and I don't win at first, that's cool, because there is always more money, and eventually, someday, it is entirely statistically probable, that 36 black will come up, because that is simply statistics. So if there is money, it's going on the one I went with to begin with, and which very
probably(in an infinite universe) could win.
(I am not a roulette player, having at one point actually figured out a break-even strategy called "keeping my money in my pocket". I save my money for bars and buffets, and occasionally do slots--as a token. I could see the point of blackjack--but I play better when no cash is involved.)
I'm not sure to what degree we are concentrating on training Iraqi troops. I do not know what Kristol's measure of progress is--and how loverly it is to be him seeing this progress beyond his wildest...I see in the last three-four months an increase in troop losses, but supposing we have an increase in insurgent loss--we've quite probably lost a bit of good will besides with any collateral damage. The idea of a "draw-down" in his world is dumb, though-here's why:
We're going to have to confront a potentially nuclear Iran:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/585tdlqf.asp(We cannot withdraw from a near-neighbor no matter what happens, needing a staging area, and only the Bush admin would go with this plan, obviously,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2127115,00.html).
This happy-talk on Iraq and the zero-sum--"we have to win" deal is so past what what actually seems to be happening there. And even past what the administration is planning. We are building a gimormous embassy building there
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2006-04-19-us-embassy_x.htm and planning, I say, *planning*, to stay there a really long time.
And what the hell is a "real, though messy victory"? Really, though messily, taking out the Saudi and Egyptian, and by the way, Sudanese folks there, whilst stirring up the Shiite Iranians and Syrians and mostly accusing them whilst stating the Sunni Al-Qaeda is our real problem because they're the ones who attacked us on 9/11? (even though the Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia is like, just a franchise started *after* 9/11) and putting down every Iraqi insurgent there is--is it happening? Is a real victory a viable, democratic Iraq government we don't have to hand-hold? When do we know we have that? (Hint--a government of, for, and by the people isn't going to be imposed from the outside. Democracy is a popular movement, I reckon.) And how "messy" do we think we can stomach? Torture? Camps? Partial genocide? The whole neo-con argument of "What do you think will happen when we leave?" is not so comfortably answered by this: The same thing we have now only without our bloody hands in it.
Kristol is an ass.