Saturday, May 08, 2004

They've Apologized. Now What? [New York Times: International News] The column's conclusion: That there are no good options at this point is fast becoming a cliché. Mr. Holbrooke, an adviser to the Kerry campaign, said that the administration must now explicitly concede that the American presence in Iraq is illegitimate and illegal in the eyes of the Arab world and turn affairs over to the United Nations. Then the administration can maneuver behind the scenes to ensure that the interim Iraqi government installed after June 30 quickly invites American troops to begin a phased withdrawal over an extended period. Such a request could hardly be refused. But Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair see Iraq as a fight to deliver the Middle East from Al Qaeda's poisonous ideology by opening up Arab society and linking it to the West. They point to the 2,300 schools rehabilitated, the $32 billion pledged for reconstruction, the higher-than-expected oil revenues in recent months and the relative strength of the new currency. A withdrawal on their watch, even a phased one, looks unlikely. Their goal, however, has never looked more elusive. Abu Ghraib is not My Lai. Nothing like the infamous massacre of Vietnamese civilians took place in the Iraqi prison. But it is assuming something of the mantle of that tragedy - a vivid stain on America's conscience. How the United States can recover the moral authority with which much of the world still yearns to vest it will depend on its choices over the next few weeks. The battle for Iraq now begins again, for the third time, and on tougher terms than ever. 6:32:02 PM

From today's papers - stops to make you think, eh? ------------------------------------------------------ "What kind of peace could come from you or your agents when you feel pleasure at torturing prisoners? How are you going to control the world when you can't control a few soldiers here and there? If anyone did this to one of your people, would you accept it?" -- Muqtada al-Sadr 11:09:40 AM