Posted by
Doctor Bart on Tuesday, April 08, 2008 9:28:44 PM
Not too long ago I had a conversation with a young man. He was telling me of his distaste for his girlfriend's family. The dysfunction he perceived was intolerable. He expressed his strong desire that they needed to change. I told him that was not really an option. The likelihood of a family unit experiencing dramatic change was almost zero. If he was to deal with the situation honestly he would see that there were only two choices available to him. Either he had to stay in the relationship and accept family as it was, or he had to end the relationship. As much as he wished it otherwise, wishes would not change the truth of the situation.
As I was listening to the Democrats remarks to General Petraeus, this story came back to my mind. There can be no denying that everyone, Democrats and Republicans alike, would love it if all of our troops could come home and leave Iraq to succeed on its own. Wouldn't it be great if the Iraqi leaders got their act together and fixed everything on their own, The problem of course is that this is not one of the choices available. Wishing doesn't make it so. The actual choices are that we stay and fight until there is stability, or we leave the country in a state of genocidal chaos. I don't like options at all. I wish there was another way. The truth is there isn't.
Given the options available, the choice is easy. We need to stay and we need to win. As a nation we need to remember that when it comes to policy, impossible dreams are not an option.