First thoughts, second thoughts

This is my first post. It takes me a while to catch on, but I'm beginning to understand how blogs work -- a little. I'm also having second thoughts about doing this at all.

But, I've been telling myself for years to get back to writing and this may be a way to do that.

So -- I watched Geoge Bush's speech to the nation tonight, calling for patience in the war in Iraq. Patience in what way? Patience in the way we wait to get better when we're sick? That's different from the kind of patience it takes to wait for a teenager who's an hour late for curfew. Patience like that when the airline captain announce a "slight delay while we finish up some paperwork?" That's not at all like the patience we need while waiting for an unintended offense to be forgiven.

Have we got Iraqcitis, and we'll get better if we just wait? Should we have been out of there a year ago, but now have to hang tough until the conditions are right? Are we mopping up details, and we'll be done soon? Have we done something wrong and need to wait for time to heal the wounds?

I want my doctor to tell me the truth about how sick I am. I wanted my teenager to tell me where she'd been and why she'd been late. I want the airline captain to say "We're gonna be here until the plane's ready to go. That could take two hours, but we've pushed off the jetway, so we're all just in for it the duration now." I want to know what specific conditions in Iraq will be the signal that we can call an end to this war.