David Corn on The Hornet's Nest

There's a hornet's nest out back. You and your buddy talk about what to do about it. He says, "I'm going to hit it with a stick." You say, "No, don't do that. Let's think about another way to deal with the problem."

He says, "I'm going to hit it with a stick." You plead, "Don't do this. Maybe we can smoke them out. Ask others what to do. Find some other solution."

He says, "I'm going to hit it with a stick." You reply, " No, really, let's—" He then hits the nest with a stick. Hornets go flying everywhere. They sting whomever they can find. As chaos ensues, your friend looks at you and says, "Hey, don't tell me that it was wrong to hit it with a stick. That would be a waste of time. Tell me what's your solution for dealing with the problem now."

Such a scenario is an imperfect analogy for the position war critics find themselves in these days. (Imperfect because a hornet's nest might pose a more immediate threat to the characters in this tale than Saddam Hussein, despite all his brutality, posed to the United States.) In recent weeks, defenders of the war have dismissed criticism of the war as counterproductive at this point in time and have tried to turn the tables on the critics by demanding they provide a roadmap for victory and extrication

How can one act reasonably or rationally in a situation borne of delusion? Some things broken cannot be repaired. Yes, moaning will not make things better (unless, of course, it leads to Bush's replacement). And non-delusional minds ought to try to find a path out of this mess. But it never should be forgotten that Bush waged an elective war based on a phony rationale, that he did not prepare for the easy-to-foresee aftermath, that he rushed in with his stick, and that the unleashed hornets are his fault.