Head-Fake: How Who Wrote The Iraw Report Matters Less Than What They Said
Democrats have accused General David Petraeus of following orders from President Bush while giving his report to Congress this week.
Republicans have accused these Democrats of being un-American for making this accusation.
Rudy Giuliani thinks Senator Clinton should condemn Move On for their characterization of General Petraeus as General Betray-us, while he takes the same discount he seemed so outraged that Move On got for running the ad.
If we assume that General Petraeus is taking marching orders from President Bush, then we have to at worst accuse him of doing his job. He does take marching orders from the President. The Constitution demands it.
Sure, the numbers in Iraq look better. Of course, a lot of it is because the military has re-classified what it calls war dead. A shot through the front of the head is considered a crime, not an act of war, and is not counted. Only a shot through the back of the head is now considered worthy of being considered an act of war.
And yes, we appear to have stopped counting Sunni on Sunni or Shia on Shia murders as acts of war too.
So what if it appears the violence in Anbar Province relented once we gave power back to the people who controlled the province before the invasion. Sure, they (the Sunni warlords, aka batheists) have what they had before the war (control of their region) and more (tax-payer’s money), but we’ll call it a victory and no-one will notice (seems to be working).
What’s really important is who wrote it. Never mind that it uses fuzzy math that would make Al Gore’s head spin. Never mind that we’ve spent 4 years in Iraq, and are now giving power and money to the people we invaded to remove their power in the first place.
While we argue over who held the shovel, our military is up to its eyeballs in it. The reduction in troops that President Bush touted as a sign of victory was necessary anyway, due to the over-extension of our military in the region over a long period of time.
President Bush was talking to about 10 people (liberal Republicans in the senate and house that keep war-supporters veto power in tact), and it looks like they heard it.
The press once again fell for it, and these few hold-overs got the cover they needed to keep the troops in Iraq until President Bush’s replacement takes the oath.
Who ever wrote the report that General Petraeus gave to Congress on Thursday should get promoted. They pulled off the biggest head-fake since 2003, and left the Democrats once again impotent to stop the war.
All the while, our brave men and women serving in Iraq are, once again, left on the fence between several factions fighting to gain control of their country. Lest we forget, they won the war in a month in 2003. They’ve been waiting like brave warriors since then waiting to come home.
That was very well put. I know the statistics the general cited were skewed and selected–who doesn’t do that? Its his career higlight–he is going to present it in a positive light.
I also think they have managed to stop some of the violence in Iraq, in certain areas, at great expense in money, blood, and honor (we are now allies with the Sunni tribal lords who are responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans in this god awful misadventure).
And I think if we keep pouring money and dying there a lid can be put on things. But for what purpose? The central government of Iraq has no intention of making peace with the Sunnis. They are controlled by Shia militias and aligned with Iran. They would like to keep America there long enough to build up so they are in the best position possible for a genocide once America leaves.
So is the deal this is going to be like Korea and we will be permanently stationed in the Lands of Islam. That means the “War against terrorism” will never end.
To understand the point of that you only have to actually listen to the words of bin Laden. His goal is not to put me in a Burqa. The political purpose of their jihad is to get America out of the Middle East.
And lets face it the only interest we have in the Middle East is oil, and to a lesser extent the problem of Israel.
Otherwise we cold let them just fight it out in that god forsaken corner of the world.
The politicians don’t want to enunciate the true goals of the jihadists. It plays much better to bellow how it is a prelude to Armageddon and a battle to preserve freedom in America.
And of course, the truth is that the whole thing has resulted in a massive assault on freedom and liberty in America.
Its a major fuck up from its inception. Staying there and keeping a lid on things is not going to make us safer. We just have to admit that we screwed up, and tacitly admit that as a result of that mistake a lot of brave American men and women died in vain there.
And leave.
~Becky