Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Montie Python and the Bush Administration
I know this is flip, but... here's Montie Python's take on the Bush administration's continuing determination to avoid calling Iraq's civil war a civil war. As in the skit, over time, reality will trump denial, although hopefully the action the administration then takes will be more useful than a trip to another pet shop...
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9 comments:
Reality and the Bush administration seem to be inextricably torn from one another. Unfortunately, it may take something very drastic to make them understand that Iraq has completely devolved into civil war. They are not suffering "sectarian violence, excerbated by al-Queda in Iraq". We are dealing with age old tensions between these people. Frankly the problem will not be solved militarily by our armed forces. Perhaps we can save our troops before they are all "ex-parrots", because they are not replaceable just as the talking parrot was not.
Shaun
The truly frightening thing about this situation, to me, is that it's not clear which is the case: the Bush Administration really doesn't understand that Iraq is mired in a civil war; or they do understand it and they simply don't care what the effects of it will be on our country.
Nice! I'm kicking myself for not having noticed this parallel myself. And I wouldn't term your use of Monty Python here as "flip;" I would instead pick something like "engagingly illustrative." ; )
This (blame Al Qeada) is reaching of the worst order ... this couldn't become more frustrating. I'm late joining the chorus, and probably for very different reasons, but as William Buckley said (whatever the "plan" was) "IT DIDN'T WORK".
For me, it was trying to do too much aside from fighting a war. While I still believe Hussein deserved and had to go, the use of boots on the ground didn't seem the right way to do it. Now that it's more than obvious we aren't fighting to win anything (aside from egg face removal), blaming Al Qeada is just another insult. If the man is that stupid (and believes what he says), he should be impeached post haste. If he's just misinformed, perhaps a national revolution is more appropriate.
Bottom line: Those kids shouldn't be left there to be targets another minute. Iraq is a disaster and I'm angry for supporting what I thought would be a war we engaged to win.
Now it seems like something a couple of people felt like doing (and I sure was warned about it, but still supported the idea) ... or a bunch of people who felt like doing what they believed they could get away with.
Now I stay an independent, that's for damn sure.
Charlie 3X,
I am not the kind of person to say I told you so. I just want you to know that this was why I was so dead set againt this administration that I would have replaced Bush with a fucking bush, regardless of party.
I have skin in this game. Family in Iraq right now and it seems like Vietnam all over again and there are no good options and I hate that a small group of people put us in this position where nothing we do is right.
God damn them.
Charlie, I never questioned whether your motives in supporting this war were honorable. I want you to know that.
And if all that comes from this is Charlie Three Times, then, we take what small thing we can.
Soldier on, one foot in front of the other. We'll get to where we need to go, sooner or later.
a small group of people put us in this position where nothing we do is right.
I hear you, Dave ... and you were obviously right about the overall picture. But a lot of Dems (Hillary, et al) jumped on that same bandwagon and ignorance (that they were duped) just doesn't fly. It's Bush's war, make no mistake (and it's why I'm so pissed he didn't use the tools at his command). I also still believe Hussein had to go (as a clear message to the entire region) but there were many better ways to do it than what this has turned into. And the idea of nation building, democratizing, etc., was always nonsense.
It's pretty irrelevant, though, at this point. It's a complete disasster and our kids shouldn't pay the price.
I do hope that somebody clips this clown Muqtada al-Sadr before another U.S. soldier gets a hang nail. It's another reason I'm so pissed at the administration right now; this war should've been fought like one or not fought at all ... and that cancer (al-Sadr) had enough American blood on his hands a long time ago to have been put to sleep already.
Charlie,
It's been a while since you and I conversed on this topic, but I will gladly add my voice to David's in saying that I never questioned your motives, either. Glad to hear you've had enough of this nonsense, too.
Best,
Paul
Sensen No Sen
Paul, I've been owing you an apology for a while. Please accept it now.
This war has been tough for me because I so believed (still do) in what it could have accomplished (not to include democracy in the mideast or peace on earth--just to warn that region of the world that our buttons weren't to be pushed anymore--whether it was through direct terrorism (9-11) or the public support of terrorism (Hussein's payments to suicide bombers against Israel)).
A few air force strikes might've accomplished what I wanted (taking out Hussein & his sons) ... or even a series of such strikes until we got him. Because I voted for Bush (and his decision to do something), I supported the battle plan that obviously was way too short sighted and didn't include dealing with a real insurgency. Now it has to deal with a civil war.
It's an army, not a police force.
What has happened instead ... well, there's just no defending it anymore. I'm still quite the hawk, but only when we're committed to winning militarily first.
I'm one angry independent right now with only two people I'm interested in seeing run in 2008 (Giuliani and Obama, and in that particular order only because I've lived through Giluiani's decisiveness and effectiveness). I doubt he'd half-ass any future war effort (and hopefully this one is long over before 2008). He made a lot of enemies here in New York while cleaning up the city, but it was clean when he left office.
I'm also very excited about Obama and figure he's the guy with the real shot since the right wing of the Republican party will not deal with somebody as liberal as Giuliani. The other thing I prefer about Obama is the fact he never was for this war (whether he knew we didn't have the stones to do what was necessary or he just had the foreknowledge we wouldn't do what was necessary). I can only hope Hillary and "the party" doesn't ruin it for Obama, but I suspect I’ll be staying home again election day 2008.
This war stopped being a war the day the Iraqi army stripped themselves of their uniforms and figured out they were collateral damage ... something our leaders obviously didn't plan on handling. I don't mean to sound inhuman, but so long as we're going to burden our military with concerns of collateral damage and how we're perceived during wartime, we should keep our military tucked away and safe at home.
So, I'm still a dinosaur, and I don’t have any faith in the Democrats. My preference for Barrack Obama is in the man himself, not his party. The same now goes for Rudy. I’ve had it with party politics across the board and will remain an independent for a long time to come.
Charlie,
I probably wrote a couple of heated lines, too. No need to apologize, but I certainly appreciate the sentiment and you're a gentleman to offer it.
As for this line: "So, I'm still a dinosaur, and I don’t have any faith in the Democrats. My preference for Barrack Obama is in the man himself, not his party. The same now goes for Rudy. I’ve had it with party politics across the board and will remain an independent for a long time to come." I don't think that makes you a dinosaur - per Barry's current post, I think it shows an ability to adapt and survive. Lord knows, blind party loyalty is the path to extinction!
Take care,
Paul
Sensen No Sen
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