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Boiled frogs and victoryPosted by gimpel on May 23, 2006 - 6:19 AM If a frog is thrown directly into boiling water, it will almost certainly jump out and save its life. But if a frog is put into cold water and heat applied gradually, the poor creature will boil to death largely unaware. In the ‘60s The Monkees had a song called “Zor and Zam,†with the line, “They Gave a War and Nobody Came.†What if we won a war and nobody knew? But the journey to victory is steady. The Berlin Wall fell in 1999, after 25 years of progress gradual and incremental, but steady and sure. Communism was a great threat in 1964. We could not be sure our freedom would survive, unless we “did all that could be done.†The steps to the collapse of communism were gradual and incremental, but steady and sure. Submitted by JohnRandolphHar... on May 24, 2006 - 3:53 PM.
President George W. Bush is again tauting "a turning point in Iraq" with the inauguration of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. This despite evidence that U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad leaned heavily on the Iraqi "leaders" to form a so-called "unity" government. Ambassador Khalilzad was so intimately involved in the formation of this new Iraq "unity" government that he has been called its midwife. Mr. Bush has used the term "turning point" as far back as the handover of Iraqi "sovereignty" to interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi on June 1, 2004. Bush again hailed a "turning point" when Ibrahim al-Jaafari was inaugurated Prime Minister on 5 April 2005 after his party was victorious in the January 2005 elections (which Bush called a "turning point"). Al-Jaafari was to be reconfirmed as Prime Minister after his Shiite party again won elections on Dec. 15, 2005 (which Bush termed another "turning point") except for Sunni, Kurd, and most importantly, U.S. resistance. Therefore we have the inauguration of another Prime Minister, Nouri al Maliki, and another "turning point" for Mr. Bush. The capture of Saddam Hussein was called a "turning point" as well as the adoption of a constituion. None of these has slowed the violence in Iraq. Civil war rages in Iraq, but President George W. Bush ignores it prefering to cite "awesome" progress in December 2005 and "incremental" progress in May 2006. The new government in Iraq isn't a "unity" government. Maliki's cabinet isn't complete. I found this interesting analogy: ...why is Bush getting mostly a free pass for his praise of the new Iraqi government? It's not an exact analogy, but try this on... Imagine after the last U.S. presidential election, it took four months of back room dealing before Bush was determined the winner. Then, imagine Bush faced such dissension (from both within his own party and without) that he was unable to name an acceptable cabinet. Assume then that the Administration negotiated a full month with Congress before coming to an agreement on who would administer key governmental departments. Then picture Bush on the day of his swearing-in announcing that -- in spite of the country's domestic security and overseas military entanglements -- the Administration had still been unable to name a Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Homeland Security and Director of National Intelligence. No progress has been made in reconstructing Iraq, increasing electricity production, increasing oil exportation, or quelling sectarian violence. Hardly a "turning point" IMO. Gimpel, you are looking at Iraq through rose colored Republican shades. Other patriotic Americans prefer objectivity and honesty. We belong to the reality based community. Reality! Check into it! Submitted by gimpel on May 24, 2006 - 10:33 PM.
Well, lets check into reality together… 1. the inauguration of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. WOW! There are lots of “turning points!†You and George are right! Submitted by JohnRandolphHar... on May 25, 2006 - 11:06 AM.
Gimpel, you are as obtuse as George W. but you are civil. My point in listing all the ostensible "turning points" or "milestones" is that they have not served as markers of progress in Iraq. Objectively, one cannot make the argument that progress is being made in Iraq, incrementally or otherwise. Bush is ignoring the increasing chaos while claiming progress is being made in Iraq. It isn't, and Iraqis know it. Here is a quote and a link from an Iraqi who is living the reality. Freedom is not worth 200,000 lives, am sorry. Freedom is not worth having your brothers and sisters tortured and mutilated. Freedom is not about having tens of thousands of armed units - gangs - kidnapping and murdering people and working under government supervision. A government you brought to power. Freedom is not about having 60% unemployment and child nutrition far worse than pre-war levels. Freedom is not about a debilitated power grid or failing phone system. Freedom is not about Halliburton coming in and robbing both the Iraqi people and American taxpayers blind. Freedom is not about raising the flag of reconstruction and then stealing monies from Iraq's oil money. Freedom is not about standing idly by while the government is looted. Most of Iraq's advanced machinery is now in ... Iran. Freedom is not about detention without charge. 35,000 Iraqis are in detention. Their families dont know where they are. No charge. No court. Freedom is not about the massacres in Haditha. Freedom is not about the US humiliation of Abu Ghraib. Submitted by gimpel on May 25, 2006 - 10:21 PM.
Thank you. I much prefer being called obtuse and civil than just obtuse. |
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