May 17, 2004, Somewhere between crack ho' and rapper lies...
The job of Iraqi governing council member, as one of the world's most dangerous jobs (so far, two of twenty-five killed in under a year) as IGC current President Izzadine Saleem was killed by a suicide bomber (along with 6 others) while waiting at a checkpoint to enter the "Green Zone" today.
I assume the White House reaction will be, of course, why this means we must "stay the course", "refuse to cut and run", and numerous other cliches that are probably more useful to me and Henley as we prepare for distance running greatness in late October's Marine Corps Marathon (Jim has his own training blog up)
than to the fool's errand that has killed hundreds and maimed thousands of Americans known as the Iraq adventure.
John Kerry can't say it, of course (honesty and candor are not welcome in American politics anymore, as Howard Dean-- or Al Gore-- would be delighted to tell you), but I assume once Kerry takes his oath of office and gets his first intelligence briefing on Iraq, the first question he will ask is "how soon can we leave?" , the answer he will seek NOT being "when Iraq is stabilized" (months, years, decade) , but more like "when we get enough troop transports in place" (coupla days, two weeks tops). I cannot think of a more compelling reason to vote for Kerry than that-- the current asshole is wedded to the Iraq fiasco, damn how many more Americans and Iraqis must die for his fool's pride (and refusal to admit that he is a war criminal). Forget "national pride", forget "emboldening our enemies"-- NOTHING has been a bigger boon to Al Qaeda recruiting than our mishandled Iraq adventure (with the possible exception of the Bush-Sharon love-fest).
We can expect some really big-time bad news out of Iraq every day or two between now and the ersatz sovereignty transfer in T minus 44 days. And after that June 30th American-electoral-driven-transfer-date, we can continue to expect really big-time bad news out of Iraq every day or two, between then, and the day President Kerry declares that we have had enough, and gets us the fuck out of there.
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Comments
How do you manage to put the words, President and Kerry in succession? Of course he would cut and run. And what then? Repeated attacks on US interests around the world, without retort. Complete US vulnerability. And finally, another September 11 type attack on our soil. Forget Analogy 101. You are doomed to repeat History 101.
Posted by They Call Me Mr. Crabcake at May 17, 2004 08:45 PM
How do you manage to put the words, President and Kerry in succession? Of course he would cut and run. And what then? Repeated attacks on US interests around the world, without retort. Complete US vulnerability. And finally, another September 11 type attack on our soil. Forget Analogy 101. You are doomed to repeat History 101.
Posted by They Call Me Mr. Crabcake at May 17, 2004 08:46 PM
Listen Crabcake--
"Cut and run" and "President Kerry" are the sweetest sounds I have heard all day; those sounds will mean that hundreds of American troops, and maybe thousands of Iraqis, need not die needlessly for this stupidity any longer. The only way we will have more September 11th attacks will be if we restore the same crew (crew as in "the Sopranos" usage rather, than say, a navy ship) that got us attacked THE FIRST TIME. The crew whose own terrorism czar told us was out to lunch while they fantasized an excuse to "get Saddam" while ignoring threats to this nation (as they have done every day since they took-- and I do mean took-- the office).
Could Kerry do worse than this crew? No, he cannot. And that's pretty much going to be sufficient to get him elected. Yes, I wish we could do better-- but we'll take it.
And btw what did we gain from Tricky Dick's extra five years in Vietnam? (Tricky Dick, of course, with the help of his friend Henry, managed to sabotage the '68 Paris peace talks promising a "better deal", only to take exactly the same terms 5 years-- and over 30,000 dead Americans-- later.) I'll tell you what we got: NOTHING. Other than a lot of dead and wounded, and, you got it: NATIONAL HUMILIATION. Well-- look around: that's what we got coming here and now.
So-- we're eventually cutting and running-- let's not kid ourselves. We can do so while we still have SOME national pride and international standing, or we can squander the little that's left. There's no "winning" in Iraq. Fact is, you can't impose democracy at the barrel of a gun (ESPECIALLY if you OPPOSE ACTUAL DEMOCRATIC MEASURES like, you know... elections).
And we can see to it that another one or two troops die every day... until the day we decide "enough is enough", and leave.
I fail to see how a group of Third World privateers playing us to a draw (and also establishing that we are barbarians, by the way), while killing an average of two of us every day ENHANCES our security.
But that's just me.
Posted by the talking dog at May 17, 2004 09:20 PM
Can't we all just get along?
Posted by Rodney King-Mohammed at May 18, 2004 10:23 AM
Can't we all just get along?
