A “Generational Commitment” in Iraq

In response to Secretary of State Rice's statement that the administration has been up front with the American people that the United States has made a "generational commitment" to Iraq, Think Progress documents adminstration statements prior to the war promising a quick war with troops coming home quickly. After all, we would be greeted as liberators, so what need could there possibly be for a long engagement? Last year, I linked to an article explaining how the most cautious planners in the Pentagon talked of a five-to-six month occupation. Those were the cautious ones. Others were talking about 30-90 days. This hardly translates to a generational commitment.

Well, she didn't actually say human generational commitment. Sugarcane lacebugs and fungus gnats have a linespan of about 30 days. Fleas have a lifespan of 30-90 days. Maybe that's the generational commitment they were thinking of back then.