Bad Offense

William Saletan has some good lines about how many people feel concerning the present administration.

The attacks of 9/11 presented the United States with a grave new challenge. Bush picked up this football and started running with it—toward Iraq. But Iraq wasn't among the states closely linked to 9/11 or al-Qaida. Nor did it have the weapons of mass destruction Bush advertised. We've spent more than 1,000 American lives and close to $200 billion running the wrong way.

...

"But what if there's more than one enemy? What if the enemy we're 'fighting back' at isn't the one that struck or threatened us? What if the president turns away from the team that was trying to score on us, and he starts heading for another team that's sitting in the stands, behind our own end zone? What if his 'offense' is losing yards with every stride?

That's the lesson of three years of investigations. The 9/11 commission has found 'no evidence' of 'a collaborative operational relationship' between Iraq and al-Qaida. Bush's handpicked chief weapons inspector, David Kay, says there 'were no large stockpiles of WMD.' What has this diversion done for the war on terror? A year ago, U.S. intelligence officials told reporters that 'as much as half of the intelligence and special forces assets in Afghanistan and Pakistan were diverted to support the war in Iraq.' While we've been bogged down in Iraq, Iran has revved up its own nuclear program, and North Korea has acquired the fuel for as many as eight nukes.

Bush screwed up. He picked the wrong target. He's been running the wrong way."