William F. Buckley says we have lost
Tuesday, 28 February 2006 | 171 readers so far
Columnist William F. Buckley says the war in Iraq is lost:
One can’t doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed. The same edition of the paper quotes a fellow of the American Enterprise Institute. Mr. Reuel Marc Gerecht backed the American intervention. He now speaks of the bombing of the especially sacred Shiite mosque in Samarra and what that has precipitated in the way of revenge. He concludes that “the bombing has completely demolished” what was being attempted — to bring Sunnis into the defense and interior ministries.
If the war is indeed lost, then I’d like to know what he proposes we do. Should we abandon the country like we did in Vietnam? Leave everyone who cooperated with the coalition to their fate? Let the country devolve and destabilize further? Let the evil men run the show?
If Iraq was a patient in a hospital and you were the doctor you certainly wouldn’t say, “We’ve lost,” and go play a round of golf, at least not if you were an ethical man. I think Iraq is a lot like a very sick and delirious patient who hasn’t been properly restrained and is banging his head against the wall repeatedly. Sure, the medical team can just give up and say “nothing we’ve tried has worked.” But that would be plain wrong and the patient would eventually severely injure or kill himself. What’s your prescription, Dr. Buckley? I am over here with 130,000 others, waiting to find out.
1 February 28th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Dale says:
What do we do now that Buckley says the war is lost? Ignore Buckley.
I was opposed to invading Iraq but when the President and Congress voted for it, I was convinced that we could not leave until it was ready on its own. I have been an advocate for the development of the 4 things I think we need to settle Iraq: Security, Infrastructure, Rule of Law, and Political Stability
Ignore Buckley, I say. His is a defeatist attitude and not worth pondering.
2 March 1st, 2006 at 3:49 am
Chuckie . . . that's the national sport says:
“I sleep restlessly in this place”: a soldier’s life in Iraq…
Trevor at the will to exist:
Lately I’ve been feeling overwhelmingly fatigued. My body has been demanding a lo……
3 March 1st, 2006 at 3:53 am
Michael Greenspan says:
I just posted all of this (except the passage from Buckley) and most of your next post (on feeling tired). If I’m quoting too extensively, please let me know.
Michael
4 March 1st, 2006 at 6:07 am
Andrew says:
I think Buckley said what he said because he’s a true conservative, not a neocon, who are really Trotskyites in ill-fitting Brooks Brothers suits.
5 March 1st, 2006 at 6:16 am
Dale says:
I will believe that conservatives want us out of Iraq when I hear Pat Buchanan say it.
6 March 1st, 2006 at 8:07 am
Green says:
I’m ignoring Buckley. But then again I ignore just about everybody and come up with my own opinion. What I find really amusing is the recent trend of just throwing up one’s hands and ignoring the people that one has worshiped for so long when their opinion differs from yours. That is why I don’t subscibe to people or entire collections of thoughts but rather find my own way.
So Buckley thinks that we’ve lost. So what? If people didn’t bow down to him in the first place we wouldn’t have so many people blogging about how disappointed they are that they disagree with him now.
7 March 2nd, 2006 at 6:39 pm
Mudville Gazette says:
[...] William F. Buckley says we have lost — [The Will to Exist - in Iraq] Columnist William F. Buckley says the war in Iraq is lost: If the war is indeed lost, then I’d like to know what he proposes we do. Should we abandon the country like we did in Vietnam? Leave everyone who cooperated with the coalition to their fate? Let the country devolve and destabilize further? Let the evil men run the show? [...]
8 June 19th, 2007 at 10:40 am
Barry M Griffiths says:
Buckley is wrong when he says that we have lost in Iraq. Our initial objective was to remove Sadaam and we suceeded in doing that. We are now attempting to ensure that Iraq will not become a base for the kind of terrorists that launched 9/11. That objective will take longer and we simply have to be patient. Walking away from a problem would be cowardly and wrong.