Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Should we stay or should we go?

The New York Times quotes John McCain:
“We have incurred a moral responsibility in Iraq. It would be an unconscionable act of betrayal, a stain on our character as a great nation, if we were to walk away from the Iraqi people and consign them to the horrendous violence, ethnic cleansing and possibly genocide that would follow a reckless, irresponsible and premature withdrawal.”
I think this touches on how I feel about Iraq right now. I can't choose a side in the "stay or go" debate, but I'm quite sure that it's nowhere as clear-cut as either side makes it out to be. McCain's usual win-at-all-costs rhetoric bothers me, but so do people who say that our time is done, and the Iraqis must choose for themselves whether they want war or peace. I would argue that we relieved them of that responsibility when we invaded their nation and systematically dismantled their government. Like it or not, we caused their current situation, and to blame them for not pulling themselves out of it seems two-faced.

Of course, I also don't support keeping 140,000 US soldiers in Iraq for 10,000 years, either. That's the problem: there is no simple answer, and maybe not even a very good complicated answer.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Happy Anniversary

It has now been 5 years since the day that I sat in my sad cubicle at Vignette and read, on the front page of Boston.com, "This will be the front page story if and when we go to war with Iraq. This will be the front page story if and when we go to war with Iraq." To commemorate the occasion, the Times has published an excellent set of reflections on the war. Be sure to read this one.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Can Someone Please Close the Retard Window?

Papelobon speaks about his current contract status:
At the same time, I feel a certain obligation to not only to myself and my family to make the money that I deserve, but for the game of baseball.
Man, if he doesn't get that big contract...it could spell doom for the 'ol national pastime.