Reyes' Folly

I just want to reiterate how ridiculous Silvestre Reyes' plan is to send in 20,000-30,000 US combat troops specifically to disarm Iraqi militias. That entire idea is a nonstarter until the Iraqi government allows the militias vital to their continued existence to be disarmed. We've already been through this. The government wouldn't even allow checkpoints to be set up in Shiite areas after the Mahdi Army kidnapped an American soldier. The militias aren't going to be disarmed, and risking more American lives based on a wish is insane.

Kevin Drum may be right on this one.

That's just great. Which is better: someone who got it right in the beginning but has since lost his way, or someone who originally made a mistake (Jane Harman) but seems to have learned something since then? I think I'd pick door #2.

Of course, if the Pentagon takes the "get more Americans killed for no reason" option, favored not only by Reyes but Joe Lieberman and John McCain, then St. John loses his ability to claim that he was the only one willing to escalate the war and win it the right way but nobody would listen to him. If they in fact DO listen, and it still gets no better (which is likely), then McCain can't be the "serious man who nobody listened to." In short that would really fuck up his Presidential chances.