Exit Strategy

John Derbyshire, writing for National Review, says that we have reached the point of dimishing returns in Iraq and should get out ASAP. I tend to agree dimishing returns issue a although I am rather more hopeful about the outcome. That said, I think our best shot at getting out is to be effusive about our willingness to stay. There is nothing so enabling in life as having one's mother-in-law tell you she will stay "as long as she is needed."

I think our current strategy in Iraq will get us out sooner rather than later. Assure them we will stay as long as they want us and then set about an aggressive program of rearranging their furniture and replacing all the soap in their showers with something floral and intolerable. We should, by all means lecture them -- endlessly -- on the virtues of democracy and (little-R) republicanism. The Iraqis will quickly band together and form a government, knowing that only that new government can say to the Americans "Thanks for getting rid of Saddam, now will you please go away?" We would then reply "Why yes, we're already packed." and leave.