Gilmore (although admittedly, going *nowhere* in the polls), struck me in the GOP debates as having his feet a bit more firmly on the ground then several of his higher-up-in-the-polls rivals... (perhaps as a result of his being an ex-Governor). That, and his firm credentials as a fiscal conservative.
Now, with his op-ed in the WAPO, written as an open letter to the President about Iraq, his - to me - commonsense observations such as: American power is not advantaged [by being] embroiled in a guerrilla war, and Trying to fight a guerrilla war in the cities and towns of Iraq has opened opportunities for terrorist enemies such as al-Qaeda and fostered an environment for a Shiite-Sunni civil war in which we have no stake... could well go down as a Profile of Courage in the context of this Presidential campaign.
I was particularly struck by the level-headedness of this: ...We were led down this path in part by those who said, "If you break it, you own it." This statement asserts a responsibility to contain, control or resolve the centuries-old conflict between competing interests in the Middle East. We did not create these competing interests, and we do not own their conflict. I assert that where and what we fight for must be strictly measured by the interests of the United States. |
