JESSICA MATHEWS, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace:
Well, it's not the same war; that's the key thing to say. He [President Bush] linked the beginning of the war and where we are now, and we're now fighting a totally different war.
Who's our enemy? Is it the Sunnis? Is it the Shiites, who we're opposing in Iran, but supporting in Iraq? In my view, it can't be won as a war. It's a political battle now in Iraq.
And I'd say the chances that there will be a stable outcome in the next three to five years are somewhere around 10 percent.
Ten percent seems low to me. Even if you believe that a stable outcome is worth fighting for, worth soldiering for, one key question is can we afford it, really, without a one-time war-tax on the wealthy, who could pay for it without endangering economic growth, given the recent changes in wealth and income distribution ... I know that's a pretty frightening thing to suggest, but why not press for something now, rather than wait for the next election to "save us"?
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Quote for the Day
