Birthing democracy
By Libby
The Center for American Progress reminds us that today is the anniversary of Bush's famous call to the Iraq insurgents to "bring 'em on." Well, they answered that call in droves and the infant insurgency, that in those days numbers in the low thousands has grown up to become a massive and splintered group of adversaries whose one common ground is a hatred for the foreign occupiers. That would be our troops.
We've been through dozens of turning points from the handing over of sovereignty -- remember how clever George thought he was when he signed the papers a day early to beat the press -- to the takings of Fallujah, to the numerous killings of Number 3 al-Qaeda leaders, to the capture of Saddam, to the purple fingers of free elections, right down to the latest surge strategy. We've been six months away from victory for going on five years now and the only thing that's changed is the goal posts.
The current "surge" which was sold in January as the last chance to provide "breathing room" for the Iraqi government to reconcile its differences is being steadily and stealthily redefined as a long term project, no doubt in response to this sort of news.
It was just about a year ago that Condi Rice described the growing turmoil in the region as the "birth pangs of a new Middle East." If that was true then, it appears we're in bad need of an emergency C-section. Redeploying the troops would remove the obstruction in the birth canal. Otherwise, the only realistic outcome of this prolonged forced labor would be a still-birth.
The Center for American Progress reminds us that today is the anniversary of Bush's famous call to the Iraq insurgents to "bring 'em on." Well, they answered that call in droves and the infant insurgency, that in those days numbers in the low thousands has grown up to become a massive and splintered group of adversaries whose one common ground is a hatred for the foreign occupiers. That would be our troops.
We've been through dozens of turning points from the handing over of sovereignty -- remember how clever George thought he was when he signed the papers a day early to beat the press -- to the takings of Fallujah, to the numerous killings of Number 3 al-Qaeda leaders, to the capture of Saddam, to the purple fingers of free elections, right down to the latest surge strategy. We've been six months away from victory for going on five years now and the only thing that's changed is the goal posts.
The current "surge" which was sold in January as the last chance to provide "breathing room" for the Iraqi government to reconcile its differences is being steadily and stealthily redefined as a long term project, no doubt in response to this sort of news.
This past Friday, the main Sunni bloc announced it was boycotting the Cabinet in protest over an arrest warrant issued for a Sunni minister in the government. Over the weekend a top Sunni political leader said he made a mistake by entering Iraq’s political process and said that he was joining the resistance.
It was just about a year ago that Condi Rice described the growing turmoil in the region as the "birth pangs of a new Middle East." If that was true then, it appears we're in bad need of an emergency C-section. Redeploying the troops would remove the obstruction in the birth canal. Otherwise, the only realistic outcome of this prolonged forced labor would be a still-birth.
Labels: anniversary, Bush, Iraq, surge, Terrorism
posted by Libby Spencer at 3:15 PM
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