The Iraq war is toast

Come on folks. It is time for us to face the facts. The head of the British army has. So has the Secretary of State from Bush 41.

There's not going to be a victory. There just isn't. The situation has been too badly degraded, and collapse into civil war is inevitable, if it has not already happened. I've already noted that Riverbend has either fled or died. That is becoming an altogether too common fate for Iraqis. Coalition forces aren't able to stop it - they just provide extra targets for insurgents to roadside bomb or shoot at.

People may say, "yeah but Saddam was evil!" Yes - everyone knows he is and was evil. But is at least some semblence of civil order not at least a lesser evil than complete anarchy, chaos, and meaningless and brutal civil war? For this is what has been unleashed. The number of Iraqis who would be alive if Saddam were still in power and contained would be greater than the number of Iraqis alive today. You can't even say that people in Iraq would be in more fear if Saddam had continued on, for most Iraqis are justifiably terrified today.

The just war doctrine has an important principle - the proposed war must not cause disorder and evils greater than those which would result from the situation the war seeks to resolve. Clearly this war has failed that test - the brutal condition of Iraq is arguably worse than how things would have continued with Saddam. Saddam would have met his eternal reward one day anyway - it isn't as though he is immortal. And in the meantime, many Iraqis who did not deserve to die would still be alive.

But despite these objections, the war did happen.

So now what?

[Editorial note: edited for idiocy - "Saddam were still alive" was kind of dumb. What was I thinking? Changed to "Saddam were still in power."]