This is going to take some time

Today, President Bush announced that the conflict in Iraq will take time and patience. OK, fair enough. While GW watches the fledgling Iraqi government develop, I watch the Portland Trailblazers with similar emotions. There are moments of excitement and brilliance, where they get back on defense, Zach Randolph goes 12-15 from the field and a week goes by without any car bombs. Conversely, there are times when I wonder if it's worth it to stick this one out, where another suicide bomber kills a dozen civilians, Al Qaeda pledges to follow our troops wherever they go, and Ruben Patterson gets sent home for swearing at Nate McMillan. In any case, whenever someone asks me when I think we'll be leaving Iraq, my answer is simple: probably around the next time the Blazers make the playoffs; if all goes well and the stars align, it could be within a year. In all likelihood, though, it'll be a while.