Reply #7: Actually, we've already won. [View All]

What did * want? He wanted regime change and he wanted to disarm Iraq of WMD. Both are done. Of course, one was done before we went in, but that's another story.

But the second part was the neocon part -- "remaking the Middle East" and democratizing it. I do remember * talking about this at the AEI shortly before the war, but certainly not for the IWR vote. I remember at the time that * was tacking on reason after reason to go to war, especially at the last minute. It was like he already knew the WMD stuff wasn't going to be that compelling once we went in. But what * wants now is this second part. That's what he means when he talks about "victory". Sorry, but I don't want an Empire in the Middle East. I just don't. If democracy flourishes in the ME in a natural way that is just great. But not democracy created solely from the American gun. It's not real, and it will collapse once we leave.

So what we're left with is trying to prevent VERY BAD things from happening in Iraq and elsewhere as a result of this war we wanted. "Victory" has now become what is the least worst result we can create in Iraq with the least amount of casualties. In this sense, I am on board with Kerry, but I just think that the "least worst" result is going to be HORRIBLE. The choice is neverending American casualties or mass ethnic cleansing like what happened in the former Yugoslavia. That's why I am pessimistic.