The Canards of the Apologists

Ray Close — 2004-05-21T19:04:23Z

Apologists for the disasters now facing America in Iraq have been, with astonishing consistency, afraid to go back to square one and admit that the idea was stupid and ill-advised in the first place. What they should be doing is taking Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle and that whole gang and raking them over the coals for incredibly poor judgment --- and for arrogantly ignoring the warnings of hundreds (yes, hundreds) of capable and experienced foreign policy (and military) experts who told them that they were out of their minds to believe that simply removing Saddam Hussein from power would make the world safer for "freedom". (...)

How to Get Out of Iraq

2004-05-06T22:16:58Z

As the situation in Iraq goes from bad to worse, many Americans who opposed the war, including Nation editors and writers, understand that the country must find a way to extricate itself from the disaster they predicted. There is, however, no agreement or even clarity about such an exit strategy. Nor is any leadership on this crucial issue coming from the Bush Administration or as yet, alas, from the presumptive Democratic candidate, Senator John Kerry. With a sense of obligation and urgency, The Nation, has asked a range of writers, both regular and new contributors to the magazine, for their ideas on America's way out of Iraq. Some responded with short essays, while others were interviewed by contributing writer Scott Sherman, who transcribed and edited their remarks. We hope that what follows is the beginning toward a necessary end. And we invite readers to respond; we will publish an exchange in an upcoming issue. —The Editors

[from the May 24, 2004 issue]