Cole crosses over…

…with two good reasons to "get the ground troops out now."

Juan Cole has been notable among critics of the Iraq war for his reluctance to call for immediate withdrawal, apparently due to a rigorous 'we broke it, we bought it' ethic and a genuine compassion for the millions of Iraqi's who want no more part of the chaos that will follow in our wake than they want of our presence or of Saddam, for that matter. They're innocents, victims, each and every one, and we have harmed them irreparably.

Two considerations have brought him over.

"The first reason to get the ground troops out now is that they are being fatally brutalized by their own treatment of Iraqi prisoners."

This is an excellent point, reflecting the admirable concern of an American for the welfare of those who enter battle on behalf of his nation.

The simple fact is that combat is invariably brutalizing, and the preparation for combat requires that the soldier be desensitized to the humanity of his opponent to the point that he can kill them, at quarters close or far, without hesitation. That is, in its essence, the job of every soldier. To kill. Coldly. On command.

Brutally.

To expect soldiers away from the actual field of combat to set aside their training and experience is a tough command challenge, but a necessary one. The brutal determination that is required for survival on the battlefield crosses into criminality when it's brought to the streets of a peaceful village, or to places of worship, or to POW camps. There are rigid rules, both in the Universal Code of Military Justice and in international agreements our government has endorsed, and upholding those rules is the duty of every level of the chain of command. Indeed, upholding them is impossible without clear and consistent direction of the highest levels of the chain of command, and that direction has been sorely lacking since the inception of this war. Instead, the envelope of permissible behavior has been constantly stretched and the limits have been steadily blurred. The results are apparent across the command, and across the globe. And the results are deplorable.

We must bring the troops home because their continued deployment is destroying them and the services they have dedicated themselves to.

Did I mention I hate what they've done to my Army?

Cole continues…

"The second reason is that the ground troops are not accomplishing the mission given them, and are making things worse rather than better."

In other words, we have lost the war, and there is no peace, or prospect for peace, while we remain in place.

It may ring hollow in some quarters, but many Vietnam veterans cling to the knowledge that whatever the outcome of our war, we were never defeated on the battleground. That's not so for veterans of the Iraq war. The spectacle of American forces being held in place by the resistance, negotiating cease-fires on the terms of our contestants and withdrawing behind secure walls has become familiar to us, and is destroying the morale of our troops. Meanwhile, among Iraqis we are widely viewed as not only an uninvited occupier, but an incompetent one, incapable of providing even the meager level of services and security that we have 'liberated' them from.

This is not a criticism of the troops in the field. Again, it's a command issue, and again it's a failure of command at the highest levels. Soldiers need well defined missions, measurable objectives, concrete plans for battlefield success. 'Mission Undefineable' = 'Mission Impossible'.

Juan's right, of course, and the stature of his voice is a valuable addition to the 'Troops Out' choir.