R. Holbrooke: "Worse than even Vietnam"

[Skybird]

Richard Holbrooke is considered to be a likely candidate for becoming foreign minster if the democrats win the next presidential elections. He fought in Vietnam and worked on the peace talks in Paris, later was the US ambassador to the UN.

"Iraq already presents us with the worst situation internationally in modern American history. Worse even than Vietnam," Holbrooke added, noting he served in Saigon and worked on Vietnam in Washington and at the Paris peace talks. (...) "I never thought I would say anything was worse than Vietnam but Iraq, my friends, is worse than Vietnam," he said, voicing hope that the current U.S. offensive will succeed but saying the chances of this "are not high. (...) "We must assume that the next president will inherit the most difficult foreign policy challenges ever to land in the Oval Office on day one"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...051001396.html

almost identical: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/washi...=1&oref=slogin


His views of the chances for Afghanistan aren't much better:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/...fghanistan.php

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...050101418.html


Three or four days ago Bush was being told bluntly by members of his own party that his time is running out and that his own party is loosing patience with him, some even already call for rebellion, saying in their election districts support for the war and Bush is below 5% - amongst traditional Republican voters.

I think it is possible that the Iraq war has not only vaporized the reputation of Bush's term, but will also cripple the reputation of the next government as well. If this were chess, I would say Bush gave away the Queen and a Rook all for nothing but a position with threatening holes in the Pawn's positional structure.

Anyone wanting to take over the match from him? Madness and a good ammount of masochism is precondition for the job.

I already feel pity for the next president. Whatever he/she will do, he/she will get it. Poor dog...