The Greatest 360 Of All Time...

There is one thing that has been nagging at my brain for several weeks now. Do you remember how John Kerry was bashed for being "wishy-washy" because he "voted for it before I voted against it"? Isn't it funny how most (not to say all) current candidates are in the same boat? It seems they forget that they ALL voted for the war in Iraq. However, now that the war is as unpopular as dog poop ice-cream, they all want to distance themselves from it as much and as fast as possible.

Take Hillary Clinton. She was on the Today show this morning and was asked, quite directly, if she thought that her vote for the war had been a mistake. I have never seen someone dance so beautifully around a question. Now, before my Republican buddies start the "see, she can't be President" rant, remember that no GOP candidate in the Mid-Term Fiasco wanted to be seen anywhere near President Bush and most of them were doing the Iraq Dance themselves.

Why is it that we need to get to this point to realize what at f'd up situation WE have created? I say we, because, as I remember, we all got together after 9/11 and DEMANDED someone's head on a platter. I don't think there is anyone in this country (me included) that could honestly say they weren't enjoying the military advance in Afgahnistan and, even though many went, HUH?! when Iraq was invaded, I don't recall anyone crying foul either.

If we were so estatic with the whole situation then, what happened to chage it? The answer to this is pretty simple. The Administration's lack of common sense in the face of mounting evidence against the war and the tendency they showed to ignore the facts and listen to their own advisors, Generals and experts.

Let's look at it one piece at a time:
1. Iraq has WMD's- really? Then how come the UN was unable to find any, our troops were never attacked with them nor have any been discovered in the 4 years we've been there? Did these FACTS stop the power that be from going there...NO!

2. Iraq is a nest for terrorist- Maybe. But no one can argue that it is any better now, in fact, we probably made it worse. Besides, there are numerous other nests all around the world. What are we to do, fight every country? Hell, there are terrorist groups in OUR country. Are we going to start another Civil War?

3. Iraq helped finance the 9/11 attacks- Hummm...no. There has been no evidence found anywhere to support this. Even after all the country's assets were forzen and examined by numerous organizations.

4. Saddam was a dictator and threatened peace in the Middle East- True. So is Kim Jong Il in North Korea and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran and we're not going after them. Is Iraq better off without Saddam? Maybe, if they can survive the civil war and whoever comes out on top isn't as crazy as he was. Is the World better off without Saddam? Same answer.

Another contributing factor here is the incredible discrepancy in advice and opinions, even within the Administration. Political advisors were as hessitant as a teenage boy having his first sexual experience: "Stay in-Pull out-Stay in-Pull out". Every action has a timing after which there is no sense in undertaking it. Like wearing a condom after sex.

Should we stay in Iraq and increase the military? Not now. We should've done this 2 years ago, when it would have made a difference.

Should we leave? Maybe, but we need to establish benchmarks for the Iraquis (as suggested by the Baker Commission) and hold them to it. Simply packing it up and leaving now would create more problems than it would solve and we would need to go back to finish it.

As President Bush gets ready to address the Congress tonight in the State of the Union Address; he, like so many other politicians, is expected to turn the focus away from Iraq and talk about the social, economical and environmental issues that have been avoided in this country until now. Will he stick to his guns or will he make the greatest 360 turn of all times?