In reassessing the war, in other words, the moral cost to America must come into the equation. -AS, re-rethinking the war
I'm not going to argue with Andrew that torture has been bad and that, like the Israeli army before it, the "code of arms" of the US military has been severely stressed, all along and all the way up the chain.
I will however dispute how much this is a 'propaganda win' for jihad. It seems to me that there are bigger propaganda wins that we can hand to them.
Also, what about the moral benefits of the war? It's not popular to talk about those, although it might be smart from a global counterterrorism perspective, because ... with the notice given yesterday to additional troops, some GOP senators are now apparently vying with Democrats over who is going to take credit for leaving Iraq. Given how public opinion has swung so wildly, the emerging, best-case political scenario is to draw down troops, as we might have done anyway because of improving strength and capabilities among Iraqi forces, but call it something other than a passing of the baton, as it should be, like an end to a failed policy. Still, the 'politics' of the war are so convoluted now that some Dems appear ready to vote for the full appropriation, with nothing attached ... (hard to believe, but true).
It's outrageous that the Iraqi government can take a 'hard break' for eight weeks. (Where are they going to go, exactly, I wonder?) It shows how weak the U.S. hand is, truly. It also probably means that any kind of provincial elections will be late in 2007, if at all this year.
It's important that 'strategic assessments' mean something, so I'm all for partial funding of the supplemental request.
One way to turn off funding is to insist, in veto round two, that Bush-Cheney pay for the war to date. Pushing time lines, I guess, is easier and more symbolic. If Bush wants the struggle to go on until the end of his term, then the least that a democratic congress can do, without veto override, is to say, "Mr. President, show some leadership and pay for the war." A one-time wealth transfer from the private to the public coffers ought to keep the Dems from getting criticized for derailing the economy, etc.
