In a 1999 Pentagon simulation, it was determined that an invasion and occupation force of 400,000 troops might not prevent Iraq from collapsing into sectarian violence and civil war. The Bush-Rumsfeld invasion used only 150,000, so it is not surprising that things are going very badly.
No one dares guess how many it would take to impose order by force, probably our entire military resources.
The invasion has been successful on several counts: We have deposed a brutal dictator and ensured that there are no WMD programs in the country. We have also proved that George W. Bush was right when, in the first presidential debate of 2000, he stated that America should not be involved in nation-building.
The reconstruction of Iraq was to be paid for from Iraqi oil revenue, but the insurgents keep sabotaging the pipelines. They destroy expensive military vehicles with IEDs, costing a few hundred dollars at most, killing and maiming American heroes in the process. Iraqis are more afraid of each other now than they ever were of Saddam Hussein. The Baker-Hamilton study calls for radical change in strategy.
Bush ignores that advice, and decides instead to give the insurgents more targets. Like a compulsive gambler, he is convinced he will win if he just keeps trying. One more card, one more quarter in the slot, one more roll of the dice. And then another. And another. And America's spirit, treasury and reputation flow into the sand with the blood of our military men and women.
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I have not been as enthusiastic for impeachment as other critics of the Bush administration because it is a wrenching experience for the nation.
But the time has come. Intervention is necessary at times to stop addicts from destroying their own lives and the lives of others.
