Reply #12: No face to save:

[Donna Zen]

Although you are correct. This entire war is for political reasons...the ginning up, the lies, the lack of reconstruction planning, everything. I too fear that they may indeed act for purely political reasons and futher screw the pooch. God help us if they do.

Take this: it would do wonders for the situation if they would have open and transparent talks with Iran and Syria. The reason they don't is purely for domestic consumption. They don't want to look weak, and talking with the enemy is in their minds weak. So they continue to try to resolve this with their blowhard bullshit. That's a problem. Behind the scenes however, they have begun to talk. It would be much better to include the moderate Arab neighbors, but nooooooo don't want to ruin bush's war president image. They are pigs ya know.

There's a way out because everyone needs it, but will 2006 get in the way. Will they make it partisan?