Friday, August 12, 2005

The Incompetence Dodge

Sam Rosenfeld:

This observation cries out for continued discussion and debate among liberals. For Democrats facing ongoing electoral battles, Iraq presents one whole set of challenges that cry out, at this criminally late hour, for serious engagement. But for "liberal interventionists" of every stripe, the war should by now present another set of challenges, particularly to their assumptions about warfare and humanitarianism, that they've yet to face up to. The incompetence dodge -- the notion that Bush's stewardship of the war is the problem, not the war itself -- really doesn't cut it, and commentators shouldn't be allowed to hide behind it.