24 posts tagged “iraq”
After many years of helping America run Bush's War in Iraq, today we start withdrawing our troops from that troubled area. And not before time as far as I am concerned.
Some time back a US General admitted he could only vouch for about a third of the troops he had trained. In plain speak that meant he didn't know where the allegiances of the other two thirds lay. With all the different factions about he was really training all sides of the Civil War.
That marks Australia as guilty too seeing we were there for the exact same reason.
One incredible comment made on this mornings radio by a military man was even more frightening. He said the locals were sad to see us move out and the US take over because the Aussies don't react then evaluate the situation. In plain speak this means they don't shoot first and ask questions later.
My assessment of this comment is he thinks we were protecting the Iraqis from the Americans.
How the spin can bite these folk back is amazing. The trouble is how many folk get killed before the bad decision is reversed.
I heard an item on SBS Radio this morning that gives pause for thought. I can’t remember the exact number but the figures for folk killed by terrorists since WW2 is very small. And that includes everyone, not just Americans.
Now to listen to US Republicans you would imagine an American gets killed every other day and twice on Tuesdays, but in real life the figure is tiny. Don’t bother to try claiming Iraq casualties in this figure. I’m talking real terrorists not civil war participants.
Notwithstanding this fact, the Republicans have discovered that US folk can be tricked by the fear mongering. It looks like it may be well worth the effort when it can get a thoughtless bloke like George Bush Junior into the White House. Twice.
Just about everyone realised he wasn’t up to the serious job of being President in his first term and yet still the fear campaign got him there again.
The unfortunate flip side to this campaign, however, is it makes it far more likely that more Americans will be killed by a terrorist in the future because of the fear they have induced in the non-Christian inhabitants of this planet. Kill enough folk in their own country and eventually they decide it’s time to come out swinging. If you can’t afford a nice new tank then cheaper alternatives exist and soft targets abound when you can’t afford a front line.
What a predictable outcome and what an amazing thing it is to see that it’s far more likely a US citizen will be killed by their own President than by a terrorist and all in the name of a war against terror that is making matters worse.
5 years after “Mission Accomplished” I still marvel at how Americans feel it is their “Right” to interfere in the politics of other countries. And not just Iraq. A number of smaller countries have been subjected to their interference. It seems that if a politician can drum up a case of National Security, they automatically get the majority of their citizens on side.
How is this possible?
I can’t tell if they think it’s un-American to challenge their leaders or if they are simply too lazy to think through the logic. In Australia’s case it’s an easy call. We’re lazy. Generally folk can’t be bothered to think about the problem unless something like the Haneef case comes up where lawyers stir up the collective consciousness. Once we feel a politician has stepped over the line it’s very easy to get folk fired up but you need someone to capture the imagination of the Public to get the ball rolling. If it presents as bully boy tactics then you are home and hosed.
That doesn’t seem to be a selling point in the States. It seems the main objection of US folk to Bush’s War is the death toll of their own kids rather than any ethical view or sense of fair play. Fair enough that they are getting annoyed about the waste of their kids lives but I would like to see them question why they get involved in other countries affairs in the first place. Otherwise we will be going through all this devastation again in another country for another special interest group under a different President.
Once upon a time we could expect the US Media to do the thinking for their citizens but I don’t think they are filling that role any more, or at least they have been very slow to challenge the thinking in the Administration. It reminds me of the disgusting enthusiasm we saw when Maggie Thatcher decided to improve her poll standings by attacking the Argentineans in the Falklands. Some of the old blokes with the comment of “Give em a taste of the bayonet” were quite disgraceful.
The shallow British Press were just as bad. Some of their headlines were shockers. They even went as far as to give highly racist coverage of tennis matches played by Guillermo Vilas. I couldn’t believe such a thing from the allegedly sophisticated English commentators. The only saving grace here was this was an unusual event for the Brits. Although they are not without their sins in interfering in other peoples politics, they don’t seem to get involved quite so often these days.
