Tuesday, August 30, 2005
HOW HUBRIS LOST A WAR
Okay, I don't want to see anyone come here and claim we are winning the war. Don't go there. You just sound foolish. And if you really believe we are, you are either; a) delusional, b) gullible as hell, c) both. There is no rational way to view the facts and claim we are winning. Every month, the violence escalates. Every month Iraqis fall deeper into poverty. The infrastructure of the country continues to deteriorate, with electricity, water and sanitation sporadic at best. By virtually any measure, the country is worse off than it was before we got there. And now comes the constitution fiasco. Yeah, the constitution that was supposed to convince the Sunni's to get on board and join the program. Only guess what. The Sunni's have rejected it completely. They are dead set against a federal state, believing it will eventually lead to the partitioning of country. Which is the same reason the Shia and Kurds are in favor of it. This is a civil war waiting to happen. And the Shiites are not only fighting the Sunni's, but fighting amongst themselves. Iraq is a country rapidly descending into utter chaos.
And here's the thing. It didn't have to be this way. If you are a right wingnut, a fightin fundie, or just plain a hawk, you SHOULD have been gloating by now. You should be visiting liberal websites and laughing at those pantywastes who said we couldn't win this war. You should be, but you can't . All because of the hubris of the President and a small group of his advisors.
This war was lost to sheer arrogance. Because a small group of men with no military experience (and paleeeze, Bush's Nat. Guard Service, DON'T go there, just don't!) thought they knew better than the best military minds in the country or NATO. Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Wolfowisz. Chickenhawks all, willing to send others to do the dirty work they were unwilling to do. Virtually no military experience, yet convinced they knew better than the current Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the three previous Chairmen( including Desert Storm leader Colon Powell), the Marine Commandant, and the Army's top general. Were so confident that they ridiculed these men for having the hutzpah not to see the brilliance of their plan.
How much different would things be in Iraq today if Bush and his fellow Yellow Elephants had been humble enough to listen to the experts? If we had gone in full force. If we'd have had enough troops on the ground to actually secure the country? If we would have had a real plan for reconstructing the country?
Every time an IED blows one (or two, or ten) of our kids into oblivion, remember all those ammunition dumps we left unguarded because we didn't have enough manpower. Next time Rummy or the Dick bitch about foreign fighters amongst the insurgents, ask yourself how many of these fighters would be there if we would have had adequate manpower to guard the borders. Ask how much different things would be now if not for the arrogance of a few small men.
Make no mistake, this war is lost. Even many Congressmen and Senators in Bush's own party are conceding the fact. And when history deals out the blame, it's gonna fall on the lap of one man. That's when the buck he has been passing for the last 6 years will finally come to rest where it belongs!
And here's the thing. It didn't have to be this way. If you are a right wingnut, a fightin fundie, or just plain a hawk, you SHOULD have been gloating by now. You should be visiting liberal websites and laughing at those pantywastes who said we couldn't win this war. You should be, but you can't . All because of the hubris of the President and a small group of his advisors.
This war was lost to sheer arrogance. Because a small group of men with no military experience (and paleeeze, Bush's Nat. Guard Service, DON'T go there, just don't!) thought they knew better than the best military minds in the country or NATO. Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Wolfowisz. Chickenhawks all, willing to send others to do the dirty work they were unwilling to do. Virtually no military experience, yet convinced they knew better than the current Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the three previous Chairmen( including Desert Storm leader Colon Powell), the Marine Commandant, and the Army's top general. Were so confident that they ridiculed these men for having the hutzpah not to see the brilliance of their plan.
How much different would things be in Iraq today if Bush and his fellow Yellow Elephants had been humble enough to listen to the experts? If we had gone in full force. If we'd have had enough troops on the ground to actually secure the country? If we would have had a real plan for reconstructing the country?
Every time an IED blows one (or two, or ten) of our kids into oblivion, remember all those ammunition dumps we left unguarded because we didn't have enough manpower. Next time Rummy or the Dick bitch about foreign fighters amongst the insurgents, ask yourself how many of these fighters would be there if we would have had adequate manpower to guard the borders. Ask how much different things would be now if not for the arrogance of a few small men.
Make no mistake, this war is lost. Even many Congressmen and Senators in Bush's own party are conceding the fact. And when history deals out the blame, it's gonna fall on the lap of one man. That's when the buck he has been passing for the last 6 years will finally come to rest where it belongs!
Comments:
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But we go rid of that evil dictator! Now if we could do the same thing we've done in Iraq to EVERY other country with an evil dictator we'd be set for the impending apocolypse - see there IS a plan! Bringing forth the second coming!
$10 says the first conservative comment you get is not on the content or the thoughts you put forth but on your misspelling of Wolfowitz. They seem to like pointing out spelling errors in leiu of making actual intelligent comments.
$10 says the first conservative comment you get is not on the content or the thoughts you put forth but on your misspelling of Wolfowitz. They seem to like pointing out spelling errors in leiu of making actual intelligent comments.
It's going to get UGLY. All I can do is hope that the lives of my family over there aren't lost as well. I'd like to reprint this on my blog if you don't mind.
I don't know how much longer I can stand this. I'm young, about the same age my family members were when they left Ireland because of the famine. Does a famine of the soul count? Can I get into anoher country because mine is morally bankrupt and my government refuses to do anything to help its OWN people? Can I be a political refugee somewhere because my President has ruined my country and it will take decades to recover from the damage he has done?
I don't know how much longer I can stand this. I'm young, about the same age my family members were when they left Ireland because of the famine. Does a famine of the soul count? Can I get into anoher country because mine is morally bankrupt and my government refuses to do anything to help its OWN people? Can I be a political refugee somewhere because my President has ruined my country and it will take decades to recover from the damage he has done?
These idiots had NO IDEA what kind of culture they were dealing with! Sure we could easily bomb Saddam out of power, but then what? Anybody with a basic understanding of history knew what a mess we'd be in.
The utter failure should be no surprise considering the ever-changing justifications for going to war in the first place:
- violations of U.N. resolutions - That's a good one. The U.S. is quite the bastion of respect for international law (Kyota, International Criminal Court, etc.)
- WMD's - 'nuff said
- To establish a democracy - So how's that working out for you? See GWB's post for a blow-by-blow recap.
- Keep oil from terrorists - His newest reason. Saying that the war is for oil is probably his most honest appraisal. But still a bullshit reason. It's destabilized the region and made a bigger problem.
- violations of U.N. resolutions - That's a good one. The U.S. is quite the bastion of respect for international law (Kyota, International Criminal Court, etc.)
- WMD's - 'nuff said
- To establish a democracy - So how's that working out for you? See GWB's post for a blow-by-blow recap.
- Keep oil from terrorists - His newest reason. Saying that the war is for oil is probably his most honest appraisal. But still a bullshit reason. It's destabilized the region and made a bigger problem.
Thanks, I'll use it in a few days. I have something a little controversial on now and I want to see it play out.
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