Zengerle: How to Say Nothing at All in 491 Words
By Jason Zengerle’s commentary on the TAP/Joe Klein feud is essentially vacant, but there’s one paragraph that deserves some additional scrutiny, if only as a contribution to the “saying nothing in an ominous and thoughtful way” genre:
By consequences, I don’t mean anything as concrete as the prospects of a possible Al Qaeda sanctuary in Anbar provence or the abandonment of thousands of Iraqis to certain death. I’m talking about something more nebulous: what are the consequences of America losing a war–which is, after all, what withdrawal will mean? What will it do to our position in the world? What will it do to the national psyche? And what will it do to the people who fought in that war? (Yes, they’ll be out of harm’s way, but they’ll also be left to conclude that all their efforts–and their sacrifices–were in vain.)
Having deliberately eschewed discussion of any practical consquence of the war, Zengerle wants to lead us into a set of rhetorical questions intended to make us more thoughtful about withdrawal. To work, however, rhetorical questions shouldn’t have obvious answers.
1. What are the consequences of America losing a war?
The same as the consequences of any other country losing a war, only far less so since the war was fought far away for reasons tangential to genuine US security interests.
2. What will it do to our position in the world?
The dreadful defeat will leave the US the most powerful country in the world.
3. What will it do to our national psyche?
It may be marginally more difficult for the New Republic to gin up support for the next idiotic foreign adventure.
4. What will it do to the people who fought in the war?
More of them will be alive, and will enjoy the full use of their limbs and brains.
The most important point here, however, is that the argument for keeping troops in Iraq has to be founded on a case that something is being accomplished. If US troops aren’t doing any good, then staying 10 years not only isn’t helpful, it does more damage to Zengerle’s nebulous concerns. It’s hard for me to understand how losing a war after 14 years of fighting is somehow better than losing one after four years. If you’re worried about these things, you have to be willing to either make the case that US forces can still win (a case that Zengerle notably fails to attempt), or argue for withdrawal in order to minimize the consequences.