Democracy Distracts Defense

Top secret report shows that man with the most titles (Gen. Richard Meyers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) admits that Iraq is taking a toll on our actual ability to fight other wars should they be necessary. Like in Iran or Korea, cuz I heard Andy Card on MTP calling Kim Jong Il a tyrant, a human rights violator, a rapist, child eating venomous snake that is making the world unsafe. Two jewels in this article first the gratuitous Bush Lie:

Mr. Bush said he had asked General Myers, "Do you feel that we've limited our capacity to deal with other problems because of our troop levels in Iraq?"

"And the answer is no, he didn't feel a bit limited," Mr. Bush said. "It feels like we got plenty of capacity."

Then of course the real cutie:

The half-dozen senior officials who discussed the chairman's assessment seemed motivated at least in part by concerns that its findings might be misinterpreted by adversaries as an admission of vulnerability, and be seen as an invitation to adventurism that could lead to war.

In case of armed conflict, "There is no doubt what the outcome would be," said one senior official. "But it may not be as pretty," said another.

As pretty as what? The Iraq adventure, democratization (Gen. Clark says NAY!!!) or theater or whatever euphamism you would use if you were a President responsible for the deaths of over 1,500 Americans, over 100,000 innocent civilians, the failed occupation of a country, and many many other things that can potentially qualify as some other adjective in the English vernacular. However, pretty is not a word I would use.