Other than that, Helprin repeated what has been a theme of his post-9/11 commentary, which is that America has failed to dedicate the necessary military and civil defense resources to win this war. When asked what he would do now with regard to Iraq, he said he felt like a surgeon being asked to operate on a dead patient. That is, the mistake of sending too few troops and not fighting a war of excess has already taken its toll, and there’s not much more we could do at this point to improve things on the ground. ~Philip Klein, AmSpec Blog

I share Helprin’s view and also share what is probably his frustration at being asked to work miracles by coming up with a viable “solution” for a nightmare that he foresaw and warned against–to no avail.  I sometimes marvel at the counterblasts from war supporters when those of us who predicted disaster in 2002 point to the huge flaws in existing strategy: “So what do you think we should do?” 

When I offer my “solution”: “Get out as quickly as possible,” the usual rejoinder is, “But obviously we can’t do that!  That wouldn’t be fair to the Iraqis!”  Of course, nobody gave a damn about being “fair” to the Iraqis when they urged on a war of aggression, er, liberation on their country allegedly for the sake of our national security.  Show me a war supporter who cares so deeply about the fate Iraqis, and I’ll show you someone who has run out of rational arguments in favour of staying in Iraq.  Quoth the Derb:

Whether Iraq is better off without Saddam Hussein in power, I don’t know.  To be blunt about it, I don’t care, either.  What are the Iraqis to me?

I do think, though, that administration spokespeople should retire the line about the world being a better place without SH.  This line is lame.  Setting aside the fact that the proposition itself is arguable, even if it’s true, so what?  The world would be a better place without Kim Jong Il, or Robert Mugabe, or Fidel Castro.  It’s not the rightful business of the U.S. govt. to go around making the world a better place.  It’s their business to defend and advance U.S. interests.  There is a case that the d & a of U.S. interests was served by removing SH.  Admin. officials should stress that case.  But for heaven’s sake spare us the world-saving stuff.