You probably all know this Jimmy Cliff song from The Harder They Come:

Sitting here in limbo, but I know it won’t be long
Sitting here in limbo, like a bird without a song
Well they’re putting up resistance
But I know my faith will lead me on

Sitting here in limbo, waiting for the dice to roll
Sitting here in limbo, got some time to search my soul
Well they’re putting up resistance
But I know that my faith will lead me on

Right now, those lyrics strike me as a metaphor for a lot of things. They apply to a weakened and chastened Bush, who despite all evidence clings to his faith. They apply to the Washington Establishment that has provided the Iraq Study Group report and is praying that Bush will face reality and change course. They apply to the Iraqi government and they apply to all the Iraqis that want us to pull out, are terrified by the potential consequences, but are willing to roll the dice anyway. Anyway you slice it, we’re all waiting in limbo with regard to Iraq.

Which brings to mind another Jimmy Cliff lyric:

Many rivers to cross
And it’s only my will that keeps me alive
I’ve been licked, washed up for years
And I merely survive because of my pride…

Yes, I’ve got many rivers to cross
And I merely survive because of my will…

I’d forgive Bush if he began embracing these lyrics, because they really do seem to apply to him. They also apply to our fighting men and women in Iraq. I’ve written something like five posts in a row about the need to impeach the President and Vice-President and I don’t want to beat a dead horse. But it is really true that our country is in a major crisis. No one seems to be able to break through to the President. He does not seem prepared to begin facing the consequences of his invasion of Iraq. We can’t sit in limbo forever, and we certainly can’t sit in limbo for another two years hoping Bush has a moment like this:

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

Iraq is a really serious problem and it is going to be a lot more complicated once we begin to pull our troops out. We have serious decisions to make and we will have to deal with precarious situations with really vital allies like Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey. It’s impossible to envision Dick Cheney and George W. Bush handling the pullout of Iraq competently.

Some people think that we should reprise Vietnam and pull the funding. My questions is: ‘What good would that do if Bush and Cheney are doing the clean-up?’

I don’t really care what we impeach the President for. I suspect the Unitary Executive theory will provide the casus belli but that is not important. What is vital is that we do not keep this administration in power and in charge of our foreign policy over the next two years. If anyone can provide me a reason why we should do that (including any lurking Republicans) please let me know. I can’t think of any benefit for the nation or the Republican Party.

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