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...a blog by Richard Flowers

Friday, December 22, 2006

Day 2182: Iraq - Well THAT'S all right then (!)

Friday


Ms Condescending Rice, who is the American Monkey-in-Chief's Secretary of State, says that the War in Iraq will be WORTH THE PRICE in lives and dollars.

Well, that's easy for HER to say when neither her life nor her dollars are on the line!

It would be nice to say that Ms Rice was using the ENDS to justify the MEANS. Except, no one really has any idea what the ENDS might actually be either.

"There have been plenty of markers…" does she mean OIL WELLS? "…that show that this is a country that is worth the investment…" she DOES mean OIL WELLS! "…because once it emerges as a country that is a stabilising factor, you will have a very different kind of Middle East."

Soooooo, once Iraq becomes a stabilising factor Iraq will be a stabilising factor?

And, presumably, once they discover YOGIC FLYING they will be able to YOGIC FLY.

CIRCULAR THINKING only really works for VULTURES and BLACK HOLES.

If you WANT to set a goal you should set one that MEANS SOMETHING. The problem with that is that the goal that we ought to want to set (you remember: Iraq to become a Westernised democracy based on a free market economy and the rule of law recognising basic human rights) THAT goal is now (a) ludicrously unbelievably unlikely to be achieved (b) transparently obviously not achievable by the method the US and UK are using – i.e. shooting and exploding people until they become nice.

I do not think that you CAN just turn a dictatorship into a democracy by just invading it. The change needs to come from WITHIN. That DOES mean patiently waiting, possibly while a lot of horrible things happen to a lot of people. Because then when change does come – like it did in the 1990s for the Soviet Bloc, or in the 1980s for once-Fascist Spain or Greece – then you can be there to offer support and incentives and encouragement and advice.

See how we were succeeding in nurturing the development of basic freedoms in Turkey. And in Lebanon until we let Mr Omlette and Hezbollah smash it all to pieces again between them.

Instead, in Iraq we have created a situation where we are not trusted and where chaos and violence rule the streets and appear to be getting worse and worse and worse. Certainly these figures show that attacks and killings are INCREASING year on year.

At least Ms Rice admits that a lot has been SACRIFICED for Iraq.

Some of the people "sacrificed" include the twenty-four civilians and one US marine killed in Haditha in November 2005.

Some of the people "sacrificed" include the twenty-four civilians and one US marine killed in Haditha in November 2005. Eight other marines have now been put on trial to determine whether they were acting within the allowed rules or committing manslaughter.

This morning's newsreader introduced this story with the suggestion that this might be the "most important" development in Iraq since the war. Actually, I am not sure that this is right. The American government either managed to overlook the fact that its soldiers were using Saddam Hussein's torture prison to carry on torturing people, or WORSE they knew about it! Compared to the Abu Grahib, a platoon going off on a killing spree after one of their number is blown up – horrible though that is – seems more understandable.

The important bit, though, might have been slipped in at the end as an almost throwaway remark: the possibility that American patrols ROUTINELY respond this way when attacked.


Meanwhile, Ms Rice's boss, President Cheney, has allowed Mr Bush to say a few words on the subject.

There will be "difficult choices" and "additional sacrifices" said the Monkey-in-Chief.

Coo, won't the Iraqis be thrilled to hear THAT.

Under pressure to come up with a plan in response to the Iraq Survey Group report saying he ought to have a plan, Mr Bush also said he was considering "all options" including: sending in MORE troops; negotiating with IRAN; and selling the whole country to DISNEYLAND.

Okay, I was kidding about negotiating with Iran!


Lord Blairimort – still trying to kid himself that he can achieve some kind of LEGACY in the region – flew in to Baghdad to say "Hi… look… you know how it is… must be off!" to the Iraqi Prime Minister du jour Nouri Maliki, before flying out again just as quick.

(To be fair he had a date to get to if he was going to try and get people to gang up on Iran.)

HOW things have changed there since his last visit to Iraq, back in May, to welcome the new Iraqi government… No, hang on, they haven't changed at all. It's STILL an awful horrible mess for everyone living outside the bunker complex that is the GREEN ZONE.

Perhaps Lord Blairimort does not see it that way. Perhaps he CANNOT see it that way thanks to the Monkey-in-Chief using BRAIN-A-TRON (pat. pending) control rays upon him.

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