McCain's 100-Year Timetable

It's been real refreshing for Senator John McCain to tell us the Iraq war will be over in 100 years. Finally, we can all breathe a sign of relief, now that we know the end is in sight.

But I have one big concern, and I think it could be fatal. As we all know from the past few years, we've resisted setting a timetable for withdrawal. President Bush has repeatedly said that the terrorists then would simply wait us out, then take over. So, if we said we'll be out by Jan. 20, 2009, they clearly could just sit tight till then, then come out of hiding on the 21st.

Now that McCain -- perhaps foolishly -- has told us 100 years, we are torn. Of course we're relieved to know the end is in sight. He surely wants us to have that assurance, and the more credit to him for that attitude. I say "perhaps foolishly" because now the terrorists have a date to work with. The saving grace, slight as it is, is that the current breed of terrorists will be dead by then. But there's nothing to say that they won't pass on this news to future generations. If they, let's just say, write it on a slip of paper -- something as small as that -- and put it in a time capsule, to be opened, say, in 98 years... I'm starting to think the risk is too great.

So, anyway, we have time to deal with the situation, I'm not saying we don't. After all, Mr. McCain probably won't live another 100 years, and it's equally likely that he won't be in office as president at the end of that span. In those years -- and I hate to take away the benefits of his no doubt heartfelt assurances to us -- we will just have to hope (and pray) that we have a president (or a few) who will make the end of the war less definite. We generally like wars to end, that's typical. But we cannot end this one because of the danger that the enemy might want to keep it going!