[COLUMN] Iraq is Bush's windmill

U.S. Army Soldiers secure the area surrounding a fire burning within the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment's command point area at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Iraq June 27, 2007. DoD photo by Senior Airman Steve Czyz, U.S. Air Force.

I cannot help but see similarities between President Bush and Alonso Quixano, a character in a famous 17th century satirical novel by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra titled "El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha," or simply "Don Quixote."

In the novel, Quixano went crazy because he was reading so much that he did not eat or sleep. He renamed himself Don Quixote de la Mancha and set out on a series of adventures, including battling windmills that he thought were ferocious giants.

There are, however, two distinct differences between Bush and Cervantes' character. One being no one has ever accused Bush of reading too much and the second being that Quixano eventually comes to his senses and realizes the futility of his ways.

This comparison was made even more clear Thursday, which was a busy day in Washington for political developments concerning President Bush's foolhardy, ill-fated, ill-conceived, illegal, unjust and immoral war in Iraq.

First, the president released the first of two reports he is required to send to the Congress assessing the status of 18 congressionally mandated benchmarks in Iraq. The second report is due in September.

The report found that progress was lacking in eight of the benchmarks, advancing in eight other bookmarks and there were mixed results in the remaining two benchmarks.

At a news conference, Bush continued to express the lie that he wants to reduce troop levels in Iraq, even as he stalls in a futile hope that his surge will work and the Iraqi government will stabilize. This despite his own assessment that the Iraqi military's readiness has continued to decline and is mostly incapable of operating independently despite the surge.

Another Quixotic comment from Bush came when he said he wanted to give the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki the chance "to open space for Iraq political leaders to advance the difficult process of national reconciliation" among Shiites and Sunni.

Does the president really believe an American military occupation of Iraq will soothe a 1,400-year-old rift in Sunni-Shiite relations? Not only is that unbelievable, it ignores the complex tribal dynamic that dominates the Iraqi social order.

A few hours later, the House of Representatives passed House Resolution 2956, The Responsible Redeployment From Iraq Act, which requires a significant reduction in the U.S. military presence in Iraq by April 1.

Bush has threatened a veto.

The resolution is a silly piece of legislation that would accomplish nothing. Still, it is a step in the right direction by the cowardly Congress, which continues to allow President Bush to wage an illegal and undeclared war in the Middle East. In addition, four Republicans decided it was time to jump off Bush's sinking ship and vote for the resolution. This is further evidence that the Republican lemmings are beginning to see the war for what it is: a waste of lives, treasure and the greatest threat to American security since the Cold War.

The supporters of Bush's illegal and futile war are as Quixotic as the president. They argue the war is necessary for American security.

However, in reality, the war has eroded American security while causing an increase in international terrorism and, as a bonus, has destabilized the Middle East and upset the oil market. Nothing has done more to energize al-Qaida than this war. Additionally, it has proved to be an excellent training ground for the next generation of terrorists. After all, where else can you get such practical training in defeating U.S. military tactics?

U.S. military readiness is dangerously low. We do not know when or where the next threat to American liberty and sovereignty will surface, but we must be ready for it. With our military depleted and unable to meet its recruiting goals, it is highly dubious that the United States could properly react to a serious threat because we are bogged down in Iraq.

Ignoring the tremendous loss of life, this erosion of our national security and military readiness is perhaps the greatest tragedy of Bush's illegal war.

I can think of nothing more Quixotic than getting involved in a 1,400-year-old religious war that cannot be won and in the process squandering your own security in the process.