The hanging of Saddam Hussein did not change anything, but it did illuminate the deeply sectarian nature of this government. If it were my choice, I would not “surge” American troops in defense of such a government.- Charles Krauthammer
When you’ve lost Charles Krauthammer, you’ve lost pretty much everyone. It’s over. It’s time to start bringing our troops home.
Yet, Krauthammer cannot bring himself to draw that conclusion. Rather than concede defeat he wants to keep the airport and a bunch of military bases and ‘be there to pick up the pieces’ when the civil war plays itself out. I don’t know what could better demonstrate the ultimate aims of the neo-cons.
If we had zero American casualties a day, there would be as little need to withdraw from Iraq as there is to withdraw from the Balkans.
We need to find a redeployment strategy that maintains as much latent American strength as possible, but with minimal exposure. We say to Maliki: Let us down, and we dismantle the Green Zone, leave Baghdad and let you fend for yourself; we keep the airport and certain strategic bases in the area; we redeploy most of our forces to Kurdistan; we maintain a significant presence in Anbar province, where we are having success in our one-front war against al-Qaeda and the Baathists. Then we watch. You can have your Baghdad civil war without us. We will be around to pick up the pieces as best we can.
So at the end of four years of failed policy Krauthammer thinks we can occupy Baghdad’s airport and keep military bases throughout Iraq and just sit around idly watching Iraqis slaughter each other. When they get tired of slaughtering people we will emerge from the airport and remote bases to pick up the pieces.
Thank you for laying out Dick Cheney’s moral universe for us, Charles. I’m very impressed.
