Week #4, Item #2: Define "Victory"

The more I hear John McCain passionately stress the importance of success in Iraq, of victory, of leaving with honor, the more I wonder what exactly this mythical triumph, in his mind, will look like.

Seriously. I would like to hear, in specific terms, what we are waiting for.

Is it a perfectly functioning democracy? A peaceful and accepting society? Utopia? Because the US has had over 200 years, and whether we even have any of those things is questionable at best.

Maybe the Senator from Arizona expects to see the end of all terrorism. The total annhilation of Islamic Extremism. I would call this optimistic, if violence weren’t his primary means of achieving these goals. With that in mind, all I can say is that particular outcome is doubtful. And when I say “doubtful” what I mean is “impossible.”

So what is it? Cheaper oil? The destruction of Iran? American hegemony? How will the rest of us know when the Mission has been Accomplished? And don’t expect me to believe it just because it’s written on a banner somewhere in the Persian Gulf—I’ve heard that one before.

I’m not sure if we have any honor left in the Middle East, but I’m fairly certain that continually trying to bully other countries into doing things are way is not the way to preserve it.