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Over at TNR, Jason Zengerle strokes his chin long enough to practically rub himself raw with worry that those calling for withdrawal from Iraq “underestimate the consequences of it” Hey, I share the concern about the effects of a withdrawal. In fact the lefty magazine where I’m a Senior Editor ran a story that reported unflinchingly on all the awful consequences that might follow a withdrawal. But this concern sounds a hell of a lot like the “concern” that many had during the run-up to the initial invasion in 2003 that those opposed to the war weren’t taking into account just how hideous the Hussein regime was. OK, fine. But in the end you either have a war or you don’t, you have an escalation in troops or you don’t. Of course there’s arguments on both sides, there always are. But actual lives hang in the balance and making a show of how thoughtful you are ends up looking a lot like moral vanity.