The title of his latest column takes us back to a very old Mad magazine quip - Take A Deep Breath, because we want to see you inhale. And I see that he mentions the gates of hell in his column; one wonders if he read Mad, once upon a time.
As to his analysis, we can only say, we hope so. My current theory, endorsed by ostriches everywhere, is that it is too soon to tell just how dire the situation is in Iraq right now. As with the "not enough troops for a proper invasion, our supply lines are hopelessly over-extended, the end is nigh!" chatter from a year ago, my guess is that by the end of the week, we will have a much better sense of whether we face disaster.
As an aside, James Lileks applauded the resolute Tom Daschle on Friday, April 9; it may not have been crystal clear that Tom Daschle's praise-worthy remarks were delivered on April 1. The was in response to the deaths of the four contractors in Fallujah, but before Kennedy and Byrd declared Iraq to be Vietnam.
WAITING TO EXHALE: This next-day story is encouraging: "Militia Withdraws At Key Iraqi Sites".
Okay, first a point of personal privilege: I'm the head ostrich around here, and expect proper respect.
ISTM this turmoil is largely unavoidable. As the June 30th sovereignty transfer date approaches, various Iraqi groups are positioning themselves for the follow-on political struggle. The marginal players have nothing to lose by inciting violence, especially since they appear better poised to conduct offensive operations. Setting a transfer date may have been unavoidable, but it's no surprise it'd spark some unrest, and in fact the Administration's been predicting it for months now. The only surprising bit was the unwelcome cooperation between the radical Shias and disaffected Sunnis, but so far the groups are distinct, with no general uprising, and the result appears manageable.
Oops, gotta run . . . got some sand in my eye.
Posted by: Cecil Turner | April 13, 2004 at 11:45 AM