I Don't Need Your Civil War

"There are some who feel like -- that the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring them on. We've got the force necessary to deal with the security situation."
--President George W. Bush (July 2, 2003)

The news on civil war in Iraq continues to pour out...

The Washington Post reports that "Grisly attacks and other sectarian violence unleashed by last week's bombing of a Shiite Muslim shrine have killed more than 1,300 Iraqis, making the past few days the deadliest of the war outside of major U.S. offensives." Time magazine is reporting this week that "The reconstruction of Iraq has cost U.S. taxpayers nearly $30 billion so far, and is still plagued with problems, as evidenced by the daily power outages, degraded water supplies and skyrocketing local fuel prices... [and a] report, to be issued this week by the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, catalogs a litany of blunders that had more to do with poor planning in Washington than with the insurgency or sectarian violence." Also, the AP reports on that same topic. Finally, CNN reports that "The only Iraqi battalion capable of fighting without U.S. support has been downgraded to a level requiring them to fight with American troops backing them up".

So the situation in Iraq? Not so good.

And in an interesting turn of events, new polls show that U.S. troops on the ground want the U.S. to get out of Iraq. ASAP. Editor & Publisher looks at findings by the NY Time's William Kristof:

A poll of U.S. troops currently serving in Iraq—reportedly the first of its kind—shows that 72% advocate a U.S. pullout within a year, with only 23% for staying as long ”as necessary,” reports Nicholas Kristof in his New York Times column today. Some 29% urge withdrawal “immediately.”...

John Zogby also explores the poll findings. I guess the big question is... Why are our troops defeatists and cowards? Troops- stop hating America! Note to Democrats: This is your break. Dust off your damn spines, establish a clear stance on the war, fight for your cause and don't be afraid to keep speaking out even if people attack you for it. It's a little something called leadership; we're not getting it from the right, so it's your turn to step up to the plate.

Also, here is a look at what people are saying around the internet on Iraq...

Glenn Greenwald holds a funeral for the conservative principle of personal responsibility:

[T]he pet neoconservative project of invading and bombing Iraq in order to transform it into a pro-U.S. beacon of peace, stability and freedom is a wholesale disaster, an abject failure on virtually every level. The cost of our little adventure is incalculable and will be with us for a generation, at least – the destruction of American credibility; the indescribable weakening of our military which leaves us vulnerable to real threats and enemies; and the staggering cost in both money and lives. ... Finally forced to accept the reality of their failure, war proponents have only two choices left: (a) admit their error and accept personal responsibility for their horrendous lack of judgment and foresight, or (b) blame others for their failure while insisting, in the face of a tidal wave of evidence, that they were right all along. Guess which option these Shining Beacons of Personal Responsibility are embracing?

Peter Galbraith sums up how President Bush has failed completely as a leader:

Much of the Iraq fiasco can be directly attributed to Bush's shortcomings as a leader. Having decided to invade Iraq, he failed to make sure there was adequate planning for the postwar period. He never settled bitter policy disputes among his principal aides over how postwar Iraq would be governed; and he allowed competing elements of his administration to pursue diametrically opposed policies at nearly the same time. He used jobs in the Coalition Provisional Authority to reward political loyalists who lacked professional competence, regional expertise, language skills, and, in some cases, common sense. Most serious of all, he conducted his Iraq policy with an arrogance not matched by political will or military power.

Andrew Sullivan (who once called war critics 'fifth columnists') is less than optimistic:

1300 dead in a few days is not a portent of civil war. It is civil war. The question is whether it can now be stopped. Imagine if 16,000 Americans had been slaughtered in a few days in sectarian conflict. Would you call it peace?

Even leading conservative William Buckley has had enough of Bush's war.

This is, of course, not just complaining for the sake of it. We need accountability for this disaster.

And that's the problem... Until we have that accountability, until we have people take responsibility for their mistakes and make changes, the situation in Iraq will not improve. This President's stubborness is legendary and he would rather let American troops and Iraqi civilians die than admit his pet project was a disaster. 'Stay the course' was never a credible policy; now, however, it is practically a death wish. As the Republican-to-English dictionary notes, 'staying the course' translates to "Continuing to perform the same actions and expecting different results. (See: insanity.)".

It's time to change course. Continue to work with the Iraqis in stabilization efforts and reconstruction. But we need to begin withdrawing troops now. Not all at once, but it must begin now. Yes, it is morally wrong to abandon a country we've shat on, but leaving our troops at this point would do more harm than good. The Iraqi people must learn to stand up for themselves and rid their country of insurgents and terrorists. We can't hold their hands forever. As Stephen Colbert said last night, "It's a civil war. By definition, we can't be involved!".

And that's not truthiness either, that's truth.