>http://slate.msn.com/id/2108995/

This article describes the dynamics of Iraq and why we are in for a long
haul that we cannot now afford to abandon. The complexities of the
interactions between Kurds, Sunni and Shiite and Hammabi Iraqis and the once
power-holding Sunni Baathists, are the woof and warp of what George W. Bush
never thought about when he went after the token entity he knew (after his
father) as "Sadamn". The facile goal of "regime change" has been sliced and
diced into an explosive and corrosive blend of hatreds on the ground of
Mesopotamia.

It is obvious from the aftermath that these factors were not understood,
just as it is obvious that the intricate planning of the war was not
extended to plan for the peace.

One bad decision of an important magnitude can have a tearing floodtide of bad
consequences; nothing demonstrates this more clearly than the situation in
Iraq. And it is clear this was a strategic, not a tactical error. The
Marines and Army units and their officers, who have largely beens uccessful
in tactical purusits, cannot afford to worry about where they would like to
be, but are obliged by life-or-death considerations to move forward from
what is. The irrationality of the current situation must be plainly placed
on the doorstep of George Bush, Karl Rove, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, and
Condi Rice. While it may be modern to say these people are not stupid, and
it may even be true, what is also certainly true is that they made some very
stupid decisions at the strategic level, with some very painful and
expensive consequences. It is hard to understand why this gang wa shired int
he first place, given their demonstrations of managerial callousness. It is
even harder to understand why they were considered for rehiring.