A peaceful conclusion to WHAT?

"Bush reiterated his resolve for a peaceful conclusion to the Iraq war Monday in back-to-back appearances in Arizona and California, where he was promoting the new prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients." Courtesy of the AP.

Let's back up a moment, shall we? Nearly 1,900 American troops - dead. At least 23,654 completely innocent civilians - dead. Well over 190 billion dollars - wasted (and that money is not going to the troops or their famlies).

But we hope to resolve this peacefully.

It's a war. By definition, there cannot be peace. You can't have a peaceful war: not a peaceful beginning, not a peaceful middle, and not a peaceful end. To quote Gandhi: "What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?"

I think that Mr. Bush needs a good swift kick to the head, honestly. Maybe it'll knock some sense into him. Then again...why would we expect him - he who sort-of served in the National Guard but then decided, nah, he'd rather do something else - to understand war? To understand sacrifice?