Trent Wisecup, Chief of Staff for Congressman Joe Knollenberg (R-Michigan), gets his hackles in a panty-twisty huffy puffy while responding verbally to a gentleman who was videotaping Knollenberg and asking pesky questions about ending the war and support for S-CHIP. Crooks and Liars has the video up here.

Wisecup tells the videographer (a blogger named Bruce Fealk) that ’you want the troops to lose’ among other you hate America accusations—it would be quaint except that it isn’t quaint. Specifically, it’s such a strange idea to me, this idea that there is a contest that our troops can “win” (Atrios has examined the subject a bit) when really the idea is for us to have a presence in Iraq for decades to come. There is no way to “win” in the short term if the “game” is to occupy a reportedly sovereign nation in the Middle East indefinitely.

One way to look at this without biting out your eyeballs: Perhaps the Iraq War is Calvinball writ large (I’m not the first to suggest this). And here’s the thing I would like to ask Trent Wisecup, Chief of Staff of a Michigan Congressman: How will we know when we’ve won, and what it is that we will have won, and how long will it be considered a victory, and when will our returning Vets, some of whom are armless, legless, battered, battle-scarred—some are just plain dead—get their fabulous prizes? In short, Mr. Wisecup: WHAT DO WE WIN?” And don’t say “security” because no one can guarantee any portion of time as “secure.” As kelly b wrote in comments here once (paraphrased): ’Build a higher castle wall and a larger dragon will arrive.’

If someone uses the rather tired tactic of suggesting that because you oppose the war in Iraq you want the troops to lose, ask them about Calvinball—and is it true that our troops are playing Calvinball over there so we don’t get to play Calvinball over here? It seems (to me) to be a very logical response.

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