Posted by Rodney King-Mohammed at May 18, 2004 10:23 AM
Word up, Dawg,
The US has never been barbaric. We have, however, always been crude and vulgar. Just ask our European friends that begged us to help them in WWI & WWII, only to turn on us every chance they get. (Kinda like when France begged for our help in Vietnam, only to turn on us after we bailed them out. Again. But I digress.) Cutting off a man's head with a Ginzu knife-that's barbaric. Stacking up a bunch of naked prisoners-that's just Stupid Human Tricks on Letterman. How do you propose to get life saving information off them? Take a deposition? There's a danger they might lie, like President Number 42 did. We would have him take the deposition, but, oops, he's been disbarred.
Stop with the Vietnam references. This is not a geopolitical battle between superpowers. We were bombed, remember? I thought you were there.
And finally, you say that under Bush II, Part Deux, we will have another 9/11. Well at least this administration is trying to stem the tide. If we do cut and run, under President Heinz-Kerry, the fanatics will smell blood, and you can guarantee another attack.
Posted by They Call Me Mr. Crabcake at May 18, 2004 06:28 PM
Listen Crabcake--
While White HOuse counsel Gonzales was cozying up to the Chimp and Cheney by telling them it was AOK to shred the Geneva Conventions-- who hit the roof?
Colin Powell-- THAT'S who hit the roof. And not merely because he's the only smart one (as well as certainly the only SANE one) in the Bush crew, but because as a career military man, Colin knows EXACTLY WHAT THIS MEANS: American troops captured from here on in ARE FUCKED.
Of course, draft evaders like Cheney, or deserters like Bush, don't have to worry about things like that, as they merrily make up the law as they go along.
At least its something President Kerry will understand perfectly, as he restores honor and integrity to the White House.
Posted by the talking dog at May 18, 2004 09:45 PM
Honor & Integrity?
Like his Democratic predecessor?
If Kerry appreciated the grunt in the field, why did he do what he did to his fellow Vietnam soldiers?
Perhaps our media could also appreciate what danger they have put our soldiers in. However high the scandal goes, only morons put military intelligence in the hands of those completely lacking intelligence. Everyone knows that Abu Ghraib type activity goes on all over. It is horrific & humiliating for all. However, the liberal media has shamefully exploited these images, and helped put our soldiers in more extreme danger.
Finally, in memory of the great Tony Randall, I ask the burning question:
Shut up, Felix?
Posted by They Call Me Mr. Crabcake at May 18, 2004 10:31 PM
Crabcake, The Liberal Media? !!! GROAN, SIGH, LAUGH OUT LOUD...Now, "only morons put military intelligence in the hands of those completely lacking intelligence". Gee....what moron could you possibly be refering to? There are so many choices! Finally, your assertion that Abu Ghraib activity goes on all the time is really depressing. I must be naive but I can't wrap my head around the sort of mentality required to carry out such behavior, theirs and ours. I hate war and all things related. Hence, the 'war president' has got to go.
Posted by alicia at May 19, 2004 12:26 PM
The reason you can't wrap your head around it, Alicia, is because THE STATEMENT IS FALSE. You know better than that, Crabcake. "Abu Ghraib's" DO NOT happen "all the time"-- not with the United States military in charge. When we have a My Lai, or an Abu Ghraib, its such a huge deal because IT IS NOT HOW WE USUALLY DO BUSINESS. (at least, its not how we used to). In fact, our military is set up with endless checks and balances to make sure it JUST ABOUT NEVER HAPPENS.
The fact is, our current crop of military and political and MORAL AND ETHICAL geniuses decided to override regular military procedures to remove these checks and balances (hence, Gen. Karpinski, for example, stating that Miiltary Intelligence TOOK AWAY HER CONTROL of the torture wing of the prison.)
And they still have the balls to blame "a few bad apples", as if that will make this go away (or bring back the hundreds of Americans who died needlessly in this folly whom they refuse to acknowledge) . Ironically- its a true statement-- but I don't mean Sivitz or Lynndie or enlisted reservists: "a few bad apples" are the decisionmakers who INSISTED that the United States throw away the Geneva Convention, our own Constitution, and every shred of human decency this country once stood for-- yeah-- a few bad apples, named Bush, and Gonzales, and Rumsfeld, and Cambone and Cheney.
Posted by the talking dog at May 19, 2004 01:49 PM
TD...Thank you...I needed that reassurance. Sometimes I think I'm losing my mind. Speaking of losing my mind, I listened to Rush Limbaugh today refer to the Armed Services Committee as a bunch of blowhards (pot meet kettle). Wonder if he felt the same way about Ken Starr...Well, enough. Thanks for the splash of cold water.
