Admit it: Iraq is a quagmire
Lee Benson
Remarkably — or maybe not so remarkably — postgame comments from players, coaches and announcers stuck to the script of game analysis by x's and o's. The traditional party line of "both teams had to play on the same field" prevailed. Playing conditions were a "factor" rather than something that prevented the game from being a game.
Only Steve Young, the former BYU/49er quarterback-turned-commentator, veered outside the box — which was always his way.
"We can't tell anything about anything from this game," said Young, declaring: "It was a non-competitive field."
His candor was as refreshing as it was unique. No one else, it seemed, wanted to point out the obvious.
I bring this up, of course, in light of the war in Iraq.
Yet another political delegation made yet another trip to Iraq over Thanksgiving. Included were U.S. Sens. John McCain, Saxby Chambliss, Lindsay Graham, John Barraso and Joseph Lieberman and our own governor, Jon Huntsman Jr.
Sen. Chambliss: "The surge (in U.S. troops) is a huge success ... but it is time for the Iraqi government to step forward and take control."
Sen. McCain: "Al-Qaida is on the run ... but we've still got a long way to go ... and all of us are frustrated by the lack of performance by the (Iraqi) government."
Gov. Huntsman: "The security situation has improved, there is no question about that ... but these things don't go from bad to good, they go from bad to less bad."
How refreshing would it be if someone came home from one of these Baghdad trips and stated the obvious: "It was, is and from all indicators will remain a non-competitive field."
Followed by: "We can't play the war game there."
I'm not saying politicians have an easy job to do, and I'm not questioning the sincerity of Huntsman and the others.
But when the governor says, "I think we're all together in terms of our support (for) the troops," what if he suggested we show that by getting them back to Connecticut and Arizona and Utah and all points in between as soon as possible?
That kind of support, and candor, I could understand.
Lee Benson's column runs Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Please send e-mail to benson@desnews.com and faxes to 801-237-2527.
Recent comments
Denial, it isn't just a river in Egypt.
It really is...
he he ha ha | Nov. 28, 2007 at 11:59 p.m.
Here is the deal. War is messy and refuses to conform to the pre...
Bob | Nov. 28, 2007 at 1:14 p.m.
Mr. Romero, you end your silly commentary by saying "candor&...
Patriot | Nov. 28, 2007 at 1:08 p.m.
