Tom Friedman's columns on the Iraq War get sadder all the time. Friedman was a cheerleader for the war. He can't ignore what a mess the whole thing is. He can't admit he made a horrible mistake in supporting it. And he can't give up the dream that this could still somehow, someway be a successful mission to civilize the heathen. Or something like that. But his latest column shows how hard it is for an Iraq War supporter who isn't just a mindless war fan:
Hearts and Minds New York Times 12/14/03
What prompts these thoughts is a series of conversations over the past month with a variety of officials involved in Iraq policy making — both Iraqis and Americans. Everyone agrees that the goal is some kind of democratic Iraq, but I have yet to come away from any of these conversations with a clear sense of how we are going to get from here to there, or even who exactly is the overall conductor of this diplomatic, financial and military symphony. I keep meeting with people, expecting to hear "The Plan," but I never quite hear it.
What I hear a lot of, though, are horror stories of Pentagon and White House red tape for anyone who wants to go to Baghdad to work in our mission there; continued guerrilla warfare between the State Department and the Pentagon and between the C.I.A. and the Pentagon, which borders on one quietly hoping for the other to fail; and a shocking lack of continuity in the U.S. team in Baghdad. I hear the U.S. civilians in Baghdad complaining that we need more troops and security — if we are going to set up a legitimate Iraqi political authority — and I hear the U.S. military complaining that the key to better security is setting up a legitimate Iraqi political authority, so Iraqis will know who and what they're fighting for. Local U.S. commanders in Iraq are running dangerously low of walking-around money to buy friends, and we've even managed to start a fight with Qatar (over news broadcasts), where we have our regional military headquarters.
It's hard to feel sorry for Friedman, though. This is the war he cheered for. He got what he wanted. This is what it looks like.
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