Posted by alicia at May 19, 2004 03:12 PM
Crabcake says: "We were bombed, remember?"
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour, the US declared war on Japan (then Germany declared war on the US, 'cos they were allied to Japan). But would Roosevelt have gone & attacked, say, China, because it was close to Japan & shared a culture, even tho' Japan & China had been fighting each other for years?
So why attack Iraq when the Sep 11 terrorists were not connected to Iraq? No matter how nasty Iraq's government was - after all Burma & Zimbabwe & several other places have nasty governments, and a bunch of Central Asian countries have the remnants of USSR WMDs lying around, and very disrupted societies.
Posted by Epacris at May 19, 2004 03:19 PM
So threatening a naked, cuffed prisoner with a slavering dog is just a "stupid human trick"? Funny, I thought it was barbaric. Maybe you didn't see that picture on your side of the pond.Still it goes a long way towards explaining why de Gaulle said "We will astound you with our ingratitude".
Posted by Ron Wells at May 19, 2004 04:34 PM
I too am concerned about this Iraqi prison situation. I wish there was something we could do.
Posted by Pray For Dignity, Bitch at May 19, 2004 06:46 PM
TD, Alicia, et al (al gore?):
Perhaps you think Abu Ghraib is Stalag 13 in Hogan's Heroes. Well listen, HOGUNNNN. Very few prison camps have hot and cold running Brun Hildas, and the Holland Tunnel running underneath. We need information. You get information, by all means necessary, within the Geneva Convention. Like all good treaties, this was written by lawyers, to be dissected by lawyers. If the terms are violated, you prosecute the criminals. At any level. You do not bombard the world with MTV images of naked Iraqis. You do not discredit the entire operation because of the violations. These photos & incidents were ignored for three months. They only made 60 Minutes II. What's that on, the WB Network? Only then did the Vast Left Wing Conspiracy (thanks, Hillary) pick up the ball. There will always be violations. Prosecute them, but stop the manipulation.
By the way, Sargent Kerry Schultz. What's your plan for Iraq.
I know nothing. NOTHING.
Posted by They Call Me Mr. Crabcake at May 19, 2004 09:03 PM
Crabcake,
No, I actually thought Hogan's Heros was funny...and that's President Gore to you.
Posted by alicia at May 19, 2004 11:41 PM
Well, darned good thing Corporal LeBeau pled guilty-- it was all his fault for bringing that damned camera in the first place.
Nothing to see here, people, move along...
Boys and girls, we are NOT picking up soldiers on the battlefield and interrogating them-- this is EXACTLY as if Saddam Hussein's army landed in New York and Washington and Los Angeles and Peoria and just grabbed people off the streets for no reason. The Geneva Conventions as applied to soldiers ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH in these circumstances--we owe a fuck of a lot more to civilians as the occupying power.
As always, we have brought torture, chaos, abuse, death... while lecturing them about how they are not ready for democracy. Stop defending this Crabcake-- you know better.
And while Kerry is probably the weakest candidate the Democrats can put up, the Republicans have already put THEIR weakest candidate in the White House-- and leaving the office vacant is preferable to him. Kerry is "good enough", and that's all we can ask here.
We are in a deep, deep hole, thanks to the Bushmen. STEP ONE: STOP DIGGING.
Posted by the talking dog at May 20, 2004 02:38 PM
Never liked LeBeau.
TD,
As one of the finest lawyers I know once said: Stop feigning vitriol.
Funny,
In our lifetime the Democrats have gone from "The Best And The Brightest," to "Good Enough."
That's what happens when Al Franken is your spokesman.
Posted by They Call Me Mr. Crabcake at May 20, 2004 06:03 PM
Crabcake,
What happens when Rush Limbaugh is yours?
Posted by alicia at May 20, 2004 10:11 PM
First, Ms. Alicia,
You are making assumptions about my affiliations.
Second, despite the fact that Franken and Limbugh are equally drug induced, Limbaugh often gets through a sentence without profanity.
It's the little things.
Posted by They Call Me Mr. Crabcake at May 21, 2004 04:32 PM
Crabcake,
I'm sorry if I've misinterpreted your comments to be more right-leaning than you actually are...I read and react. You must tell us when you are kidding:)
Posted by alicia at May 21, 2004 11:06 PM
Kidding, Alicia?
Why, I never.
I'm too busy fighting for truth, justice and the American way.
Posted by They Call Me Mr. Crabcake at May 24, 2004 12:19 PM
Kidding, Alicia?
Why, I never.
I'm too busy fighting for truth, justice and the American way.
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