Now, before you even start with the “there you go, rooting for America to fail,” no, I’m not. I’m rooting for you to see reality. I’d love us to turn things around in Iraq. But, so far, The Secret isn’t making it happen. Yes, murders are down in Baghdad since the surge started. Just the way daddy stops hitting mommy when the police are standing on the front porch. The way you tend to stop having sex with your secretary when your wife walks in the room. This is what John McCain called our “Whack-a-Mole” strategy, except that you can actually win at “Whack-a-Mole.” But, we can’t stay in Baghdad forever. Yes, we can temporarily stem violence in any given area with our policy of going house-to-house, kicking in doors and rousting the locals. Or, as Bush calls it, “winning hearts and minds.” But, we’re not going to bluff the Arabs into thinking we’re more stubborn than they are. That’s like trying to bring peace to Northern Ireland with a drinking contest.
April 7, 2007 7:05 AM
