From The Washington Post
By Jim Hoagland

President Bush believes that his job is to convince the American people that the war in Iraq is not a replay of Vietnam. He is failing spectacularly in that self-described mission. The president’s best hope now is to convince Americans that with continuing U.S. help, Iraq may still become Korea.

All historical analogies are imperfect. Treating Korea or Vietnam as archetypes for Iraq is problematic on many levels. But the nature of American choices in ending unpopular wars remains surprisingly constant. History suggests that alternatives in Iraq come down to three: disorderly flight, providing a decent interval for local forces to determine their own fate or sustaining a static shield behind which positive change occurs over the long run.

Korea evolved into that third approach, while the U.S. endgame in Vietnam became a disastrous combination of the first two as a Democratic-controlled Congress battled and bested a Republican White House over war strategy and funding. It is no surprise, then, that Bush emphasizes, as he has to recent White House visitors, his desire to avoid that outcome becoming a model for Iraq.

But the president must now enunciate a realistic alternative that justifies to the electorate the continuing sacrifice of American life and treasure in what has become a sectarian war fueled by neighboring states. GOP losses in last November’s congressional elections demonstrate that Bush can no longer rely on partisan appeals to patriotism or on the argument that American lives must be spent to prevent an even greater loss of life among Iraq’s Shiites and Sunnis.

Read more Strategy