To Surge or Not to Surge

Imagine a drunken neighbor borrows your car, runs over your dog, totals your vehicle, and then threatens to sue you for giving them the keys in the first place. That scenario is not unlike the predicament the United States is in regarding the Bush Administration and Iraq. After all, the Bush Administration has wrecked the U.S. military in a self-defeating and futile mission, demolished America’s reputation with scandals like Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo, and then slammed critics of the invasion for not having a solution to the catastrophe the administration itself has created.

As if to heap insult upon injury the Bush Administration is now asking the public to give them the keys for another spin around the block in Iraq. The so-called Surge is certain to be no joyride, but it could well end up leading to an “accidental war” with Iran. As usual, there’s less military logic than political logic behind Bush’s latest gambit. An additional 21,000 troops is insufficient to pacify the insurgency, but it may help postpone an all-out civil war until after Bush leaves office. Insisting on surging troops into Baghdad also enables the Bush Administration to portray democrats and war critics as defeatists a little bit longer. And it could help pave the way for what many believe the Bush Administration really wants; a showdown with Iran. After all, upping the ante when you’ve got a bad hand and nothing left to lose fits with the Bush Administration’s modus operandi.

Recently, al-Qaeda tapes have taunted Bush, claiming he is an “addictive” personality. Unfortunately there’s more than a grain of truth to this. Invading Iraq was not a calculated risk -- it was a gamble. And the pay off, thus far, for that risky wager has been: to empower card-carrying axis-of-evil member Iran, feed the forces of radicalism in the Islamic world, and polarize the United States to the point of paralysis. But none of this will stop Bush from doubling down or trying to cure his hangover by getting behind the wheel again. It’s up to others (the public and legislators) to keep Bush from instigating another crackup.

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