Friedman's Iron Will

Remember when I complimented Thomas Friedman for his honesty in his "10 Months or 10 Years" column? In it he called for a massive re-invasion - a gigantic do-over for the entire war - or withdrawal:

If we're not ready to do what is necessary to crush the dark forces in Iraq and properly rebuild it, then we need to leave -- because to just keep stumbling along as we have been makes no sense.

Clearheaded and nonpartisan, eh?

So now we've finally gotten our New Way Forward from our Commander in Chief, and conspicuously lacking is the call for a re-invasion as Friedman required for his continued support. Do you think that "6-Months" Friedman did the honorable thing and called for withdrawal in response? Of course not! That wouldn't be serious enough for such a serious-minded moustache.

Here is Friedman's bold pronouncement on the surge. See if you can tell the difference between what should have been expected and what was received:

Mr. President, you want a surge? I’ll surge. I’ll surge on the condition that you once and for all enlist the entire American people in this war effort, and stop putting it all on the shoulders of 130,000 military families, and now 20,000 more. I’ll surge on the condition that you make them fight all of us — and that means a real energy policy, with a real gasoline tax, that ends our addiction to oil, shrinks the flow of petro-dollars to bad actors and makes America the world’s leader in conservation...

At this 11th hour, with Iraq’s sectarian fires raging, the only way more U.S. troops might bring stability is if you add two missing elements: a deadline and a floor.

Finger-in-the-Wind Friedman. I hereby retract my compliment on his honesty.

He's doing the same thing he did when he helped enable the Iraq War - he's attaching his own personal conditions to earn his already stated support, while knowing full well that those conditions will never be honored. Thereby he adds his voice to the group of those calling for War, or in this case for escalation. He abdicates the position morality should demand of him, for if he sees the folly of these decisions before they are made - as he clearly does - not standing stridently against these policies makes him complicit in their implementation. By virtue of his position, he owes us more than these childish games of accountability. He needs a spine.