But the US is a different ball game all together. It seems like they go out of their way to find a country they feel they can rearrange. Regardless of the fact they don’t seem to be able to get it all their own way or even close to what they want. US fuel prices would seem to indicate that going to Iraq to keep fuel affordable has been a total disaster.
I think that highlights a problem with the fuel theory. It looks more plausible that this is a little earner for Brown and Root. Despite his claims of concern for US troops, I think Dick Cheney is more than happy with the whole shooting match. Somehow I don’t see Tricky Dicky crying himself to sleep as he counts his ill gotten gains.
The coming election should be an indicator of how American thinking is going. If they sign up for more of the same with McCain then we have a long way to go before US Voters decide to demand more of their politicians. If they vote Democrat you won’t be able to tell if they demand more or have just got sick of Republicans killing their kids.
What the world really needs is for US Voters to simply ask WHY and demand a sensible answer. Counterproductive missions like The War on Terror don’t pass the sensible test.
Whilst being subjected to an even bigger display of mindless flag waving this past ANZAC Day, I couldn’t help reflecting how badly things are going in Bush’s War. It seems the less justified the war the more jingoism is cranked up to hide the bleeding obvious. The “over the top” rubbish from the AFL is a prime example. Since when does sport equal war? A classic example can sometimes be heard in commentary when an opposition goal is called the “ultimate penalty”.
Guys. DEATH is the ultimate penalty. Although coming home a quad runs a close second.
On the matter of pride. Yes, you can (and should) be proud
of your kids on an individual basis but in the overall scheme of things we
should feel ashamed of our behaviour. Abu Graib was bad enough but far far
worse has been the handling of various acts of murder.
Particularly at fault has been the Marine Corp hierarchy. Finding several shocking examples of outright murder within the Rules of Engagement has dishonoured all those fine soldiers who display courage and discipline under fire.
Abu Graib was some folk breaking the rules whereas the Rules of Engagement decisions condone what should be illegal behavior. Not only does it discredit America (and Australia when we say nothing) but it does the exact opposite of what Bush claims to be about. Ending terrorism.
Australia can’t wash its hands of involvement here. Riding shot gun for an inept Bush simply isn’t good enough. If we were involved in propping up Robert Mugabe there would be an outcry. Currently we are training up the combatants on all sides for the Civil War already underway. I don’t see too much credit in helping everyone increase the death toll on their opponents. One might even call it immoral.
With the US Voter having got sick of Bush’s War and his gang of experts who have consistently got it wrong, perhaps we are about to enter a new world (order) where the States returns to pre WW2 thinking and stays at home. After WW1 there was a reluctance to get involved in European in-fighting. It wasn’t such a bad idea.
You can’t solve other people’s problems when it comes to real Democracy. It’s up to them. But you can end up being everyone’s punching bag. That’s a hell of a price to pay for some President trying to prove he’s a tough guy.
Young Alexander Downer was silly enough to defend his Foreign Affairs decisions in print last week in the Age. What a slow learner he is.
Of course he started off with “We all agree Sadam had to go” excuse which these blokes use to try and get agreement happening and then even claimed the WMDs would have been reintroduced. How desperate is that argument? I guess he is safe in it not being able to be disproved so I guess he has learned something.
The clincher for me though was a claim that “If America leaves the terrorists can claim victory”. Gimme a break. Are we talking about adults or kiddies here? At the moment the terrorists can justifiably claim that the US is funding and training their “freedom fighters”. They will also claim they are winning while America stays so what is the difference?
What a tragedy our foreign policy was left to the bumbling efforts of a simple minded man such as Downer in cahoots with a US President way out of his depth.
Under expert questioning he reveals himself to still be clinging to the old "Weapons of mass destruction" and "this still hasn't been proved" bulldust, and gets roundly beaten up by the interviewer.
