Krugman on Iraq - The Annotated Version

Paul Krugman is generally regarded as a very smart fellow and an excellent progressive analyst. One could also wonder if recently he has taken to reading the various bloggers of the Unpaid Punditry Corps. So much so, indeed, that a little bit of searching through our archives allows me to provide an annotated version of his article in the New York Times yesterday. By all means, as you read Mr. Krugman's excellent opinion piece entitled "Staying What Course?", refer to the links below for further details.

Is there any point, now that November's election is behind us, in revisiting the history of the Iraq war? Yes: any path out of the quagmire will be blocked by people who call their opponents weak on national security, and portray themselves as tough guys who will keep America safe. So it's important to understand how the tough guys made America weak.

Mr Krugman then gives an effective precis of exactly how the tough guys made America weak - and to help along that precis, I am providing some links to posts at Newshog and other UPC members' sites. Enjoy.

Line 6: There has been notably little U.S. coverage of the "Downing Street memo"
Newshog - UK Helped US "Create" Iraq War ", Newshog - Memogate Defence Is No Defence At All , Newshog - UK Leaks on Iraq War - The "Real" Memogate.

Lines 22-23: Iraq was perceived as a soft target; a quick victory there, its domestic political advantages aside, could serve as a demonstration of American military might, one that would shock and awe the world.
UPC- Naked Self Interest: A Rationalization for Iraq? ,

Lines 24-26: But the Iraq war has, instead, demonstrated the limits of American power, and emboldened our potential enemies. Why should Kim Jong Il fear us, when we can't even secure the road from Baghdad to the airport?
UPC - Iraq - The Issue That Just Won't Go Away For Blair, Bush

Line 32: Next year, reports Jane's Defense Industry, the United States will spend as much on defense as the rest of the world combined.
Newshog - War, what is it good for? Making Money! , includes a link to the Jane's article itself. I was impressed - not many American journalists bother to read Jane's.

Line 33: Yet the Pentagon now admits that our military is having severe trouble attracting recruits
Fester's Place - Desperate Measures for Recruiting , UPC - BeepBeep: On recruiting

Line 34: and would have difficulty dealing with potential foes - those that, unlike Saddam's Iraq, might pose a real threat.
UPC- Bush Still Confusing "Twin Wars"

Line 48: But the American military isn't just bogged down in Iraq; it's deteriorating under the strain
Fester's Place - Iraq: elections, organization, urban operations , UPC - How To Destroy An Army

Line 49:We may already be in real danger: what threats, exactly, can we make against the North Koreans?
Newshog - Bushspeak: North Korea

Line 52: I'm not advocating an immediate pullout, but we have to tell the Iraqi government that our stay is time-limited, and that it has to find a way to take care of itself.
Newshog - Twin Wars: Part Two : Planning To Win In Iraq , Twin Wars: Part Three : Planning To Win Against Terror

There, I hope that helps, should you decide to dig deeper into the issues Krugman mentions.

By the way, I think I am correct in saying that every single one of the posts referenced above has appeared as a crosspost to the Unpaid Pundits site - but I decided to spread the love around.