Boom Town

"The very fundamental issue is, they don't know where the hell they're going" General Jack Sheehan.

The "Splurge" has been underway for two months now. And to what end has it brought us?

In the last week two vital bridges in Baghdad have been destroyed by suicide bombers, attacks by suicide bombers in Baghdad yesterday killed 57, and a suicide bomber struck in the heavily secured parliament building in the Green Zone itself.

In March, more American troops were killed than Iraqi forces. April is on pace to be more deadly still, with 40 fatalities last week alone.

This is not what "success" looks like, and Americans do not get to win Iraq's civil war.

Those in charge don't have any idea what the hell they are doing. Turns out real warfare ain't exactly that much like Risk, afterall. (Who knew???)

The stench of desperation hangs heavy in Washington, and grows thicker and more sickening by the day.

The geniuses who know nothing of war outside Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers have painted us into a corner and decimated the military of manpower and materiel - to the point it will take decades to rebuild.

The desperately out-of-touch who advocate the "Splurge" stubbornly insist that the "new" strategy will work - because it has to. There is no contingency in case it doesn't and McCain admitted as much yesterday in a campaign appearance in Iowa.

“I have no Plan B,” Mr. McCain said in an interview. “If I saw that doomsday scenario evolving, then I would try to come up with one. But I cannot give you a good alternative because if I had a good alternative, maybe we could consider it now.” He went on: “I am not guaranteeing that this succeeds,” said Mr. McCain, “I am just saying that I think it can. I believe it has a good shot.”

Based on what, Senator? On the escalating violence? On the ratcheted up casualties? On the fact that we have to redeploy Guardsmen back to battle even though that violates the contract they signed when they joined? On the fact that we are force to extend battle tours for the Active Duty Army in a shell-game attempt to maintain the numbers of troops in theatre?

How the fuck is it *supporting the troops* to send them into escalating violence with no alternative strategy in place? People who advocate death and destruction and support this criminal president and his cabal of minions do not get to question my patriotism, got that? (Too shrill? Too fucking bad, I don't give a rat's ass what some mendacious fucktards who support this clusterfuck think. I will be at least this shrill for the better part of the next year, until someone I love dearly completes his tour and comes home safely.)

Now - Explain to me - in specific detail, not mealy-mouthed platitudes - why I should have any faith in anything proposed by the gang who couldn't shoot straight? I'm not a silly little girl with pie-in-the-sky ideals that have no basis in reality. I am a seasoned observer. I grew up in the Navy, I married the Air Force and I joined the Army my damned self. This criminal enterprise in the White House and their mendacious minions in the Pentagon (many of whom have slunk away and recanted - like Perle and Adelman - but should still be hung by the neck until dead) have been absolutely positively 100% wrong about absolutely positively everything to this point. As I am not insane, I do not keep trying something over and over, expecting a different result.

I consider "Victory will be a stable democratic Iraq" a mealy-mouthed platitude. Nice sentiment, but how do we achieve that? What cost are you willing to bear to see that end? Are you willing to pay some taxes? Do you believe strongly enough in it to put your skin in the game? To encourage your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews to join up? Or do you only have the courage to carry a balance on your charge-cards because the president said to go shopping?

What cost are you personally willing to bear to achieve that end? That is the real question. Because while the American military is at war - the American people are at the mall.