Yoshie Furuhashi wrote:
>
>
> Well, I know I shouldn't condemn those who thought that the US forces
> should stay in Iraq to bring law and order to Iraq, prevent a civil
> war, etc., but I do get impatient with them,
According to a friend in the '60s Lenin somewhere says there are three revolutionary virtures:
1. Patience
2. Patience
3. Patience
Whether Lenin said that or not he should have.
If I recall correctly, I took quite a bit of static on this list in the summer of 2003 by arguing that the anti-war movement could not have any effect on u.s. policy short of several years. I'll repeat the same point now. We on the left should _in the first instance_ be thinking of 2010 or 2012 and thereafter, and then shape current program and goals from that future perspective.
That takes patience. It also takes immense care not to to allow diversion of attention from the crucial point that at the present the front line in the defense of humanity is occupied by Iran, the Iraqi resistance (no internal differnentiation) and Hezbollah, as Yoshie has been arguing patiently for months. I appreciate the feeling of impatience, but it doesn't help; rather it deflects from the main concerns.
Carrol