The crux in four sentences

Sometimes someone can put the crux of the matter into a small nutshell -- the matter here being The Decider's desperate 20,000 troop "surge" in Iraq. Today Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times did just that with these four sentences:

"Once again the White House is seeking military solutions that are likely to rebound and hurt us. Sending more young Americans into that maelstrom may well have three consequences: inflaming Iraqi nationalism, bolstering Shiite and Sunni extremists alike, and killing more young Americans.

"A U.S. military study in 1999, recently declassified and in the National Security Archive, concluded that even 400,000 American troops might not be able to stabilize a post-Saddam Iraq. The study emphasized the importance of diplomacy to engage Iraq’s neighbors."

I only wish that Kristof had said "WILL rebound and hurt us" and "WILL have three consequences." Because the writing is already on the wall.