I actually think this is an important point from Ross Douthat:
Ultimately, though, what the war in Iraq has really impressed upon me is the bluntness of military force as an instrument of state, and the difficulty of predicting any of the long-term consequences that flow from a decision to make war.
I hope other conservatives are listening to this, because the Republican Party's growing inclination toward seeing the military as the one and only instrument of American foreign policy is really problematic. Don't believe me? Consider that part of Mitt Romney's effort at asserting his foreign-policy seriousness in advance of the 2012 presidential primary was suggesting we just outsource civilian diplomatic efforts to CENTCOM.
