the logic of quagmire
I can understand why you'd find that unnerving, Bowser. Last time we heard that kind of talk it was from LBJ, after the Vietnam War took on a life of its own, and not losing and not losing face became the driving rationale. Gambling addiction is an example of a similar "quagmire logic", when the victim keeps playing and keeps losing trying to get back what he lost previously. There's a lot of that kind of bad decision-making in the world.
When I ask myself, "self, what do LBJ and GWB and ebnelson all have in common?", the answer tells me that we should never again elect a Texan to be President.