I have accumulated at least 50 articles relating to the Iraq "surge", and was going to construct the most highly-referenced blog post in history, but I've come to realize that what was to be an effort worthy of a Ph.d thesis would be a complete and total exercise in futility, so to hell with all that. It'll probably take me longer to delete all that stuff than it will to say what I really have to say about Iraq and the surge.
Bush wins again.
Ever since Bush agreed to 18 separate "benchmarks" measuring progress in Iraq, there have been over 1 billion documented lies, distortions, spins, op-eds, posturings, movings of the goal lines, power point presentations, fact finding missions, phony press releases, photo-ops, and behind the scenes manueverings, enough in fact to rival the battle over the paternity of Anna Nicole Smith's baby.
General Petraeus swore to give an objective reporting to Congress next week, and what he has to say then supposedly can make or break our continued presence in Iraq. Bush has conferred on Petraeus status befitting a deity, stating repeatedly the Petraeus is the expert, the oracle, on all things relating to the "surge"and that no legislative decisions should be made until he is heard. From the start, however, Petraeus has spun corpses into cotton candy, and so what our Congress will hear will go in to the historical record as "the miracle of the lies and wishes". And that will suit them just fine.
EVERY SINGLE ONE of the NON-PARTISAN REPORTS ON THE SUCCESS OF THE "BENCHMARKS" HAS SHOWN THE "SURGE" TO HAVE BEEN A FAILURE, WITH ONLY 3 OF THE 18 CONSIDERED TO HAVE BEEN MET.
Iraq is a disaster both militarily and politically, but all the spin and distortions will be enough of an excuse for the Republicans to vow continued support for our occupation of Iraq. That will give the Democrats reason to continue to claim with a straight face that they don't have the means of overcoming the Republican legislative obstructionism. That is a lie. They will not use the simple expedient of cutting of the funding for this "assisted genocide". All they have to do is not submit any funding bill to sustain our military deployment. That would be the end of the story.
The Democrats will tell us that they will try to work out a compromise with the Republicans to start withdrawing troops, but absolutely will not work to effect a quick and complete withdrawal. And here's why.
There is an ugly truth the Democrats will not publicize, because they don't want to admit that they agree with the real purpose of the initial invasion of Iraq back in 2003. One of the "benchmarks" Congress insisted be met was the passage by Iraq of an OIL LAW to permit big oil companies to take an exorbitant 75% or more of Iraq's oil wealth. For some strange reason, the Iraq parliament and the various factions inside Iraq are reluctant to cede their biggest national asset to international oil pirates. Since this measure of success on Iraqs part has not been met, both parties will continue the status quo until the Iraqi's capitulate, using the few "benchmark" successes as the reason to stay.
This means Bush wins again. Bush has admitted that his aim is to ensure a long-term armed presence in Iraq (somebody has to guard those oil profits), and at the least wants the occupation to last long enough to fall into the lap of the next President. Bush, with the help of both parties in Congress, could teach Senator Larry Craig a few things about "stall tactics".
So, will the Iraq landscape change after the great round of debate that will follow the Petraus report? NO WAY!
Iraq will continue to be torn apart by a civil war unleashed by our illegal invasion that was based on bald-faced lies. Millions will continue to die and be displaced. The Iraq government will remain in a helpless shambles. Ditto the Iraqi police and army. Ditto their infrastusture. Our troops will continue to be killed and maimed both physically and emotionally. Our credibilty in the world is at a nadir, and will stay that way. The costs of this debacle will continue to spiral, bankrupting future generations of Americans who will never be able to repay the debts. Iraq will continue to serve as a breeding ground for thousands upon thousands of new terrorists.
And so on, ad nauseum.
Our country is run by political parties that countenance and enable mass murder for profit and political advantage. They have sold out our troops, our financial future, and our national conscience. Shame on them, and shame on us if we let them continue.
If I'm wrong, I'll apologize and admit I'm a fool. But I'm not.
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5 comments:
You've probably seen those bumper stickers that read, "Republicans for Voldemort." I think there's also a need for bumper stickers that read, "Democrats for Wormtail." When we go to the polls we get to choose between a party that represents greed and the ruthless pursuit of power and a party of opportunistic sycophants. I don't expect the Democrats to initiate any major shifts in policy.
P.S. Thank you for your reply to my previous comment.
oldfolio, I really appreciate your comment, and since we agree, your obvious genius. You're right, but will the ballot access game rigged so badly, what in hell can we do about it? Is there a viable alternative to supporting the Democrats and working through them to build a progressive majority? I admit to a lack of patience in this process, seeing how close we are to WW III driven by the Bushco and the corporatocracy.
In the short term, supporting Democrats is certainly one way to attempt to slow down the nation's descent into fascism. I also think that public opinion exerts its own sort of political pressure, which is why control of media outlets is important to corporations. But, this is also why blogs are so important. Blogs seem to be the only forum for the expression of dissenting political opinion. I'd like to think they've played at least a small role in why some politicians are professing a need for change--even if they don't always end up voting for it. Of course, there may be nothing we can do to change the direction in which our nation is going. As Hunter Thompson wrote in April 2003:
War has always been a hard act to follow, and this rotten little massacre in Iraq is no exception. It is like that permanent s***storm that Ronald Reagan talked about in his letters to Frank Sinatra. They both believed very deeply in the book of Revelation. Reagan even went so far so to say to his buddy, "We are screwed, Frankie. We are the ones who will have to face the end of the World." ... I used to laugh when good old Dutch said ominous things like that--but no longer. It is becoming clearer and clearer that he was right, dead right, if only because he was drawing up the blueprints himself... (From "A Sad Week in America")
People should read this.
Dorie--Thank you for commenting on my article. In hindsight, it proved to be 100% accurate. Too bad, too.
I hope you read this, Dorie, because I seriously curious about something-- I would really (no kidding) like to know how you possibly came across an article on my blog that I posted 14 months ago.
Would you be kind enough to explain the chain of events that led you there? It seems improbable to me, and trying to figure it out is putting my sanity at risk.
Thanks again, and thanks in advance for getting back to me.
John
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