A Letter To B Attacks Him From The Left

One of my loyal readers attacks from the left:

"Read the Andrew Sullivan piece. The problem is that its logic is completely circular. Blair, and Sullivan, believe that Iraq is a central front in the war against radical Islamic jihad. They conveniently ignore the fact that Saddam, evil as he was, did not have any ties to Al Qaeda -- the people who actually brought terror to our shores and killed 3000 Americans.

"The only reason that Islamic jihadists are now swarming all over Iraq is that we created a vacuum there by invading. There wouldn't have been a threat to American security in Iraq if we hadn't opened the door. Everything the Bushies say they want to do in the Middle East -- bringing democracy, teaching the Arab world that the USA will not lay down in the face of terror, etc. -- could have been done, and done more effectively, in Afghanistan...if only we had seen the task through to its completion. Leaving the job unfinished there and invading Iraq has created two problems where there had previously been only one.

"I do not believe that we can leave Iraq immediately. On the other hand, we are doomed to failure there, not just by the grievous mistakes that have been made in the execution of the plan, but by the flaws inherent in the plan from the beginning. If there had ever been the slightest prospect for success, Bush has certainly killed it by his gross incompetence.

"However, we need to say, once and for all, that this was an idiotic idea to start with. If we are to minimize the historic damage that the Iraq diversion has wrought, we need to honestly acknowledge what has happened. Otherwise, the right wing will use knee-jerk reactionary politics and muddy the waters, as they always do. And this will mean that any efforts at damage control will be rendered ineffective."