There Is No Exit Strategy

Since Sen. Murtha's declaration last week that the US desperately needed to "redeploy" (not remove immediately as some would have us believe) troops from Iraq, politicos and columnists, such as myself, have been all atwitter about the possible near end of the war. Take Dan Froomkin's column in the Washington Post: What's The Plan?. In it, he attempts to explain that the Democrats in Congress have a real plan, but the Bush Administration is stalling and sounding more Nixon-like (remember his secret plan to get out of Vietnam?) every day.

Well, I argue no one has a plan. They are just mouthing words as a result of pressure we have put on them. No really, it's true. When I say we, I mean every single one of the over 60% of this country that is against this war and the 50% who say we need to bring the troops home now. They want to look like they are doing something when they really aren't. When I say they, I mean all the jackasses in the halls of power.

As far as I'm concerned, an exit plan that takes longer than the two weeks it took to place the troops and war materials in Iraq in the first place is too long. It is shorthand for further occupation, which equals more death and destruction. The US was in Vietnam for nearly a decade and Vietnam didn't have oil or anywhere near the importance for US and imperial interests that Iraq does. The Financial Times knows this well, as this report clearly shows.

The US needs further occupation of Iraq, its rulers are just in the throes of trying to figure out how it can continue without looking like total, absolute schmucks. It isn't working.