The Gamut

A Strategy for Iraq (washingtonpost.com):

We should urge NATO to create a new out-of-area operation for Iraq under the lead of a U.S. commander. This would help us obtain more troops from major powers. The events of the past week will make foreign governments extremely reluctant to put their citizens at risk. That is why international acceptance of responsibility for stabilizing Iraq must be matched by international authority for managing the remainder of the Iraqi transition. The United Nations, not the United States, should be the primary civilian partner in working with Iraqi leaders to hold elections, restore government services, rebuild the economy, and re-create a sense of hope and optimism among the Iraqi people. The primary responsibility for security must remain with the U.S. military, preferably helped by NATO until we have an Iraqi security force fully prepared to take responsibility.

Billmon's only comment after reading this was "If You Can't Say Anything Nice ... don't say anything all all. For once I think I'm going to follow my mother's advice." I don't understand this way of thinking.

Kerry is right in the sense that we cannot simply pull out of Iraq. While it would be great for our troops to get the chance to come home, and while it is awful that they are stuck in a quagmire of Bush's making, we have an obligation as a nation to fix our mess by whatever means possible, and Kerry has some general ideas for how to go about that. It's unreasonable to expect him to have specifics. He - like the rest of us - doesn't have all of the facts.

That's not his fault. Hmmm? Now I wonder whose fault that would be?

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