THREE THOUSAND HEADSTONES, STANDING IN A ROW...

(Another in a continuing series of open letters to President George W. Bush) 

Well Mr. President, you have just passed one of the most meaningful milestones in your Presidency. To wind up yet another bleak (dare we say disastrous) year you now have the deaths of 3,000 (THREE THOUSAND) American troops on you conscience (assuming, of course, that you HAVE a conscience). That’s a grand total of 3,000 wasted American lives versus one dead dictator. Quite an achievement, sir.

Imagine, if you can, THREE THOUSAND coffins, resplendent in red, white and blue, laid end to end, each one laden with the now lifeless form of a good-hearted, brave, and dedicated young man or woman.  Seriously, sir, try to picture that in your mind’s eye—a line of coffins stretching more than four and a half miles. Impressive, isn’t it?

Your Secretary of State was quoted recently as saying that she thought that our “investment” in Iraq was “worth it”. You might want to see if you can find someone qualified to educate her in the essential facts of capitalism. Investments, in order to be considered worthwhile, or wise, are expected to yield something of value—profits, dividends, or the like.

I certainly would like to know what MS. Rice, or you, or your Vice-President thinks has been gained in return for the “investment” of THREE THOUSAND dead young men and women, in addition to the tens of thousands who have been injured and maimed, on top of the hundreds of billions of dollars worth of the nation’s treasure that could have been “invested” in our own country and its people’s welfare. Let’s have an accounting, sir. Show us the balance sheet. What is the “bottom line”? (You do remember those terms, don’t you sir? You were paying attention in class while you were studying for your MBA degree, weren’t you?)

If you have any hope of building any kind of “legacy” for yourself—other than that of a simple-minded, bull-headed, idealistic dreamer—you need to STOP this senseless waste of lives, and you need to do it NOW. You need to stop deluding yourself that you can somehow, miraculously transform Iraq into a “shining city on a hill”. Events have clearly demonstrated that the time for anything like that is now long past.

A “surge” in troop levels in Iraq, of any magnitude, will only prolong the inevitable. The kind of conflict we (or, you, rather) have allowed us to become enmeshed in in Iraq cannot be “won”. The one and only “victory” that is reasonably achievable for you now is for you to conquer your own stubborn unwillingness to recognize the enormity of your folly, and to take the action required to bring it to a speedy end.

In the immortal words of Clint Eastwood’s “Dirty Harry” character, “A man needs to know his limitations.” You have clearly failed to recognize your own. As a result you have “led” this country to the edge of a precipice. You are in a position now to REVERSE COURSE, and salvage the only thing that remains salvageable—your own self-respect.

Open your eyes, sir, and see if you can’t dredge up the sort of moral courage it requires to admit the error of your ways. I think you KNOW what needs to be done. PLEASE, sir, I beg you, just DO IT!