Cheney and Murtha

So, was it Cheney who gave up Woodward to Fitzgerald?

I argued with my grandfather tonight about Murtha's argument for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq. Basically, Murtha contends that the administration's policy failings have backed us into an unwinnable situation, wherein our very presence in Iraq causes more problems than it resolves. (Republicans respond with their usual ad hominems. Murtha replies by bashing Cheney for being a draft dodger, therefore lacking the "right" to argue with him. Both these arguments strike me as asinine. Though it is quite refreshing to see the Democrat trying to give as good as he's getting.) My grandfather agreed, as well as adding that invading Iraq was a stupid idea from the beginning (no argument there from me--we shouldn't have gone).

While I agree that the administration's sheer incompetence has, bluntly, screwed us over, I don't think that the situation will improve if we pull out now. I think the country would fall apart even more and we would continue to be blamed, with reason, for the chaos and instability that would grow throughout the country. I think it would even spill beyond Iraq's borders. It's not like we've got good options--I don't think the administration's going to come to its senses--but there's still some hope so long as things don't fall completely apart. As matters stand, we keep things above that (minimal) level. If we leave, things really fall apart.