"Cut & Run" or "Stay & Die"

There’s been a lot of rhetoric these past few weeks from both sides of the debate about the ‘conflict’ in Iraq. I won’t refer to it as the ‘war’ because, as we know, the war is over. At least that’s what we were told when our President stood on the USS Abraham Lincoln and declared that the mission was accomplished and that major military operations were over.

Recently the debate was fueled by Congressman John Murtha, who put his reputation on the line to call for a troop withdrawal plan. Even that was preceded by Congressman Harry Reid who brought the Congress to a halt demanding a response on the pre-war intelligence investigation.

Surely the heat is being turned up on the Busheviks, and they’re feeling it as evidenced by their penchant for going on the offensive and criticizing their critics. Shame on all of you who dissent and disagree with the neocons’ scheme to profitize from global war! How unpatriotic!

As Jean Schmidt has parroted, we know that pulling our troops out of Iraq would be considered “Cutting & Running”. And that’s cowardly, of course. “Cut & Run”…. “Cut & Run”… It sounds like another one of those neo-con euphemisms to sell or un-sell one of their evil plans. As I’ve said before - it’s all about marketing & perception.

What does “Cutting & Running” actually mean? I’m thinking it’s a relative concept. You know - it means different things to different people, depending on their perspective. So, I thought it would be fun to theorize what “cutting & running” means to the different people in our news today:

To George W. Bush, it means cutting taxes for rich people and running the country into the sewer.

To Dick Cheney, it means cutting no-bid contracts to Halliburton, and running to the bank to cash one of his big compensation checks from Halliburton.

To Tom Delay, it means cutting back on lavish lobbyist-paid-for trips, and running to Jack Abramoff for another kickback. Or perhaps it means cutting a huge corporate check to the RNC, and running it over (i.e. laundering) to his Republican friends in the Texas state races.

To Bill Frist, it means cutting profits from his lucrative family business, and running for president (don’t waste your money, Bill).

To Karl Rove, it means cutting short the career of a CIA agent, and running another smear campaign against a war hero or anyone else who dissents.

To Rick Santorum, it means cutting his political career short (I heard he’s way behind in the polls) and running to the nearest lobbyist (or to God) for a new job. Sure Rick… run on ‘morals’… that always works.

To Bill O’Reilly, it means cutting the truth out of everything he says, and running an attack on anything (and anyone) that makes sense.

To Rush Limbaugh, it means cutting down his Oxycontin intake, and running more alcohol in his veins.

To Pat Robertson, it means cutting down foreign dictators, and running the country’s moral thermometer into the toilet.

To Scooter Libby, it means cutting a deal with Patrick Fitzgerald, and running from being someone’s bitch in the prison shower.

To Ann Coulter, it means cutting all calories out of her diet, and running the word ‘liberal’ out of the vocabulary.

To Wal-Mart, it means cutting worker’s benefits & salaries, and running every mom & pop store out of business.

To Cindy Sheehan, it means cutting short the life of her beloved son, and running a corrupt president, who lied & cajoled us into his war of choice, out of office.

To me, “Cutting & Running” means cutting our losses in a war that never should have been started in the first place, and running our country the way it should be – with humanitarianism instead of conquering, humility instead of arrogance, sensibility instead of greed.


The alternative to cutting & running is staying & dying. Unfortunately, that’s the only path our President sees to “complete & total victory”. What he fails to realize is that this isn’t a competition. There is no victory. There is no championship ring. There is no trophy. There is no pennant. There is no winner’s circle. Just people dying. Lots & lots of people dying. And, what are they dying for? Are they dying to protect their country? Or, are they dying to conquer someone else’s country?

So, when will the dying stop? When everybody’s dead, of course.