Saddam's career is a model of realist blowback.....It's an unholy alliance---"realists" and "progressives" for blowback. And the cost may well be borne at home this time---not just over there.
Both realism and progressivism have become misnomers. Realists deny reality, and embrace an ideology where talk is productive and governments are sincere. While 9/11 showed the consequences of chardonnay diplomacy, deal-cutting with dictators and a band-aid approach to national security, realists continue to discount the importance of adversaries' ideologies and the need for long-term strategies. And by embracing such realism, progressives sacrifice their core liberalism. Both may celebrate Mr. Rumsfeld's departure and the Baker-Hamilton recommendations, but at some point, it is fair to ask what are the lessons of history and what is the cost of abandoning principle.
Call President Bush naive to want to nation-build, but grant him well-intentioned. And Rumsfeld this time round as well.
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