Iraq V: 'It's Time to Stop Writing Blank Checks'

From Suzanne Nossel, a Senior Fellow at the Security and Peace Institute and former deputy U.N. ambassador:

"If it were possible, even at this late date, to put in new leadership (both civilian and, in some cases, military), to break from some of the mistakes of the past and reconsider fundamentals of strategy and troop levels, given the stakes that would be well worth trying. But since its clear that President Bush will never contemplate such a turnaround effort, favoring the continued prosecution of the war gives a blank check to a team that had led us into disaster, and promises only more of the same.

"Its like a family business that has the potential to turn a profit, but is being run into the ground by a stubborn patriarch. If you could get him to step inside in favor of a competent manager, a worthy enterprise and heavy past investments might be salvaged. But if he's intransigent, rather than sinking more of the family's fortune, the best course may be to simply close the company down.

"So what's the message: I cannot support the continuation of this war led by President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld. The past 3 years have convinced me that under their stewardship, the manner in which the war has been prosecuted has led to excessive losses for American soldiers, without resulting in a more stable Iraq or securing American national security interests in the region. I cannot in good conscience keep writing blank checks for the continuation of a approach that is manifestly failing, by an Administration that stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the facts or to strive for a better strategy."

More here.