From National Journal, right vote, wrong president: Lawmakers who originally supported the war weren't wrong to authorize the use of force in Iraq. They were wrong to trust that President Bush would use that power wisely; and shoot/don't shoot? The kinds of aggressive acts that win battles for the U.S. Military in Iraq can all too easily slide into the kinds of aggressive acts that lead to war crimes. From LRB, it’s the oil: The US may be "stuck" precisely where Bush/Cheney et al want it to be, which is why there is no "exit strategy". What can we still achieve in Iraq? Reconciliation's off the table, but there are other decent ways out. If addressing the nation’s moral obligation entails something other than sending someone else’s kid to fight a misbegotten war, then we are not especially interested. That’s the dirty little secret embedded in the argument of those who say we should continue on our current course.
