right even to be wrong.

George W. Bush? Dick Cheney? Donald Rumsfeld? Some Heritage Foundation backbenching pundit?

Ronald W. Reagan, 1967.

For a while, I reminded my friends that the closest analogue to the current folly in Iraq was not Vietnam, but the Spanish-American War. While I was right at the time, we are rapidly approaching the point where I will be wrong. If, of course, we're not already there.

Since the Haditha bombings on August 3rd, I have lost what little hope I had that US troop presence would help stabilize Iraq and could eventually aid the reconstruction process. I'm now completely lacking for ideas as to what the United States should do next. Adding more troops is impossible without drastic alterations in our existing defense posture, and would probably not be productive; complete withdrawl would likely result in de facto rule by various militias; the constitution currently fails to satisfy the more religiously moderate Sunnis and move backwards on the issue of women's rights, and no one seems interested in making progress on reconstructing the country's economy. Where to go from here is a choice I have to leave to someone else.

Thankfully, the world is full of people with more expertise in this subject than I have. For starters, try Juan Cole of Informed Comment.

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Last updated by Nicholas Beaudrot on 10:04 23 August 2005