Look, Iraq is a big problem that will fade over time.

John, it’s apparent you have a great deal yet to learn about history, radical islam, iran, saudi arabia and what the situation and the stakes actually are should we fail in the ME.

These are non-trivial matters that we walk away from at our extreme peril.

I guess I just can’t find common ground with someone who compares the Iraqi people to sexual predators and animals to be kept in line, and our troops to seeds needlessly expended in an infertile, hopeless endeavor.

I’m the last person who would like to see a President Clinton or Obama. But to say, “Hey, we’ve got an election to win, let’s hurry up and lose this unpopular war” is crass and short-sighted. Did you support the troops and the mission when this operation began? If you did, a soldier reading your comments would be forgiven if he’d conclude he’d rather not have had your support, if he knew you would so easily withdraw it if things in Iraq got difficult, unpopular at home, and an election was coming up.

I agree that Republicans used to kick ass. I think some still do. But I don’t agree that a way to kick ass at home means being a pussy abroad. Making national security decisions based on pure electoral politics has a home in another party. We don’t need it in this one.

This is like the parable about not casting good seeds onto unfertile ground.

Our policy in Iraq is like a new parable: If the ground is unfertile, sift out the big rocks, amend the soil with some nutrients, then then plant some seeds. And after they start to grow, don’t forget to fertilize and keep the area weed-free!

John, I use to share your pessimism. Heck, I said worse stuff than your “slim handful of decent Iraqi people.” Even compared them to piranhas at one point.

But I am ashamed of that mindset and it is thanks to Hot Air, a daily dose of Rush Limbaugh, and other sources that I rejected the pessimism and defeatism I felt at one point.

Please stick around – because I am hoping that this website will help to nurture your optimism about our future and that of the Iraqi people.

Republicans used to kick ass on a regular basis back when they were about limited government, social conservatism and economic responsibility. Now everything is about the damned Iraq war. Every issue on every level is being voted on based on the war. We’ve got to slay this dragon before 2008 or this country is going to be had over a barrel by the likes of Dean, the Clintons and Pelosi. I feel bad for the slim handful of descent Iraqi people. I really do. But time is running out.

Your analysis of the situation in Iraq is about as informed and cogent as your first comment questioning the bona fides of Mr. Yon.

That you come to your conclusions about the proper way forward regarding Iraq based on what you see on TV is not surprising.

That you conclude it is “essential that President Bush find a way to end the war now,” i.e. quit immediately and lose, is saddening. Not only on the merits, but because your conclusion represents pure political calculation over principle. Fuck whether the war is actually worth fighting and winning. No, John says we out to stake out our position on the war on how many political points we can earn or whether a Republican gets elected local dog catcher. You counsel taking a long-term approach, but adopt the short-term version – abandoning a worthy and important effort on an important front on the war on terror because, right now, that effort is unpopular and may cost votes.

I also fail to see the logic in your “plan.” You argue that Republicans must abandon the war so that they can salvage their chances at the next elections. But you also argue that if they don’t, the war will be abandoned by Democrats, who, having won office by opposing the war, will carry through on their promise. Well, if abandoning the war is so important, why would the electorate select a Republican, who presumably would end the war despite his principles but for political gain, when a Democrat would abandon the war because he really thinks that’s the right thing to do?

Honestly, I think that our guys have done an exceptional job considering the circumstances, but Iraq is a tough go for all the obvious reasons. It is essential that President Bush find a way to end the war now, or we’re going to be stuck a President Hillary or a President Obama and a rubber stamp Dem congress for four years plus. No Republican is going to win dog catcher running on a pro-Iraq war platform. And if the Dems get the White House, its over anyway. Think long term. Let Bush’s mistakes fade away with Bush, for the good of the country. Bush might have made a great American president. Sadly, we’ll never know since he’s spent the last six years trying to be President of Iraq and ambassador to Mexico.

In addition to blogging, Yon is an author. Prior to that, he was a special operations soldier. He’s been to Iraq a number of times, including being embedded with the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th I.D. He may not be an “expert,” but a lot of people, myself included, care about what he has to say because of his experience in the military and his proximity to the events he describes.

Who is Michael Yon and why should I care? I know the guy has a website, but so do I and that doesn’t make me an expert on anything.

Lemme see… you’re a small town kid, who according to your own bio, hasn’t apparently spent much (if any) time outside the midwest.

Yon, a former Green Beret, is currently on his second major tour of Iraq, and is so widely regarded by military brass, many consider him a must-read for his accuracy, insights, and of course, photos.

Gee, I wonder who is more worth reading on this subject?

Great stuff, Bill. Thank God you’re not a “journalist”, or we’d never see such things.

Andrew Sullivan’s heart will not ache will reading this one:

maybe I’m not reading this right, but shouldnt that say “Andrew Sullivan’s heart will not ache while reading this one:”

color me blond.

If this war is lost, it will not be a military defeat. It will be a political one.

Amen

Our troops can secure Baghdad as long as they are there in greater numbers. It will boost morale tremendously. Unfortunately, the Religion of Peace® is completely incompatible with peace, freedom, and self-government. Until the root cause of terrorism is addressed (the Koran and its proponents), we are setting ourselves up for long-term failure.

We are in the position we are in now, not because our troops are falling short, but because our politicians and media are. They say they support the troops with one breath and undermine their mission with the next.

If this war is lost, it will not be a military defeat. It will be a political one.