State of Dis Union/Disunion

So we heard about beating malaria and we heard about beating the terrorists in Iraq and elsewhere. Only one of those fights has a strategy. Only one of those fights has an enemy we can all recognize. And only one of those fights can actually be won, by any reasonable definition of the word "victory". I speak, of course, about the U.S. and the coalition of the willing united in defeating the Anapheles mosquito, the main carrier of malarial death. As for Iraq, nothing new was said. Nothing new was offered. Just the same old, same old leading to the words "win" and "victory". Begs the question - what does winning in Iraq look like? What does winning the war on terror look like? What does victory look like? We're called crusaders. That means there's a thousand years of history working against us in the region. We live in a country of quick fixes and immediate gratification. We're involved in a reckless adventure in a region noted for its timelessness. Babylon is there. The Fertile Crescent is there. Agriculture started there. Cities started there. For God's sake, the city of Ur, which gives us the prefix for anything older than dirt, UR, is there. Nothing happens quickly. There. So we've got to change our mindset. Stop thinking about next spring or next fall and then cutting funding and bringing troops home. Or trying to. No. We will be there forever if we don't start the exit process sooner rather than later. Cause time is measured differently there. A thousand years is nothing. Over there, the Prophet who died 1,400 years ago is as alive today as he ever was. Every day must be used as a day to leave there. Work for peace. Work for alternative energies. Work to make your world smaller and more intimate. Work to make life more meaningful. War is over if you want it.