Such Quantities of Sand...

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
"If this were only cleared away,"
They said, "it WOULD be grand!

--The Walrus and the Carpenter,
Through the Looking Glass
___________

So you can understand why they're sad, really. They see such potential...

New topic: Latrine etiquette among soldiers dictates you ''flush twice--it's a long way to the Pentagon.''

General Petraeus needs to flush twice so he can end up as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army (''General Says Iraq Pullback Would Increase Violence.'') His rise is exponential, and will continue as he sings GWB's tune, which unfortunately is a bit off key; actually, more like nails on a chalkboard:

The top military commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, warned Thursday that an American troop pullback this fall would lead to an escalation in sectarian killings and worsening violence.

“My sense is that there would be an increase in sectarian violence, a resumption of sectarian violence, were the presence of our forces and Iraqi forces at that time to be reduced,” General Petraeus said at a Pentagon news conference.

Does Gen. Petraeus have a crystal ball? Is he basing his comments on sense, or nonsense. He's spouting the conventional wisdom (not) that keeps the U.S. mired ever deeper into this muck. It is time to flush this mess.

Although General Petraeus did not address the political debate over a withdrawal deadline in his briefing or in a later interview, he said there would be risks to beginning a troop pullout before the end of the year.

Ranger likes to keep things simple, and it seems that when Petraeus makes wild ass guesses (WAGS) about the future of Iraq, he is in fact trying to influence Congress. But this is not part of his job description.

General Petraeus also said that Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq lacked enough power to single-handedly push through measures sought by the United States that were aimed at easing tensions between Shiite and Sunni Arabs.

Aye, there's the rub, for the measures to unify this mess must not be sought by the U.S., but by the Iraqis. It must be borne in mind that the Iraqis did not invite our oh-so magnanimous attentions.

And [Petraeus] signaled that he hoped for political progress in Iraq, not just military improvements.

Yes, political progress would be refreshing, but why is this topic being addressed by Petraeus, and not Ms. Rice? Remember, Petraeus is military; Rice is political. The military commander is not the person to address the political needs of Iraq.

Let Petraeus do his job of killing people, and Rice do hers of facilitating a political accommodation.