Five Weeks Later

Once long ago, I was hooked on a soap opera. I used to watch it every afternoon when I had the chance. The funny thing about soap operas is that you can miss a few weeks and pick right up again because nothing much has really gone on while you have not been watching. I just got back from a five week vacation ( more about that later), turned on my TV to the United States "Congressional soap opera" and was not surprised to find that nothing much has changed while I was tuned out. Tonight the Senate is having an all night discussion of the War in Iraq, but everyone knows that it won't change anything. But this isn't a soap opera. People are really dying while the characters in Congress talk and talk and talk.

I wasn't for this war. I didn't need a crystal ball to know how it would turn out. What I don't understand is that anyone who had gone through the Vietnam era could fail to predict the consequences of trying to make a country composed of religious and ethnic factions that don't like each other into a democracy by outside military intervention. Obviously the president was too busy flying planes over Texas, watching baseball (?) and drinking (?) to pay much attention to Vietnam. I am furious that those who were elected to lead this country let us get into this situation, but I know that playing the blame game will not get us out. I also know that looking for the perfect solution will not get us out because there is no good plan, only bad plans and worse plans. Anne Applebaum, No Magic Bullets For Iraq, does a great job of explaining flaws with the proposed solutions.

I don't have the magic answer, but I am certain of one thing, continuing to do more of what we are already doing is the worst plan we could possibly follow. I hope that Congress quits talking and starts acting soon because the hole that Bush is digging will soon be so deep that we may never find a way to climb out of it. I was glad to see that Senator Voinovich suggested a plan to the president. I'm not sure if it will work, but when you are at the bottom of a deep hole any plan is better than continuing to dig. Members of Congress need to stop talking and force the "Decider" to stop digging and start building a ladder.