Bush's escalation will come with "benchmarks," a favorite buzzword of lazy MBAs. Iraq is the new "No Child Left Behind": we'll measure their progress and reward or punish accordingly.
And how will we punish them: by withdrawing, or by refusing to leave? The same question applies to the reward: will we leave if they behave, or will we stay if they don't?
This crystallizes the illogic of "we'll stand down as they stand up," a mantra adopted by a number of clueless Democrats who saw it as a safe haven while not thinking out the implications. It has let them evade the core question: Who are WE to set benchmarks and issue ultimatums?
All this talk of holding Iraqis and their government to any sort of standard ignores the essential fact of this war: we invaded them without... (more after the jump)
...their permission. They didn't ask us in, they don't want us there, and they have zero practical incentive to cooperate in any way. Nor do they have any moral reason to do so. The deaths of our troops are meaningless to Iraqis--and appropriately so. If Iraqis had invaded us, I would not give a whit about their casualty rate, nor would I weep at their sacrifices, even if they had intended to free us from the tyranny of BushCo.
Bush told some Senators in a meeting this week that there was "the expectation of the Iraqis carrying out their part of the deal, or else." Or else what?
We've invaded a country, we're bleeding to death by a thousand cuts, and we're setting benchmarks for our victims? "We'll take our foot off your neck if every single one of you agrees to do what we say, even after we've left." When has that ever worked?
Democrats should not play this game. We are in no position to impose demands or conditions on Iraq's government. We should get out, take our lumps, and accept responsibility for the biggest mistake so far of this very young century.