Inundated by Ostriches

Perfectly in conformity with an NIE that can't mention Israel when assessing conflict in the Middle East, this time we have additional received wisdom from Washington, on Iraq, that somehow neglects to consider the effect of the US presence on Iraqi politics. One can't ignore Dennis Ross (much as one might like to) because he epitomizes the scrofulous class of senior diplomats who specialize in chewing over priorities until they become unrecognizable. Nevertheless, problem number one remains, as Sir Richard noted, that the occupation—by the mere fact of its existence—generates violent resistance. The solution is not to ignore that in favor of playing constitutional chess, but to remove the irritant. Ross, unfortunately, is a fairly reliable signal that Washington elites have a long way to go and many disappointments in store before they eventually get it.