Who's Last Throe Is It Anyway?

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised anymore when the Right, cheerleaders for a man and an administration which are totally detached from reality, continue to insist on vewing affairs through an "I wish I would, I wish I might" filter.

The Wall Street Journal opined on Sunday:

the recent Iraqi victory in the battle of Tal Afar could be a turning point in the war against the terrorists...There are good reasons to believe the current operation in Tal Afar--a largely Turkoman city near the Syrian border--will be a model of things to come. Previous attempts to clean the terrorists out of Tal Afar and other cities in northern and western Iraq have too often seen the insurgents melt away only to return when the U.S. spearhead withdrew. This time Iraqis are leading the fight and, most important, many will stay so the people of Tal Afar can begin to believe they can live free of terrorist intimidation.

Only to be shot down Monday by the man on the spot:

Is there enough force here right now to secure this area permanently? No. Are there opportunities for the enemy in other areas within our region? Yes," said Col. H.R. McMaster, commander of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Tall Afar.

So many "turning points" and "tipping points" - no wonder the ass-kiss crowd of Bush sycophants are getting dizzy and falling down all over the place.

Col. McMaster's 3rd ACR had probably the best bet at introducing the new tactics that so many experts outwith the Pentagon's politico high-ups have been pushing for but it would appear that his innovations have been squished by the "stay the course" team.

That goes some way to explaining why the airport road is still hostile territory, why insurgents can lob mortar bombs into the Green Zone with relative impunity, why so many Iraqi cities are still stronholds for Al Qaida no matter how many sweeps are conducted and why August was the thrid most deadly month yet for US servicemen.

I firmly believe advocating the withdrawal of Coalition troops now and abandoning Iraqis to their fates is callous inhumanity and shows a chauvinist attitude of "American blood is more valuable than Iraqi blood" that is a form of closet racism. After all, much of the current chaos is due to Coalition mistakes and ommisions.

But for the Good Lady's sake, can we not change the course at least as far as giving the maverick military experts ideas a try? The people who gave us so many "last throes" are themselves past the tipping point but refuse to see it. Time for a change of tactics - and personnel too.