MR.SMALL MIND (3-17-08)

O.K.... I WAS WRONG. MR. SMALL MIND

THERE YOU HAVE IT!.. I'LL ADMIT IT!.. WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! JUST PLAIN WRONG! I WAS WRONG TO BELIEVE AN ARAB COUNTRY COULD SUCCESSFULLY CREATE AND SUSTAIN A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT. I WAS WRONG TO THINK THE PEOPLE OF THE ARAB WORLD WERE CIVILIZED ENOUGH TO PUT THEIR DIFFERENCES ASIDE AND COME TOGETHER AS ONE NATION...ONE PEOPLE. I NOW UNDERSTAND ONLY WESTERN COUNTRIES HAVE THE ABILITY TO GIVE THEIR CITIZENS FREEDOM AND LIBERTY. I NOW SEE HOW REMOVING A TYRANT FROM POWER ONLY CAUSED THE POOR IRAQI PEOPLE TO TURN ON EACH OTHER. I NOW ADMIT WE CAUSED THESE PEOPLE TO KILL 500,000 OF THEIR OWN COUNTRYMEN. IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN SADDAM TWICE AS LONG TO KILL THIS NUMBER OF PEOPLE THROUGH HIS SLOW TORTURE TACTICS.

I NOW BELIEVE WE SHOULD LEAVE THE IRAQI CITIZENS TO A FULL FLEDGED CIVIL WAR. ONLY AFTER A COUPLE MILLION HAVE BEEN KILLED OFF WILL IRAQI'S BE READY TO RECONCILE THEIR DIFFERENCES. ITS OH SO CLEAR TO ME NOW THAT THINNING THE HEARD IS EXACTLY WHAT IS NEEDED OVER THERE. AND IF IRAN, SYRIA, JORDAN, TURKEY AND THE SAUDIS JOIN IN. GREAT, THE MORE THE MERRIER. IF THINNING THE HEARD IS GOOD FOR IRAQ, THEN ITS GOOD FOR ALL ARAB AND PERSIAN NATIONS. LESS PEOPLE TO THREATEN US...RIGHT?

LETS ADMIT OUR FAILED POLICIES AND NOT BOTHER COMING UP WITH BETTER ONES. A MULTI-NATIONAL CURE IS WHAT ALWAYS WAS NEEDED. SO NOW, A MULTI-NATIONAL CONFLICT OF 5-10 YEARS SHOULD BE JUST AS GOOD. MAYBE A DECADE OR TWO OF SENSELESS SECTARIAN SLAUGHTER WILL CALM THE SAVAGES. ONCE THIS MINIATURE WORLD WAR IS OVER AND THE DUST CLEARS, THE SURROUNDING NATIONS CAN SPLIT UP WHATS LEFT OF IRAQ. KIND OF LIKE THE ALLIES DID AFTER WWII. THAT WORKED OUT O.K.....RIGHT?

FORGET A PHASED WITHDRAWAL. THAT WOULD ONLY ENDANGER OUR TROOPS AS THEIR NUMBERS THIN. PULL THEM ALL AT ONCE LIKE A TABLE CLOTH FROM UNDER THE TABLE SETTING WE SET WITH THE LIVES OF 3000 AMERICAN SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN. IF YOU PULL FAST ENOUGH EVERYTHING SHOULD STAY....RIGHT?

I WAS WRONG TO LISTEN TO OUR TROOPS WHO BELIEVE IN THEIR MISSION. THEY ARE JUST TOO CLOSE TO THE PROBLEM TO SEE IT AS A LOST CAUSE. THE SLOW, STEADY PROGRESS THEY CLAIM TO SEE ON A DAILY BASIS IS JUST A MIRAGE CAUSED FROM DESERT HEAT. OUR SOLDIERS JUST DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER. WE NEED TO PROTECT THEM...KEEP THEM OUT OF HARMS WAY. THEY DIDN'T ENLIST BELIEVING THEY WOULD ACTUALLY BE PUT IN DANGEROUS PLACES TO PERFORM DIFFICULT TASKS. THEY ARE SO OUT OF TOUCH WITH REALITY, THEY SERIOUSLY BELIEVE THEY CAN SUCCEED.

HISTORY TELLS US THAT OUR LOSSES ARE ONLY A FRACTION OF THOSE IN WARS PAST. WE LOST 10X IRAQ'S CASUALTIES IN TWO ASIAN WARS AND 100X IRAQ IN WORLD WAR II. BUT THEY WERE ASIAN AND EUROPEANS. IT HAS BEEN DECIDED BY MANY THAT A 3000 MAN SACRIFICE IS ALL AN ARAB COUNTRY IS WORTH. THE IRAQI PEOPLE SHOULD NOT FEEL SLIGHTED BY THE U.S. NO ONE ELSE IN THE WORLD WAS PREPARED TO EVEN SACRIFICE THAT. HELL, SOMALIA WASN'T WORTH THE MEN LOST IN BLACK HAWK DOWN.

AS MOST HISTORIANS WILL DOCUMENT, AMERICAN RESOLVE HAS FAIDED DRAMATICALLY IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY. WE WILL NEVER BE AS STRONG THE "GREATEST GENERATION". THE POLITICIANS AND CITIZENS CAN NOT STAND TO SEE THE STEADY LOSS OF LIFE ON TELEVISION OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. BECAUSE OF THIS, THEY HAVE MADE US INTO THE PAPER TIGER OSAMA SAID WE ARE.

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT. I FINALLY ADMITTED TO YOU THAT I WAS WRONG. (I HOPE THE SARCASM WASN'T TOO SUBTLE) NOW, WHEN THE ENTIRE MIDEAST BLOWS UP AFTER OUR WITHDRAWAL. I FULLY EXPECT SOMEONE, WHO NOW THINKS THINGS WILL IMPROVE ONCE WE LEAVE, WILL ADMIT THEY WERE WRONG. I'LL DEFINITELY WRITE AN "I TOLD YOU SO LETTER". BUT BY THEN IT WONT MATTER. IT WILL HAVE ALREADY BEEN TOO LATE. TOO LATE TO STOP THE VOLCANO OF VIOLENCE FROM SPILLING OVER INTO SURROUNDING COUNTRIES. TOO LATE TO STOP THE BLAME FROM BEING DIRECTED ON US. AND TOO LATE TO STOP THE GROWTH OF ANTI-WESTERN SENTIMENT THAT COMES WITH THAT BLAME. TOO LATE TO SLOW THE RECRUITMENT OF ISLAMIC RADICALS BENT ON OUR DESTRUCTION. FOSSIL FUEL COSTS WILL TRIPLE. A WORLD WIDE RECESSION WILL COST US MUCH MORE THAN IRAQ EVER WOULD. GO AHEAD AND TELL ME I'M WRONG. BEEN WRONG BEFORE. BUT IF I'M RIGHT, I'LL BE EXPECTING YOUR LETTER OF APOLOGY IN A YEAR OR TWO.