Contingency Planning For The Dem Surrender

Optimistic to a fault, that's me. If there's a way things will turn out right, I figure things will find that way to turn out that way.

Sometimes being positive is a good thing. For example, there are positive people and there are environmentalists; I'd much rather be positive than spend my time worrying that the world will fall apart if I don't cut my TP use.

But sometimes I take a bit too long to think negatively, so as I started watching the Watcher's weekly nominations last night, my eyes popped a bit as two of the first four entries started with the assumption that the Dems would actually prevail and we would soon be forced to forfeit Iraq to Islamo-chaos.

The Glittering Eye posted Forlorn Hope, on the difficulty of staying positive in a world that's not turning out right.

But the very hardest thing for me is hope. I can muster a little faith and a little caring but hope is extremely hard for me to dredge up. It appears I’m not alone.

On Iraq, he's not alone, but by the end of the piece, there is hope there; hope that America might be able to do what it does best: Be free, be an example, spread wealth, open doors.

Things are much bleaker in Done With Mirrors' After Iraq. Here, the assumption is that Iraq will fall into a killing field, just as Vietnam and Cambodia did, and just as many (including me) have posted about recently. Callimachus really digs into it though; there's no forlorn hand-wringing here, only thinking about how we should begin planning for the failure.

For example, Callimachus doesn't want to see a repeat of the deaths and torturing of allies left behind, as happened in Vietnam. He wants contingency plans and enabling legislation now to make sure we are able to get those who helped us -- and could help us re-free Iraq -- are not left on the embassy roof as the last helicopter takes off.

His point, a call to action really, is well taken. Why doesn't the GOP begin introducing "fall of Iraq" bills that force the Dems to confront (or publicly ignore or repute) the reality that will follow their "plan" for Iraq? Why isn't the military working with ICE now to pre-screen and pre-approve those Iraqis who may need instant processing if we really do abandon Iraq?

Callimachus has started something here (at least as far as this reader is concern) that deserves some momentum behind it. Read the post, forward it around, act on the call to action.

No friends left behind!