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POPSApocalypse Iraq (Now, and probably for another 20 to 30 years.) Here are some quotes from the congressional hearings, by Senators Clinton, Obama, McCain and Willard to Generals Petraeus and Kurtz. ;) Obama, in my opinion, made the most salient point: we will not be able to get everything we want from Iraq. We need to be honest about that. For the past three years, Bush has shown no strategy aside from throwing more American blood and treasure into the vacum of chaos he created. He is biding his time, simply prolonging the disaster so he won't have to suffer the indignity of retreat. He's saving that for his hapless successor. The disgusting truth is that, while we can't get everything we want from Iraq, it don't have to lose so much. Allow me to outline the compromises I think we need to make:
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POPSREALITY CHECK! There is a frightening new global trend of denial... Europeans think that they don't need to limit fishing... Car companies don't think they need to improve fuel economy standards... Bush thinks he can increase spending and cut taxes at the same time... Jingoists think we are winning the war in Iraq... Democrats think Hillary Clinton has enough experience to win an election... Polluters think that Global Warming won't really happen... Evangelicals think Jesus is coming back soon... Fundamentalists think they can win the war against modernity... The truth is: we're stuck with this world. The rules DO apply. No free passes. You have to face the music sometime. We must choose realism over comfortable delusion. Unfortunately, for now, wistful thinking will rule the day until we let it all collapse around us. Then we'll stand there scratching our heads saying: How could this happen?
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POPSSNOW! In Iraq! Okay, so I'm pretty sure this one isn't our fault, but I gotta say, it just confirms my impression that this place is messed up on a cosmic level. Check out the Iraqi reactions to the strange frozen water falling from sky. They don't even know the word for snow!
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POPSStrategic Disconnect: Why we are losing in Iraq This opperation strikes me as a perfect example of what has gone wrong with our occupation of Iraq, and actually of most occupations. To be a conqueror is a difficult thing. Your strength must be maintained by overwhelming military force, which is always conspicuous. The locals fight against you with inflamed hatred. Your goal is to control, their goal is simply to disrupt, which is much easier. And on top of all that, Americans are doing this from a position of extreme naivety and ignorance. It is as if this whole war is only a gedankenexperiment to them. Obviously this raid was an interesting idea, but it was also obviously destined to fail. How disconnected are the commanders if they think this is going to win the war?
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POPSWrong on Taxes: Bush sells America to China Romney says McCain was wrong to vote against Bush's tax cuts. If he really believes this, then he is not a true conservative. What is the truth about Bush's tax cuts? Bush slashed the revenue of the US government to help rich people get richer. This means the government has less money to spend. But he is the greatest spendthrift in the history of American Presidents. So who is paying for all of Bush's spending? It isn't Romney, who is getting millions back in tax cuts. It's the Chinese, who are buying US Treasury bonds to gain power over the US. Look at the numbers. the Chinese have almost literally financed the Iraq war. A true conservative spends money when he has it, and when he doesn't, he works for more. Bush's extravagance has sold our economic independence to a rival nation. Does this sound like treason to you? Because it sure does to me!
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POPSThe Cost of the Iraq War: A Pundit's Guilt This is a stark moment of humanity for Christopher Hitchens, who I must admit, is not always a lovable character. He has had to soberly (or, maybe not soberly!) face the consequences of his punditry. Political opinions do not exist in a vacuum. These are not simply ideas we are talking about. This nation is overwhelmed with flippant armchair strategists on both sides who have no real understanding of what is actually going on. The Iraq War isn't a failure of American ideals, it is a disaster of well-meaning ignorance.
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POPSTo be or not to be: Genocide & the Melancholy President Turkey is a lose lose situation for us. There's no way we'll pull them off of the Kurds through appeasement. Of all the times Bush stood strong, this is the time for a little bravado, where did it go? What kind of President caves in on issues like genocide? He just took away Pansy of the Week award from Gordon Brown!
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POPSCut, but Not Run for Gordon Brown Cut yes, Run no. It seems like a peculiarly British form of democracy that holds elections at the leisure of the elected officials. And isn't it in bad taste to dodge an election right as you are pushing a controversial agenda? Way to wuss out of an election Gordy. You just got my "Political Pansy of the Week" Award. Turns out he's just another spineless New-Labor nerd.
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POPSOn War and Rhetoric: From Hungary to Iraq It has always been striking how Bush has used similar rhetoric to imperialist dicataorships when rationalizing the war in Iraq and lionizing himself. This is no where more alarming then when the obliviously echoes the rehetoric of the Soviet Union and its invasion of Hungary in justifying his own invasion of Iraq. The Soviets and Bush would no doubt hate each other, but there is a common strain in their ideology: they are all true believers, who have convinced themselves that they can do no wrong. Can a country remain a democracy even as its leaders talk like dictators?
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POPSFollowing the... KOREAN model? Wait a minute, did they just seriously say that? Follow the KOREAN model? That's a great idea! I mean, after the Korean War we created two stable and successful countries, and there were never any military problems or crises there ever again, right? I'm sorry but WHAT THE F*** IS THIS? Is their memory really that short? Its like they've got Korsakoff's Syndrome. These are the same people who were desperately trying to negotiate a nuclear crIsis on the Korean peninsula like three or four months ago? Did they forget they didn't solve that crisis yet? Is it because North Korea is No. 3 on the Axis of Evil list while Iraq was No. 1 that this may be seen as progress? Are we learning from past mistakes so that we can go and intentionally make them again?!?!?! THIS IS F'ING CRAZY!
