Wipe that smile offa yore face

Noonan's turn on Bush is breath taking. Too bad it took her so long to realize that the guy is a complete dope masquerading as a mediocrity. It’s even worse that the neo-cons still haven’t figured it out.

The most calamitous president in history.

Not just because he is destroying the GOP (which I am all for), but mainly because every day we lose another life or spend another dollar in Iraq we are that much less prepared to really fight Al Queada. This is a futile enterprise which is sapping our strength.

Bin Laden must be laughing himself silly.

So what will it take for you Republicans to call for this man's head via impeachment?

P.S. Hope your brother-in-law stays safe.

I've started reading about Game Theory and right away discovered that this behavior we see by Bush and Co. is not new, but it IS irrational:

Escalation of commitment is the phenomenon where people increase their investment in a decision despite new evidence suggesting that the decision was probably wrong. Such investment may include money (known informally as "throwing good money after bad"), time, or — in the case of military strategy — human lives. The term is also used to describe poor decision-making in business, government, information systems in general, software project management in particular, politics, and gambling.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irrational_escalation_of_commitment

It’s even worse that the neo-cons still haven’t figured it out.

I agree with you there. Go over to NRO and they're still rah-rahing that victory is just around the corner and the Democrats are the surrender party. Do they really think people are buying that anymore? The American Thinker had an article a couple of days. The first half of the article was about how badly the war has been botched. The last half was about how we couldn't leave Iraq and had to win. Does anyone think that this bunch will somehow become competent to fight the war? Are these people blind to the reality that Iraq cannot be held together because the Iraqis in general hate each other for various religious and secular reasons?

Let's face it, the best we could have achieved had we fought this the right way would have been:

1. Remove Saddam and his government. Thereby removing a terrorist supporting state.
2. Put in place a "moderate" authoritarian government with a clear signal that if they threaten us or support anyone who threatens us, they will suffer the same fate as Saddam.
3. Leave the region, but establish bases in non-Islamic territories, close enough to rapidly crush threats.

A little over twenty five years since the ascendancy of Ronald Reagan and the conservative agenda to it's utter destruction at the hands of a hard partying, incurious, stubborn rich boy.

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch. To bad 24,000 soldiers had to be killed and maimed for it to happen.

I liked what Reagan did and think that Daniel mis-characterized that period. He said that Reagan smiled and laughed when things were failing apart. What failing apart? There was no failing apart. Reagan helped collapse the Iron Curtain. Dozens of despicable dictatorships fell into a heap within weeks. There was a sharp recession at the beginning of his administration, followed by a seven year sustained economic expansion. What falling apart? The on;y thing that fell apart was a liberal stranglehold on power.

Reagan's part in the collapse of the Iron Curtain and "dozens of despicable dictatorships" was the same as the rooster's part in the sun's rising. No more. No less.

Rod, you're brother-in-law is doing a very noble thing. If he prevents people from being blown up, he's fighting terrorism in a very positive way whether we win or lose. God bless your brother-in-law. He's a hero!

Given what the Democrats have to offer the next president may very well be a Republican.

Noonan has always been horrifyingly gushy and full of pscyhobabble nonsense. Her gauzy, lace-curtain view of life always seemed out-of-whack when you look at the reality of the situation. The word "hack" comes to mind, although that may be too kind.

Like so many conservative pundits, she spent the early years of the Bush administration carrying water for the neocons and accusing anyone who asked questions of being unpatriotic. 3,500 dead Americans later, it's nice to hear these folks say they've seen the light, but it does little to make up for their complicity and the way they treated the left who were, after all, correct the whole time.

You know what really fries me?? The fact that tonight on the news they said that Al-Quada is stronger than ever, in the lawless area on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. We are giving Pakistan 1 billion dollars a year in aid to go after them and they are not. The nerve center of planning attacks on the west is there. So much for the we're fighting them in Iraq so they won't follow us here nonsense.

The one bright spot in this chamber of horrors is the turnaround in Anbar province. It was firmly in the hands of al=Quada in Iraq (which wasn't there before we invaded) and the Sunni tribes got sick of them and went from trying to kill us to fighting al-Quada.

I say we give up trying to referee their civil war. Can't be done. Concentrate on securing their borders (and ours so those al-Quada teams won't get in), and giving them help in fighting al-Quada themselves. Then sllllloooowwwllllyyy, back towards the exit.....

The Iraqi government and President Bush are like that deadbeat brother in law that is living in your basement and he keeps swearing that soon, just give him a little more time, this time he's really going to get his stuff together, get a job, stand on his own two feet, quit drinking, but could you please lend him money just one more time, or he'll fail and it will be YOUR FAULT.

Half a trillion dollars, 3500 dead troops, 25,000 wounded ones, maybe as many as 600,000 dead Iraqis, and the Taliban and Al-Quada are as strong as they were on 9/11 in Afghanistan. We're back to square one. We had Osama on the run in Tora Bora but we pulled back to follow this fool's errand in Iraq.

I am so sorry I voted for Bush, much more sorry than anything I've ever done, I think.

Rod: As someone who likes most of your writings - I generally share your views and am also an Orthodox Christian - I am dismayed by your discussion of your brother-in-law. I suspect he's no hero, just someone doing his duty in a war we're doomed to lose; it will end badly. I'm a reservist myself and have been to Iraq twice: first time gladly, second time not, and hoping there won't be a third. It is imperative that we avoid the usual extremes in discussing our fighting men and women - they're heroes or victims - when they're mostly neither; cliches debase language and eventually everything. You know exactly why a middle-aged father is headed to Iraq: he joined the military, at some point. Current DoD personnel policies are deeply unfair, especially regarding our overtaxed reserves, but everyone in uniform took the 'King's shilling' and needs to stop whining to friends and family. They've - we've - taken the money gladly, and now it's time to pay back. Your brother-in-law will be in my prayers, but please remember that the easiest way to avoid being sent to war is - don't put on the uniform.