The Ladies Speak

Helen Thomas - Time for a Graceful Exit from Iraq

The stunning scenes of prison atrocities were being shown by CBS' "60 Minutes-II" prove that old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, a truth that explains the administration's heavy-handed photo censorship that has barred pictures of military caskets.

As for the prison brutality, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he was "stunned by it all and it was clearly unhelpful in a fundamental way." That was an understatement.

The deplorable prison abuse and the mounting casualty toll may wake up Americans to ask a question about Iraq, a question that Bush and his administration have never clearly answered: Why are we there?

Maureen Dowd - World of Hurt

The only people who have been pushed aside in this administration are the truth tellers who warned about policies on taxes (Paul O'Neill); war costs (Larry Lindsey); occupation troop levels (Gen. Eric Shinseki); and how Iraq would divert from catching the ubiquitous Osama (Richard Clarke).

Even if the secretary survives, the Rummy Doctrine — using underwhelming force to achieve overwhelming goals — is discredited. Jack Murtha, a Democratic hawk and Vietnam vet, says "the direction's got to be changed or it's unwinnable," and Lt. Gen. William Odom, retired, told Ted Koppel that Iraq was headed toward becoming an Al Qaeda haven and Iranian ally.