Saturday, October 08, 2005
No More Illusions
Bogged down in Basra: A British soldier in Basra escapes a tank that a crowd set ablaze with Molotov cocktails last month.
This post on Iraq has been sitting half-written for about two weeks now but even finally posting it now the points made are still relevant. How can you even try to be optimistic about the situation over there when the already bad news there seems to be getting not only worse but more and more routine? A quick look again at this debecle:
"Not long after Baghdad fell to American troops, it was already apparent that the United States was part of the problem, not part of the solution, in Iraq" (read more here)
"The Pentagon has no accurate knowledge of the cost of military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan or the fight against terrorism" (read more here)
"The U.S. war in Iraq now costs more per month than the average monthly cost of military operations in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s." (click here to read more)
While, Bush's words on Iraq echo LBJ's on Vietnam in 1967 (read more here)
"Whatever his other accomplishments, Bush will go down in history as the most fiscally irresponsible chief executive in American history." (read more here)
And his plan B for paying for the rebuilding of Iraq (and managing the government's spending there) doesn't seem to be working.
US soldiers say Iraqi prisoner beatings were routine.
And proving that The Kitchen is "fair and balanced" - is this a possible good sign for the future in Iraq: Sistani urges Support for Constitution And for Iran?
Or not:
Saudi Warns U.S. Iraq May Face Disintegration.
"Americans used to dream of building a strong, unified, pluralistic Iraq. Now the possibilities are a very loose federation, or violent disintegration." (click here for more from Newsweek)
And is it me or does this seems like another one of Bush's reaches to try and connect 9/11 and the hot mess in Iraq? Consider that, contrary to a standard administration talking point, a study claims that only 10% of Iraqi insurgents are foreign.
Or maybe God told him about that as well?
To end though, my prayers also go out to those now sufffering in Guatemala & Mexico as well as India, Pakistan and Afghanistan and let's not forget the ongoing tragedy in Darfur (thanks, Eddie).