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POPSAmerica's Allies at War: Turkey and the Kurds Ut-oh. Turkey? As in our long-time Near-Eastern ally? Getting ready to invade Iraq? To attack the Kurds? As in the only people in Iraq currently not trying to kill us? I'm going to file this one under "Lose Lose Situation." To bad we don't have a leader with diplomatic skills who could be defusing this situation RIGHT NOW...
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POPSIraq is more than just an election issue! At this point we really should be asking ourselves: what is the real objective of the Bush administration? Is he actually trying to win the war? Or simply trying to keep it going until he is out of office? Isn't the troop surge perfect evidence of this? The new strategy amounts to nothing more than simply committing more men and material to the problem without a significant re-evaluation of our overall strategy, or its shortcomings. Unfortunately, the impractical Democrat bill on spending, and their quick retreat from that position also seems to suggest that many Democrats think that an ongoing war in Iraq might be a convenient election issue next year. I will vote for no candidate who plays politics while people's lives are on the line.
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POPSAn on-the-ground endictment of our Iraq strategey...
I don't want to abandon the Iraqi people. But I am a realist, not some day-dreaming jingoist who thinks this is all just one more rosy Rambo movie. The truth is that we have had a critical failure of leadership, and no one is stepping forward to fill that void. Right now we don't know who we're fighting, and we don't know why they are fighting us. Until we can understand these two questions, there is no way we can begin to answer the question of how to eventually end this war. Unfortunately, no presidential candidate is even asking these questions, which to me signifies that they do not have an Iraq strategy and are not interested in developing one. That's a shame. The Democrats who compare this war to Vietnam should remember another part of that analogy: Nixon took and held his office on promises to get us out of Vietnam, but with no new ideas about the conflict, he only got us in deeper. This could happen to the Democrats as well if they aren't careful.
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POPSPetraeus Setting a Good Example for His Soldiers Kudos to General Petraeus for making sure his soldiers fully understand the ramifications of torture and abuse. It is refreshing to have a general taking the high ground rather than attempting to make excuses or cover up problems with prisoner detention facilities.
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POPSTears for the future... You know I hate to admit it, but it's true. Obama may be a "rock star" (although he's no Jim Morrison) and he may be a great guy (although he's no Bobby Kennedy) I have to agree: on the hard issues, he hasn't shown us that he has what it takes. This was exactly the failure of Royale (Sego) in France. The sad thing is that, although it took me years of college and field research to do it the hard way, I estimate that with the resources of a national politician, and about $25,000,000 it would only take about three or four months of intensive study to come up to speed on the relevant facts of Islamic "terrorism" and the situation in Iraq, both military and civilian. Why is it that I some how feel that quite a few of the people on Clipmarks are more qualified to lead the country than any of the people currently running? (Both left and right!) Come to think of it, why aren't any of you guys running? How long will it be before we get an erudite, informed and passionate leader?
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POPSA quote by Ted Poe in contrast to his more recent remarks. We have become accustomed to politicians talking out both sides of their mouths, however I am truly intrigued by how people can genuinely hold two conflicting opinions at the same time. Most recently Mr. Poe has made waves for quoting Nathan Bedford Forrest, Confederate cavalier and founder of the KKK on the house floor. Needless to say, since Forrest led armed actions against US soldiers and police both during and after the Civil War, he certainly did not support our troops.Yet why is the Confederacy so iconic for many conservatives? Supoorting the Confederacy and what they stood for is by definition Anti-American. I will not allow my patriotism or anyone else's to be questioned by anyone praising the Stars and Bars. I support the Stars and Stripes.
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POPSTragic Escalation This is another tragedy burst open as Iraqi society loses its coherence. But do not think that these Islamic militants are barbaric or insane. That would be just as wrong as saying the same of the American soldiers. They are simply one more crowd caught up in a moral earthquake. They are enveloped in a conflict so savage and so pervasive that it obscures the horizons. Like a giant storm, from with in there is no memory of normal life, and no one can see out to the sunny world of peace and happiness. One atrocity builds upon another untill there is no sanity left in the world at all. Having unleashed this conflict, I can't help but feel we all bear part of the responsibility. Not just the conservatives who didn't think through the consequences of their actions. Not just the liberals who only made empty symbolic gestures of resistance. Even myself, who was too proud to compromise and participate when I might have made a difference. And now I am heartbroken.
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POPSSoldiers Admit: 'Iraq War is Lost' With the constant awareness, that I might be "emboldening the enemy" and am likely to be labeled defeatist or cowardly, I'm gonna post this clip anyway. The pro-warriors can stone me later... ;)
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POPSOn the constancy of leadership... (orgasm) It is interesting to observe that this has become a key difference between American and British policy. Originally, however, it was not. The Presidency was only an implicitly political position. The Office of the President was intended as an Executive, or administrative branch. Political agendas are produced by Congress, administered by the President, and then reviewed by the Courts. It is a shocking commentary on how far our society has gone in the wrong direction that, although we talk of separation of powers, we can no longer recall what exactly those powers were to begin with!
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