Kerry: If You Can't Do a Job Right, Leave It to Someone Else

David Brooks has a must-read article in today's New York Times regarding Senator Kerry's newest stance on Iraq. He now believes going to war was a blunder from the start and that we should get out ASAP by internationalizing both the military and political components of our Iraq strategy. With a heavy emphasis on U.N. cooperation, Kerry believes we can get our troops out beginning next summer.

Brooks is spot on:

Substantively, of course, Kerry's speech is completely irresponsible. In the first place, there is a 99 percent chance that other nations will not contribute enough troops to significantly decrease the U.S. burden in Iraq. In that case, John Kerry has no Iraq policy. The promise to bring some troops home by summer will be exposed as a Disneyesque fantasy.

More to the point, Kerry is trying to use multilateralism as a gloss for retreat. If "the world" is going to be responsible for defeating Moktada al-Sadr and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, then no one will be responsible for defeating them. The consequences for the people of Iraq and the region will be horrific.

Finally, if the whole war is a mistake, shouldn't we stop fighting tomorrow? What do you say to the last man to die for a "profound diversion"?

Good luck to you, Senator Kerry, implementing this plan. Who will commit troops? How long will it take the U.N. bureacracy to approve any of his plans, much less commit troops or inspectors to Iraq? In fact, the U.N. turned tail in Iraq over a year ago, and we're supposed to expect them to have the will to see this project through?

"Irresponsible" is an understatement. "Dangerous" is more apt.