In the final wash up he basically says the US has no responsibility and the locals should get on with it. Never mind the fact that they destabilised the country.
No wonder he had to "walk" when Dubya lost the Senate control.
Check out the ass kicking here. Just following orders
Talk about create your own reality!!
This at a time when the Civil War was costing $2 million a day.
I hate to quote $$$ but lives lost doesn't seem to cut it with economic rationalists.
Here is the link for further investigation. I wonder how much it would cost to sell the Iraq problem to the UN?
Uni unveils Lincoln letters.
Today 2 former Health Ministry officials were found not guilty of allowing Shiite Death Squads to use ambulances and hospitals to carry out executions.
Shiite officials not guilty
The telling statement came from U.S. Embassy spokesman Philip Reeker.
Many parts of the process appeared credible, he said, and the ``very fact that the charges were investigated and brought to trial reflects modest progress toward the rule of law.''
``However, there remain serious allegations of witness
intimidation and other irregularities in this case that have not yet
been fully or transparently resolved within the Iraqi system,'' Reeker
said.
And these are supposed to be the "Good guys". Nice to see the training has been so effective.
Obviously desperate times require desperate measures.
America's most paranoid (Chuck Norris) is being touted as having a say in the defence of the mighty US of A should Republican voters decide Mike Huckabee is the man for the job.
Normally this sort of stuff should be reserved for announcement on the 1st of April but by then the worried Mike would be a distant memory in this campaign so the card had to be played early.
It's too bad for Mike that Afghanistan doesn't get a say in the Primaries, especially the Al Qaeda nutters. Things are looking a bit grim in their membership drive with the upcoming disappearance of their friend George W. Only someone a scary as Chuck has the pulling power to keep building up those terrorists forces.
Young Mike also has a bit of a problem with the overall US voter. Those suffering pro war Bullshit fatigue (and there appears to be plenty of them) are hardly likely to vote for more of the same.
Huckabee may secure the hard core warmongers in the population (he probably had them anyway) but that is going to be well short of the numbers required to win the job. It's the middle of the road folk he really needs to convince, and going by Dubyas numbers, they have had a gutful.
Good job too. The World has enough real problems to deal with without having another troublemaker pouring gas on an already flamable situation.
In olden days the world was able to get it’s collective act together enough to punish the ratbags who helped Hitler to prosecute the 2nd World War. A very necessary action even if some folk were given less than fair treatment. (I’m thinking here of a Japanese Commander who got the Death Penalty for the actions of his troops rather than his own behaviour.)
It was also hoped to be a big disincentive to other folk following the same path but this was probably more hopeful than likely. Plenty of selfish people have come forward with the view that their behaviour is somehow different.
Idi Amin and Pol Pot are a couple that spring to mind and you can add plenty more to the list. The great tragedy is that neither was bought to justice in any real sense and the same goes for the most of the rest. By the time the special interest groups and lawyers finish with their delaying tactics, the culprits have died of natural causes.
Which brings me back to dodgy George Bush. In a fair and reasonable world, the US would be dealt with for it’s behaviour in Iraq. Only the more easily manipulated of American citizens think Iraq is a danger to the mighty US of A. The rest of us sit and watch in amazement that they seriously feel threatened by Iraq. Even Iraq’s neighbours don’t feel in danger unless you count their worries that refugees are going to clog up their economy.
Being propped up by a conga line of suck hole Governments does not let them off the hook. Do you seriously think the school bully can defend his behaviour by saying the hangers-on agree with him? Of course the winners get to write history but the morality of the matter demands a better result. Dealing with Bush and Blair just might stop another US President picking on any little Government his backers want to exploit.
I know Nuremberg didn’t put a stop to the other crackpots but if you can focus the smarter US Voters on the problem, (and there are plenty of them if Vox is any guide), their basic niceness should be enough to stop further insanity like Iraq.
Their President dishonors their country. Lets hope US citizens can put their Country before their President.
