Rummy wouldn’t last a DAY on the Biggest Loser campus

Hayes' pontificating on the war and weight loss. Anyone who’s been on a diet and then gained the weight back is familiar with the asymmetry of losing and gaining weight. Losing weight is difficult, sometimes painful, and takes a long time of sustained, careful attention to diet and a consistent exercise regimen. But gaining weight is easy: just start eating whenever you’re hungry and skip the gym. As we hear of the violence breaking out in Iraq, I can’t help but think of the same asymmetry that exists between peace and stability on the one hand and violence and chaos on the other. Creating stability and order takes tremendous effort and coordinated agreement by a huge host of parties, all of which can be undone in a matter of days by some concerted acts of violence. That’s why all the whooping over the surge seemed premature. The long-terms structural factors in Iraq do not make one think that indefinite US occupation is a strategy that is capable of achieving peace and security. It’s just too tenuous. A friend emails with her suggestion on the best path forward. If only they treated the Iraq war like a reality television show, à la The Biggest Loser… Here's my pitch: government officials compete to stabilize the region with their initiatives … and America votes by knocking off the person with the lowest approval rating. Transparency and drama, and maybe people will start paying attention to the war again. At least if that attractive Ali keeps hosting. Brilliant.