The hubub surrounding this Congressman Murtha fellow and the related calls for a swift US-military withdrawal has prompted me to say the following. If you don't care, look away.

The "phased withdrawal" and "don't cut and run" crowd (which includes mainstream liberals of the Al Franken variety) argue, essentially, that by leaving too quickly the US would send "the wrong message" to the bad guys (i.e., those who are shooting at US troops). This message, presumably, would be that if you shout, shoot, stomp, bomb, and scream enough that you want the US to fuck off, they might fuck off. This would be wrong, because the US reserves the right to fuck off at its leisure. It will stay where it is, even if it shouldn't be there, and do what it does, even if it is wrong or not working, for "as long as it takes", even if it doesn't think it can get IT done. This is what they call resolve.

This is resolve has a proud history. Such resolve was shown by the French and US in Vietnam, the French in Algeria and elswhere, the Brits all over the world, me in my relationship with my first serious girlfriend, and the post-Alexander Greeks in Palestine (ever heard of the Maccabees?). It continues to be shown by the Turks in Kurdistan, the Russians in Chechnya, the Indians and Pakistanis in Kashmir, everybody who has ever been in Afghanistan (including some Afghans), and Michael Jackson.

The US should have no troops in Iraq, save (perhaps) a Marine contingent at the embassy. It should never have had troops in Iraq. It should get them out ASAP (and P starts now). There are a buhgillion reasons for this, and I hold out hope that most honest people agree to this, deep down inside.

But it is academic, really. I don't think the US will pull its troops out until there is no other alternative. I, unlike many who lament the lack of an "exit strategy", don't think the Dubyah administration ever intended to pull the troops out. Of COURSE there is no exit strategy. The troops were not supposed to exit, and they won't so long as there is any way they can stay.

But you know that. Everyone knows that.