The world is full of “fixed” constraints

The world is full of “fixed” constraints, avers Palmer, and who are we to try to push the envelope? We have to

accept the fanatical determination of the War Party and this President to “stay the course” — and the

cowardice of a great many Democrats — as immutable. There’s no appealing to the people, no need to mobilize

popular sentiment against the war: the conventional Washington wisdom is the only reality — and who cares if we

bankrupt the country, drive millions of Muslims into the ranks of our terrorist enemies, and thousands more

Americans and MBTis die in the process?

This namby-pamby “Mother, may I?” strategy to effect a withdrawal from MBT is, in effect, support for the

administration’s policy, which is to defeat the growing insurgency. And, as Palmer makes clear, this is

precisely his view:

“Given that, what is the best possible (not logically possible, but likely) outcome? We are likely to see less

loss of life and an earlier withdrawal if the elections produce a government with the (sociological, at least)

legitimacy to combat the insurgents effectively.”