Watching the Beltway Boys (and they truly are far more inane and childish than most 9-year olds) discuss Harry Reid's statement that "the administration leadership knows that we have lost the war," I was struck by Reid's bravery -- and his sadly incorrect characterization of the situation.
Harry, please...get this right: The military won the war. They did what was asked of them, and they did it brilliantly.
Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, & Bremmer lost the peace.
I was in Baghdad in March-May of 2003. Here's how the peace played out there ... (below the fold)
I got to Baghdad three days behind the Marines and stayed at the Palestine Hotel for eight weeks. It's part of a complex, sharing a parking lot with the Sheraton, where the rest of the newsies stayed (at that time--since then, many have moved out.) I was a freelancer, shooting for Nightline, using the ABC bureau's generator to charge my batteries.
In these first weeks following the invasion, a bunch of journalists would be around the hotels at the end of the day. There were constant conversations about how the occupation was going, and the journalists cataloged each misstep:
-Failing to control lawlessness immediately
-Replacing Garner with Bremmer
-Disbanding the Army
-Standing by while the police force dissolved
-DeBaathification down to the Nth degree
-Failure to put in financial controls
As early as eight weeks after the invasion of Baghdad, some of these experienced journos knew that these mistakes would lose the peace and they said so then.
I left in May. Throughout 2003 and 2004. I kept up email correspondence with people I had met in Baghdad, and they were cautiously optimistic. It appeared that the journalists were wrong. Then it became clear in 2005 (and ever since) that they were entirely right.
Rethuglicans are fond of saying, "mistakes were made," as if these mistakes had no agency and, therefore, no one can be held accountable for them. But "mistakes were not made." Bush, Cheney, & Rumsfeld made mistakes...and Bremer was their weak tool who executed them.
I support Reid (and Pelosi) in many ways. But I just can't understand why Reid didn't get this right.
It's very important politically. To say "we lost the war" is to piss off every military person and sympathizer within the sound of his audio. It's not just stupid, it's wrong. They did the best they could and they won. They pushed over Saddam and his bully boys like so many bowling pins and they are proud of it.
While all progressives and anti-war activists may not support the increasing militarization of American foreign policy (and, arguably, society), I believe that is another discussion for another time. Our objective must be to end the war. And if we want to end the war, we need all the support we can possibly muster.
C'mon, Harry. Give 'em hell. But make sure it's the right "them."