Wednesday, September 10, 2003

WARNING: Political Anger Ahead.

During the rush to war, it was my greatest fear that we'd muck up the aftermath by executing the rebuilding of Iraq in half-assed fashion. I've tried to not be discouraged by what appears, every day, to be a giant lack of planning on the part of people who seem to have genuinely expected a warm and wonderful welcome once Saddam was killed driven into hiding. I've tried consoling myself with the "It takes a while to rebuild a county, so give us time" meme. I've tried giving the President and his Administration, if not exactly the benefit of the doubt, at least a granting of the possibility that they might do it right in the end.

Well, not anymore.

Not when the Administration has to admit that its funding request for Iraqi reconstruction is $55 billion short, just one day after the President made his request for $87 billion on national television. Not when Donald Rumsfeld, Mr. "Our critics are the ones making danger", is saying things like ""I don't believe it's our job to reconstruct the country." Not when he's claiming that what's needed is not more, but fewer, troops. Not when, in not one but two wars now, "Blow it up and then get the hell out of Dodge" seems to be the Admistration's general approach.

These aren't the grownups, and they're not in charge. They're children, and they're behaving like a bunch of kids with unlimited access to someone else's toys.

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