The Nation gives props to a recent story in The Onion entitled “U.S. troops draw up own exit strategy,” asserting that “Sometimes, only The Onion gets it right.”
I’m not all that sure that an immediate withdrawal is the answer any more than a detailed time table is, but unfortunately that is now the nature of this quagmire that W has gotten us into. And judging by the tepid response of troops during Dick Cheney’s surprise visit to Iraq before Christmas, many seem to question whether the White House has any clear exit strategy:
Cheney’s cheerleading during a whirlwind trip through the battlezone was challenged by men who are actually doing the fighting.
The first words Cheney heard during a roundtable discussion with several dozen troops were those of Marine Cpl. Bradley Warren, who said, “From our perspective, we don’t see much as far as gains. We’re looking at small-picture stuff, not many gains.”
Cheney responded with warmed-over rhetoric about how the media is not showing the true picture of what is going on in Iraq. “I think when we look back from 10 years hence, we’ll see that the year ‘05 was in fact a watershed year here in Iraq. We’re getting the job done,” claimed the vice president, who was making his first visit to the warzone. “It’s hard to tell that from watching the news. But I guess we don’t pay that much attention to the news.”
The vice president did not seem to recognize the irony of complaining about media coverage presenting the war as something less than a success when he was responding to the concerns of a Marine – who is actually serving on the ground in Iraq – about the fact that he and his fellow troops “don’t see much as far as gains.”
Cheney’s attempt to put a positive spin on the occupation does not appear to have found many takers among those who are dodging the bullets and bombs in a war that has killed more than 2,100 of their comrades and maimed tens of thousands more.
According to an Associated Press report, “When (Cheney) delivered the applause line, ‘We’re in this fight to win. These colors don’t run,’ the only sound was a lone whistle.”
Quite a telling (lack of) response.
