Simply Digby
From Digby :
(quoting Der Spiegel)
When asked about critics of the war in the United States who are demanding an immediate withdrawal of US troops or a pull out by next April, Crocker can only shake his head in quiet disgust. Aside from the fact that the withdrawal of such a large combat force would take at least a year, logistically speaking, everything about these sorts of demands is unrealistic, he says.
"We Americans consider ourselves to be a moral nation, no matter how the rest of world might feel about it," says Crocker. It is clear, from his expression, that what he says next is very important to him. "How will we feel if the movie doesn't stop, even though we've pressed the 'stop' button? What if the movie just goes on? And gets even uglier? And even uglier after that?" Crocker makes a dramatic pause, clearly already practicing his best sentences for his appearance in Washington. "We're talking here about the possibility of thousands of deaths, about religious cleansing operations, we're talking here about the possibility that there could be no Sunnis left in Baghdad because they'll all have been murdered, driven out or expelled. Is this what we want? And who will explain that to Americans?"
I can tell you how I will feel. I will feel horrible, ashamed and aghast if the worst scenario happens. But then I already do. After all, the potential repercussions of leaving can certainly be no more morally wrong than invading and causing this situation in the first place! Hundreds of thousands are already dead.
The moral failure was in invading Iraq. It was the original sin from which all these horrors have sprung. To even imply that the majority of Americans who now want to rectify that terrible decision by removing ourselves from the situation will be morally responsible for this mess is an outrage.
I love these lectures and feelings of "disgust" coming from people who apparently still maintain that it was perfectly fine to ignore international law and invade a country for no good reason and turn it into a chaotic hellhole. No moral culpability required for that, no admission of guilt, but lots and lots of sanctimonious posturing about how we will have blood on our hands if the US admits its mistake and withdraws. The obtuseness of that position takes my breath away. We already have so much blood on our hands that it's dripping into everything we touch.
I wish we had an actual government.
I’m quite torn by this issue — I think we need to totally shift gears, replace the worn-out soldiers and hostile mercenaries with actual people, build the damned electrical/water/hospital facilities that have been paid for but HAVE NEVER BEEN BUILT, however hard it is and however much it costs; nationalize Halliburton, CACI, Blackwater, and any Bush-related entities, imprison their leadership, and sieze their assets; impeach, indict, and imprison Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, Rice, and any other conpirator that aided in the falsifying of evidence that prompted this war; merge with the Iraqi nation spiritually, and find a way to make them understand that we’ve changed, and we want to make it up, and we’re willing to do whatever it takes, including either accepting their refugees or paying for their keep until they can return home, and apologizing for the rape, murder, and torture of their children. All of this will make it easier for Al-Quaida to operate in the short run, but which will defuse their growing power in the long run, because hatred of the US for our Stupid Violent Actions is feeding them tremendously.
We have to do this, but we won’t, because we’re a short-sighted, confused, entertainment culture still looking for a fall.
We suck. Al-Quaida won, because George Bush was President. We won’t take the only correct path, because we’re cheap and easily fooled by pretty television anchors and Profit Logic. All this is so wasted and foolish and dull-minded. I hate what we’ve done, and what we’re doing, and what we’ll continue to do as long as we Fail The Test.
Comment on August 16, 2007 @ 10:30 am
The reason Al-quaida (and Osama) won is because they never had anything to do with prompting the war beyond providing a convenient, if far-fetched excuse. That’s why BushCo “took its eye off the ball” and let Osama escape and the Taliban eventually regroup. The real reason was and still is because of a) the oil that Saddam controlled and b) Iran’s growing power and the pressing need for an increased American presence in the region to keep them from taking control of Iraq’s oil when Saddam was eventually deposed.
Americans wouldn’t accept a simple war of aggression, even though it was absolutely necessary to retain our hegemony that enables our resource hungry lifestyle. The deception was bold and far-reaching but there was just no other way that wouldn’t cause unacceptable pain to the energy industry that was pulling the strings. Now all the crap about fearing chaos and enabling terrorists if we pull out is still just disguising the fact that we never intended to leave and still don’t.
The interesting question now is what happens when the new Democratic president gets the orders from the people who really run the country that they have no choice but to continue to play along. That’s when the deception will get truly creative.
Comment on August 16, 2007 @ 10:46 am
Al Gore would do the job, I believe, or Kucinich; probably Edwards. Clinton? Toss a coin. Obama? I wonder.
Comment on August 16, 2007 @ 11:09 am