Hard truths of a lost war

Here, to my mind, is the deepest truth of the present situation [in Iraq], and the hardest for Americans to grasp: We are part of the problem, not part of the solution.
...
The deep belief that, even at this late date, the United States can somehow "solve" the problem of Iraq is part delusional self-regard, part leftover goodwill, and part a greedy desire to remain, as well as a total fantasy. But as long as we believe that the problem is ours to solve, we will only continue to rev up the motor that is actually making it worse, no matter what "tactics" we turn on or off.

Withdrawal from Iraq is no longer a good path. Long ago, in fact, any good path may have been drowned in a sea of blood and suffering. It is, however, the only path that has any hope of relieving the situation.

Go read the rest.

The most important part: We are part of the problem, not part of the solution. Leaving Iraq will be a disaster. Staying, however, will just mean another 550,000 dead Iraqies within the next three years, more blood, a bigger bloodbath. As in Vietnam, our own actions there have killed far more people than would have died if we'd just let them get their civil war on back in 2003. In Vietnam, we killed several million Vietnamese in order to prevent the bloodbath that occurred when the NVA overran South Vietnam. Said bloodbath: Approximately 50,000 South Vietnamese government officials were executed by the North Vietnamese when they conquered South Vietnam. Congratulations, America. You're 60 times more bloodthirsty than the North Vietnamese... and, on a death-per-year basis in Iraq, 10 times more bloodthirsty than Saddam. Makes a penguin proud to be an American...

And the war floggers get a hard-on just thinking about it... more blood, they scream. More death. More killing. That's the solution. that's the only solution they ever offer for anything, as they sit there in their mommy's basements yanking their pud as they gape with open mouths at the blood on their computer screens.

Bastards. Every single one of them Mark Foleys in the closet, except yanking their pud at the thought of dead Iraqis, rather than live boys. Necrophiliacs. Sick fucking bastards. Every single one of them.

-- Badtux the not-proud Penguin

Cross posted at Mockingbird's Medley