Sorry for the brevity of this entry but it seemed so enormous in my head this morning that I couldn't relegate it to an open thread.
On NPR this morning, I heard McCain's remarks from yesterday. Specifically:
"Those who disregard the unmistakable progress we have made in the last year and the terrible consequences that would ensue were we to abandon our responsibilities in Iraq have chosen another road."
My brain hurts when i imagine his limited definition of the word CONSEQUENCES. Because most of the CONSEQUENCES he warns of are just that - warnings of what COULD happen.
I'll list what COULD happen (without refute for this diaries purposes and because, frankly, much of this is already happening):
Iraq COULD spiral into civil war.
Iraq COULD become a stronghold for Al Qaeda.
Iraq COULD come under strong Iranian influence.
Iraq COULD become a Shiite theocracy.
I agree that these certainly are CONSEQUENCES, John. But maybe you can continue your list with what WOULD happen:
Hundreds of thousands of American troops and civilian contractors WOULD avoid a violent death or physical and mental trauma.
Hundreds of thousands of American troops and civilian contractors WOULD come home to rejoin their families and society.
Our treasury WOULD begin to recover from massive debt.
We WOULD begin to allocate resources toward rebuilding our economy and infrastructure.
Al Qaeda WOULD lose a major motivating factor for their presence in Iraq.
Al Qaeda WOULD lose a major recruiting tool.
To me, WOULDS outweigh COULDS just by their nature. Then if you stack 'em up like I just did... well, need i say more?
I think I've hit the big picture stuff, but does anyone else have some WOULDS to add to the list? I ended up typing more than I had planned but McCain has me so pissed, I couldn't help myself. Gotta get back to work. Peace.