Impatient

This Op-Ed at Newsweek pretty clearly opitimizes the impatience that has been shown regarding the Iraq reconstruction.

When Iraq's current government was formed last April, after four months of bitter disputes, wrangling and paralysis, many voices in America and in Iraq said the next six months would be the crucial testing period. That was a fair expectation. It has now been almost six months, and what we have seen are bitter disputes, wrangling and paralysis. Meanwhile, the violence has gotten worse, sectarian tensions have risen steeply and ethnic cleansing is now in full swing. There is really no functioning government south of Kurdistan, only power vacuums that have been filled by factions, militias and strongmen. It is time to call an end to the tests, the six-month trials, the waiting and watching, and to recognize that the Iraqi government has failed. It is also time to face the terrible reality that America's mission in Iraq has substantially failed.

Government has been in place for 6 months and since everything isn't wine and roses, it's a failure. Even more pathetic is the conclusion that the US mission is a failure because the government isn't a well oiled machine and there isn't peace and prosperity. Why should anyone even listen to this buffoon?

His conclusion:

President Bush says that if America leaves Iraq now, the violence will get worse, and terrorists could take control. He's right. But that will be true whenever we leave. "Staying the course" only delays that day of reckoning. To be fair, however, Bush has now defined the only realistic goal left for America's mission in Iraq: not achieving success but limiting failure.

There you go. "Limiting failure" is a fascinating statement. As insurgencies go, this fight has only just begun. Even the most successful counter-insurgencies (such as Malaysia) took a decade to come to stability. Let's not forget that Iraq is substantially larger, has substantially more sectarian differences, not to mention the tribal issues. But hey, we should be done and successful by now, right?

Sadly, this point of view is far too common on the political left. Sadly, this is a further indicator of how things will be going wrong with the US ability to bring military conflicts to conclusions. Can't get immediate gratification, run away. We're seeing this with Pelosi's idiotic 100 hour plan for the Dems if they take the congress.

The only way to ensure that Iraq doesn't become a replay of Vietnam is to have patience and let the job finish. You can most certainly have differences of opinion on how it's being done, but just calling for redeployment out of Iraq is truly a cut-and-run ideology. If you have real tactical suggestions, I know I'd love to hear them, but the Dems haven't brought any forward. At the moment, the fever-swamp left is doing their best to ensure that the US fails. If the Dems get control of all of congress, there is little doubt in my mind that they will cut military funding for Iraq and attempt to force the President to pull out. That scenario will ensure failure just as much as it did when the Dems did it to Nixon. And, no doubt, they will then blame the Repubs for the failure.

The end result? Iraq will fracture and become a complete disaster. Terrorists will find easy support in the Sunni provinces and Civil war will escalate. Petroleum prices will sky rocket due to the regional instability. Terrorists will begin attacking US soft targets in the region and will lead to another large attack on US soil.

Want to ensure failure, follow the advice of Zakaria and his ilk.