Hated Authority Figure...

The other day on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, David Brooks dropped this steaming load of an explanation of the role of US forces in Iraq:

...It's true the US presence is incitement to violence a lot people hate, so hate us so much. They are committing violence. But the main incitement to violence is the Sunni Shiite split. It's the incipient civil war

And every expert I talk to, Republican, or Democrat, says if we get out there will be a full bore civil war. We are a hated authority figure to keeping that complete civil war from breaking out.

So as a policy statement I think what Murtha did was shallow and incomprehensible. (transcription and emphasis mine)

So the role of our military is to be the targets so the Iraqis won't shoot each. What a way to honor the troops and keep up morale. So let's keep them hating us over there, and democracy will magically flourish throughout the region.

If this is the current policy (and why doubt it?), it sure strikes me a a poor use of the military. And I'm sure as hell that's not what any of them signed for.

"Be all the hated authority figure you can be." Sounds like a shitty recruitment commercial to me.