I also feel Amp’s rage in his demand for revenge – which is what I understand calls for “taking … responsibility” to be.

What I hunger for is not revenge, really. What I want is some indication that the American leadership class is capable of acknowledging error and thus learning from it and improving their judgment in the future.

But here’s the point: No amount of punishment for Administration screw-ups will help the women of Iraq now. As far as I can tell, the best hope for the women of Iraq is for the US to redouble its efforts to bring stability to that poor, beleaguered nation.

Short of a major draft, I doubt that redoubling efforts is a possibility.

Nor do I have your faith that we are able to improve things in Iraq (or in the middle east) with our occupation, or that our military has the ability to remake Iraqi society, or to bring about stability. Nothing I’ve seen so far leads me to believe that the US military is capable of doing all that.

If I could be convinced that we’d definitely improve things for Iraqi civilians by staying in Iraq, then I’d favor staying, under the “you broke it, you bought it” ethic. But I’m extremely skeptical about that.

Furthermore, I think it’s more than possible that our presence in Iraq contributes to destabilizing the entire region. But then again, I also think it’s possible that you’re right, and we’d make things worse with any withdrawal.

Given the uncertainties on every side, my belief is that we should allow the Iraqi people to decide if we’re going to gradually withdraw, or indefinitely stay, or stay for a stated period of time followed by a new vote.

Frankly, I think it’s most probably the case that pro-war advocates – many of whom, it should be pointed out, are leading Democrats – have gotten us into an intractable solution, in which enormous harms to the people of Iraq are inevitable regardless of what course we take.

Amp’s anger is palpable. He’s so angry he even suggests that he seriously considered the idea that Bush’s concern for the welfare of Iraqis motivated this war.

Bush campaigned for office on the idea of keeping the US out of “nation-building” operations. I am not aware of any subsequent events that would have enhanced Bush’s concern for the welfare of the people of Afghanistan or Iraq. I don’t mean to say that the Bush Administration didn’t make humanitarian arguments in support of its wars, just as they made every other argument in support of the wars. But I don’t buy the image of Bush saying, “Gosh, since 9/11 I suddenly feel empathy for the oppressed people of Afghanistan and Iraq….”

I also feel Amp’s rage in his demand for revenge – which is what I understand calls for “taking … responsibility” to be. I, too, would like to see Administration officials face some consequence for their screw-ups. (Hell, I’d like to see them all consigned to Gitmo, and force the Republican Congress to rescue them by finally adopting bona fide habeas corpus procedures….)

But here’s the point: No amount of punishment for Administration screw-ups will help the women of Iraq now. As far as I can tell, the best hope for the women of Iraq is for the US to redouble its efforts to bring stability to that poor, beleaguered nation.

I regretfully concluded that the US should stay and slug it out. If we succeed, we’ll bring a measure of comfort to generations of Iraqis.

And yes, we’ll also bring some vindication to Bush. Yes, this view puts me in league with people so brainwashed by partisanship and/or pro-war ideology that they’re no longer capable of recognizing failure. It puts me in league with people seeking to aid the Administration in evading responsibility for the unbelievable damage they’ve caused. This is a bitter, bitter pill.

But surely, Amp, surely you would be the last person to let partisanship stand in the way of promoting the best interests of the people of Iraqi. I don’t gainsay a single fact you cite. I do not ask you to abandon your well-grounded indignation with our government. But strategically, is now the time? Breathe deeply and reflect. Don’t we all have higher commitments?

Among the many painful positions this war has created is the position of those of us who told them so. Cuz we DID tell them so, dammit! We should definitely learn from this when we face our next crisis. But saying “I told you so” is not very helpful now.

May I say then, Amp, that my support of our continuing efforts in Iraq puts me in league with you?

How many Iraqis have to be raped, kidnapped, and murdered before more than a handful of the folks who favored invading Iraq admit they’ve screwed up catastrophically would be the better question.