US and the World

Reality hits the Republican party?

Top News Article | Reuters.com

Well, they're now getting it half right - Iraq is a mess. Of course, they think we can make it better by getting tougher - and so do many democrats - and all that is going to do is dig a deeper hole while creating more enemies of the US. More of our soldiers will die, more Iraqis will die, more moneyw ill be wasted - and the terrorists willbecome stronger.

That said, it's still go to see some sense of reality take hold among some Republican leaders, even if the president is totally incapable of admitting anymistakes.

"The fact is, we're in deep trouble in Iraq ... and I think we're going to have to look at some recalibration of policy," Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

And . . .

We made serious mistakes," said Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican who has campaigned at Bush's side this year after patching up a bitter rivalry.

McCain, speaking on "Fox News Sunday," cited as mistakes the toleration of looting after the successful U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and failures to secure Iraq's borders or prevent insurgents from establishing strongholds within the country.

And . . .

Sen. Richard Lugar, an Indiana Republican and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also criticized the administration's handling of Iraq's reconstruction.  

Only $1 billion of $18.4 billion allocated by Congress for the task has been spent, Lugar said. "This is the incompetence in the administration," he said on ABC's "This Week."

But - what just about no one is saying - Including Kerry - was that it was a mistake to go in there in the first place. It was not only a mistake, it was shameful. And we will not make it better by getting tough. We were wrong. We shamed our nation. We have murdered thousands of innocent people. We have gravely offended our friends and brought joy and satisfaction to our worst enemies.

If that doesn't add up to disaster, I don't know what does.