[That sure isn't what Russ Smith of NY Press thinks/hopes. Get an eyeful of his column this week, "Don’t Doubt Bush" -- Smith's a one-man fife and drum corps:]
... it’s imperative that Bush reaffirm, probably in a national address, his unwavering conviction that America will not back down from its responsibility in Iraq, a morally correct war that’s vital to the security of this country and the entire Middle East. He has to communicate more effectively that the invasion wasn’t a hit-and-run operation, that democracy can’t be established in Iraq overnight.
It’s a war: Soldiers are killed, an unspeakable tragedy for their families, but it’s for an historical and noble cause. There will be more bad days, and weeks, in Iraq, but any sign of equivocation will result in utter chaos, from which the region won’t recover for decades to come. Bush has a unique window of opportunity in which to bring stability, economic strength, freedom and civility to a part of the world that’s been chronically repressed and devoid of hope. When, in time, Iraq becomes a flowering democracy, the ripple effect in neighboring countries is sure to follow....
The Daily News ... got it right. The lead edit read: "[T]he struggle in Iraq is greater than a contest over a single country. It is also why the entire nation of Iraq must be recognized as a war zone, as dangerous as any battlefield and requiring stepped-up aggression and vigilance.
"We are doing the work of the Almighty by whatever name you choose in relieving the suffering of an abused people while battling evil on its own turf. May the families of the lost find inspiration in the bravery of their loved ones and solace in the rightness of the fight."
<http://www.nypress.com/16/45/news&columns/mugger.cfm>
Carl
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