Republican Dissent and Rumblings re Iraq: Michelle Goldberg has some good comments about the abyss possible (or rather existing) in Iraq in her recent Salon column about her presence at a Republican retreat. Said one member:

"The premise that people would want passionately to be rescued is of course in question," he said. In fighting the Iraq insurgency, "We're going to kill a lot of Iraqis and restrict their movement. We may well become a guerrilla-manufacturing machine."

and ...

"Our goal is not a free Iraq," Pipes continued. "Our goal is an Iraq that does not endanger us."

The operative word being "us."

[I list Slate on my list of links because I find its content, especially it's reader comment section ['the fray," which often is more useful than the actual articles ... BTC is authored by a consistent contributor] worthwhile enough that I focus an unequal amount of my time there. Salon actually also has a lot going for it, but it is not quite free -- you are required to get a "one day free passe," which is inconvenient, but relatively painless, and can be done repeatedly. Current content suggests that it should be.]