From the January 2005 Idaho Observer:

RAND, CFR advise U.S. to end unwinable war

Foreign Affairs outlines how Bush should reinvent America’s tarnished global image in Jan/Feb 05 edition

"Given all that has happened in Iraq to date, the best strategy for the United States is disengagement. This would call for the careful planning and scheduling of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from much of the country—while making due provisions for sharp, punitive strikes against any attempt to harass the withdrawing forces," wrote Edward N. Luttwark, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in his article "Iraq: The Logic of Disengagement" (Foreign Affairs, January/February, 2005).

In the same magazine, published six times annually by the Council on Foreign Relations (of which former President Bush is a member), RAND Corporation International Security and Defense Policy Center Director James Dobbins commented in his article "Iraq, Winning the Unwinable War," that "The beginning of ‘wisdom is to recognize that the ongoing war in Iraq is not one the United States can win."

Dobbins also observed that, "The second administration of George W. Bush seems to be left with the choice between making things worse slowly or quickly."

"The Middle East Predicament" by Washington Institute for Near East Policy Fellow Dennis Ross, also in the same publication, observed, "The United States has had critical interests in the Middle East for as long as it has been a global power. Securing the flow of the regions oil to the world economy has always been a central priority."

Ross mentioned competing with the Soviet Union for Cold War Allies was a second priority, "...and helping to protect Israel while helping keep Arab-Israeli conflict from escalating to Armageddon has long been a third."

The entire edition is comprised of articles and editorials noting how the current direction of U.S. foreign policy is failing. These fellows of influential international policy think tanks also propose face-saving strategies strategies and how to reset the global buffet table so U.S. interests can still be served while rebuilding its reputation in the community of nations.

All of the articles go forward with the understanding that 19 boxcutter-wielding Arab terrorists were responsible for 9/11 and U.S. military-led corporate exploitation of world populations and sovereign nations’ resources is acceptable behavior.