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Divorcing Iraq |
Conservatives, and especially the neo-cons, got this sentimental idea into their heads that all Iraq needed was a taste of American-style freedom and all would be well. They thought, "Sunnis, Shiites--forget all that. Once these people get a load of us and what we're offering, they'll come drifting out of their homes wiping away tears of gratitude and welcome a new post-Saddam era of democracy." It was a grand plan: creating a new, oil-rich, democratic ally in the Middle East. Too bad it was based more on naïve, fairytale wishes than on any semblance of practical reality.
It's like the new bride marrying into a violently conflicted, dysfunctional family thinking, "Once they're exposed to my values and a little of my TLC, they'll all see the light and get along." No, sorry, some problems run much deeper than feel-good, better-way solutions.
We're seeing it in Iraq's latest security problems. Shiites are fighting Sunnis, Sunnis are fighting al Qaeda, Shiites are fighting Shiites and we're operating on a broad policy based on some imagined, unified Iraqi military "standing up." As President Bush said in a news conference last June, "Our policy is stand up/stand down; as the Iraqis stand up, we'll stand down." Well, they are standing up, but not as one, cohesive, nationalistic, pro-democracy army. They're standing up as separate warring enclaves bent on destroying each other.
The Iraqi government just had to purge 1,300 soldiers and policemen from their security ranks, some of them senior officers like lieutenant colonels and brigadier generals, because they either refused to fight or switched sides during the recent conflict in Basra. It's lovely to imagine a unified Iraqi army "standing up," but when the lead starts flying, old tribal loyalties supersede allegiance to the new occupier-endorsed command.
Isn't it time to realize that this marriage isn't working out? As the new bride, we've tried to goad, to entice and to shame our new in-laws into behaving according to our ideals. But our presence isn't so much resolving conflict as it is postponing it. Sometimes divorce isn't a surrender or a defeat; it's a simple recognition that the whole idea was a mistake in the first place.
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posted 8:08 am on 04/23/2008
You're now a Fan of tainoaz.
I am amazed at how impotent our people have become since the 60's.
In Europe there would have been a national strike and mass demostrations to force Congress to act on the peoples mandate; End the War/Impeach the entire Administration.
My brother was a 1st Lt. Platoon Leader in OIF2 (2004) he is a career Infantry Man and he went there as is his duty and with noble intentions.
He has been telling me for over 2 years;'the best we can do is stop baby sitting the Iraqi Government by doing a phased withdrawal to bases in Kuwait and Qatar(were we already have bases). Establish an airbase in the Kurdish North from which to enforce a no fly zone. We can position several divisions in Kuwait to keep an eye on the region from there. Face it Cheney/Bush broke it now we own it. We are never 'really' leaving 'the area'.For all practical purposes it is state No.51! We are not wanted there and with good reason. Had a foreign power landed here in the 1860's and told us what to do and how to do it during our own civil war... What do you suppose we would have done? Kow Towed, dropped our weapons, disbanded our armies and toed the line! I don't think so! Como on people, this is, and , has been a no brainer for years! We do not have the treasure, resolve or patience to make this nation building;'Democracy' happen.
Our Economy is going down the tubes as our 'Dealers'; China, Europe and other lenders/investors witness our continuing denial of our need to end this disaster. In effect they are cutting U.S. off! We are lucky this is not an inner city getto, they would have found U.S. dead in a gutter long ago:(
posted 1:11 am on 04/21/2008
You're now a Fan of rebabrown.
posted 10:38 pm on 04/20/2008
You're now a Fan of pequiste.
Consider it not a marriage, but rather the relationship of junkie to a drug dealer. Here's how - the junkie will do ANYTHING to score the next fix. ANYTHING! Have relationships with the vilest of humanity; steal from his/her own family; sell his or her own body as a prostitute to pay for the next buzz; go into the worst neighborhoods to acquire the crack, cocaine or heroine; and feel no guilt, remorse, or pang of conscience. That's because the conscience is dead. Our relationship with Iraq reminds me of the film "Trainspotting." Like the time the junk fell into the "filthiest toilet in Scotland" - no hesitation to dive right into the $#!+ hole that is Iraq. Or when the dealer man prepared a hot shot and the floor opened up to swallow our antihero - a near death experience that only ends in a taxi ride to the morgue. But it turns out the withdrawal scene at Mum and Dad's when the baby was crawling on the ceiling that hit home: we stupid, immature people are gonna have a HELL of a time to wake up from this nightmare of our own making. Rather than face the awful reality we will more than likely just fire up another spoonful of poison, fill the filthy syringe with the concoction, and make all the problems go away....for just a little while longer.
posted 8:45 pm on 04/20/2008
You're now a Fan of radtop.
posted 2:43 pm on 04/20/2008
You're now a Fan of freshorses.
obama'08
posted 2:31 pm on 04/20/2008
You're now a Fan of Monopolcom.
posted 1:34 pm on 04/20/2008
You're now a Fan of Minerva.
Quote from silly Billy 4/11/08 "astonishing in the sack" REALLY????? hmmmmm
See ya in Clearwater! XOXO
posted 1:07 pm on 04/20/2008
You're now a Fan of Birdnest12.
You're now a Fan of freshorses.
obama'08
posted 6:58 am on 04/20/2008
You're now a Fan of MrWondrous.
Norman O. Brown wrote about this back in the 60s or 70s, and the more I live, the more I think this is true. It is our onerous "ownership society" that makes us think we can kill Iraqis in order for us to temporarily own their oil. It is onerous to be ownerous.
McCain means McOwnership. This is my corollary to the old rule.
Bush, Rush are others you should flush, are telling their working class tories that their pensions are being bouyed by Exxon and the other rapers of the common wealth. I wish it were as easy as dissolving the goose in the bottle through correct thinking. There is none left.
posted 10:54 am on 04/19/2008
You're now a Fan of haremoor.
I remember you saying on 'Real Time' that Iraq was our 'rape baby'. While our continued military presence is untenable, why can't we divert the funds that are going to Halliburton, KBR, and Blackwater (among others) for no-bid contracts that they aren't even pretending to perform on, and give the money to Iraqi firms to complete the reconstruction as we should have in the first place?