Recipe for a quagmire

Christopher Hitchens and John O’Sullivan, both from Britain, one a man (formerly?) of the left and the other a man of the right, both have pieces today explaining why the analogy between Iraq and Vietnam is inapt. However, a military action need not be a new Vietnam to be a quagmire. The Democrats and their media pals have proclaimed Iraq a quagmire so many times that it’s tempting to laugh off the claim even after the events of last week. However, with plausible talk of the need for significantly more troops, the label is starting to seem more difficult to dismiss. There are still reasons to reject this sort of pessimism, and O’Sullivan presents them effectively. However, as he acknowledges, letting one or more of the groups that rose up last week walk away to fight another day is a recipe for a quagmire.