Iraq and Opinion Polls
David Brooks writes in the NYT (hat tip John Henke):
There’s a reason George Washington didn’t take a poll at Valley Forge. There are times in the course of war when the outcome is simply unknowable. … …one thing is for sure: since we don’t have the evidence upon which to pass judgment on the overall trajectory of this war, it’s important we don’t pass judgment prematurely.
It’s too soon to accept the defeatism that seems to have gripped so many. If governments surrendered to insurgencies after just a couple of years, then insurgents would win every time. But they don’t because insurgencies have weaknesses, exposed over time, especially when they oppose the will of the majority.
It’s just wrong to seek withdrawal now, when the outcome of the war is unknowable and when the consequences of defeat are so vast.
