Nothing accomplished
Here we are nearly seven years after the destruction of the World Trade Center and damage to the Pentagon. We ran into Afghanistan to fight back, and we unseated the Taliban, but our goals of smashing Al Qaeda and bringing bin Laden to justice were never met. Then the White House decided it would be a good idea to hang Saddam Hussein, which we eventually did.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed since our arrival in Afghanistan. The U.S. economy has been trashed, as has its reputation throughout the world as a peaceful and law-abiding nation. At so great a cost, what have we gained?
Al Qaeda is as strong as ever, particularly in Pakistan. The Taliban continues to cause major trouble in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Whatever victories and alliances we can claim in this part of the world are shaky indeed. And of course, bin Laden is still around somewhere.
Amid all this chaos, one might think that it would be to the United States' advantage to make sure that the resurgence of al Qaeda and the Taliban are contained, even if that means scaling back the impossible mission that the Bush administration insists it has in Iraq.
But no. Quite the opposite.
Iraq is not the end of our frontier. Next it's on to Iran. The delusional Cheney and the Chimp are now reportedly blowing nine figures on a round of covert operations in Iran, trying to destabilize that country and no doubt laying a foundation for a possible overt strike, by U.S. troops, Israelis, missiles from either country's arsenal, or all of the above.
Given the meanness and incompetence with which this fake-cowboy administration has run our nation over the past seven years, it seems almost a certainty that it will try something outrageous before leaving office. No doubt the moves will be timed to influence the election, and the WMD card will be played often, hard, and loudly. Fear is the Republicans' best friend, but Americans are so numb to bad news from this White House that it's going to take a big bang to get them quaking in their boots again. Airport security theater is passé, and in a few months no one will be able to afford to fly, anyway. The GOP needs some serious death and destruction on the TV screens over the next four months to get the voters on edge.
The Iranians are more than ready to supply the battlefield. Quoting our own great diplomat, they're saying, "Bring it on." They've got a couple of nuclear reactors that might as well have bull's-eyes painted on them. My bet is that those will be big piles of rubble by Election Day. But this isn't Qadaffi we're messing with. There will be payback.
"We made this mess, we can't just leave." How many times do we hear that said about Iraq these days? Even some liberals feel that way. Sensing this, the Bush people are going to get us in as deep as they can before they check out of Washington. If it helps McCain in November, they figure, great. But even if it doesn't, they're going for it. All they've got left to offer is fear and death. Come to think of it, aside from greed, that's about all they've ever had.
Comments (22)
Though I agree with you on much of what you said, please tell me those blatantly bias sources aren't your only ones?
Even if Bin Laden was in our custody and the people of Iraq threw us daily parades they'd still find a way to put a bias/negative/liberal spin on it.
Posted by Joey Link | June 30, 2008 3:27 AM
Don't shoot the messenger. What they're reporting is true.
Posted by Jack Bog | June 30, 2008 3:52 AM
So, we took the fight to the Middle East rather than Midtown Manhattan?
Posted by Abe | June 30, 2008 5:50 AM
Wow, after a whole SEVEN years, we've failed to smash an organization that exists world-wide by fighting in two nations? Do you find yourself getting anxious to see the twist at the end of the Geico commercials?
You would have been a lot of fun during the Hundred Years' War.
Posted by John Fairplay | June 30, 2008 8:20 AM
We have created more death and destruction than we suffered at the hands of terrists. We have lost close to 4,200 lives in Iraq,30,333 wounded, over 1 million Iraqis killed. We have wasted hundreds of billions which could have accomplished great good rather than death and destruction. Yet many persist in believing the war mongering fear rationale. Bin Laden smirkingly announced years ago that we would bankrupt our treasury and accomplish nothing. Those cognizant of reality ought to fear our response to terrorism more than the terrorists.
Posted by genop | June 30, 2008 8:41 AM
please tell me those blatantly bias sources aren't your only ones?
How soon we forget the crucial role that the "liberal" New York Times (via reporter Judith Miller) played in the Cheney Administration's dishonest propaganda campaign to start the war in Iraq.
CNN was right behind them.
Isn't it kind of immature (NOT TO MENTION VERY CONVEEEEENIENT) to dismiss ALL bad news as being biased.
"You would have been a lot of fun during the Hundred Years' War."
When did this post become about McCain's foreign policy?
Posted by Pat Malach | June 30, 2008 8:43 AM
Maybe Iran should have thought about the consequences before they attacked us on 9-11.
Posted by telecom | June 30, 2008 8:49 AM
Where do you start with these fight-em-there people who talk about Iranians, Sunni, Shia and Al Qaeda like they're 4 simple, unchanging actors who are all allied against us?
For me, it's all about results. If the republicans' simple view of our complex world actually worked, I'd be voting republican this fall. But I don't see any good results, only incompetence in every direction, so I'm doing my part to vote the suckers out.
Posted by James | June 30, 2008 9:08 AM
Wall Street Journal reports President Malki of Iraq has been gaining some support from Iraqis in the past several months. However, I do have to admit we Americans definitely do need to steer a new course regarding foreign policy, tracking away from imperialism. Not sure Obama necessarily is any less imperialistic, noting he has talked of invading Pakistan and supporting the war in Afganistan. Of course, we might not be in Iraq if the U.S weren't so dependent on foreign oil imports. Environmental and the Nimbies won't let drilling occur offshore or in ANWR. They won't let the building of nuclear plants. So, I think environmentals have to share the blame of the U.S being over extended into places like Iraq. One alternative is to go back to living in caves and then get over run by more aggressive tribes carrying more resources. That sure doesn't seem very appealing either. There are no easy answers, dude and dudetts!
Posted by Bob Clark | June 30, 2008 9:22 AM
Not cave dwelling, just mindful consumption and modest sacrifice. Less driving and more exercize. Is that a bad thing?? Or--- we can create more waste.
Posted by genop | June 30, 2008 9:30 AM
So, I think environmentals have to share the blame of the U.S being over extended into places like Iraq.
excellent logic. if only people would just let us exploit natural resources without limits, we wouldn't have attacked Iraq.
i think it's worked well in other areas. for example:
if we all carry weapons, then we'll be safe.
-or-
if only we build wider freeways, we can get rid of traffic congestion.
-or-
if only we attack Iraq and eliminate Hussein, we'll be greeted as liberators.
-or-
oh, you get the picture.
Posted by ecohuman.com | June 30, 2008 9:53 AM
Actually, there appears to be one area amongst the "Axis of Evil" in which progress is being made: North Korea rather spectacularly imploded the cooling tower on their plutonium plant.
Posted by Max | June 30, 2008 10:47 AM
Bob, is someone going to drill in ANWR, refine the oil, and distribute the gas to the American people at cost?
No, the same oil companies that are drilling elsewhere in Alaska and all over the world will be drilling in ANWR. They will refine the gas and charge whatever the market will bear, like they do now. We wouldn't notice any difference in fuel prices.
Republicans who call for more drilling don't really care that ordinary Americans pay high gas prices. They want to open up ANWR because it would mean big profits for the oil companies that are their biggest campaign contributors.
Posted by James | June 30, 2008 10:56 AM
I'm a Republican, who calls for drilling, and I agree with you that if we're just going to let these companies sell our domestic oil on the open market then there's absolutely no point.
I can't tell you where this philosophy would fall on the political ideology chart, but I would support a mandate that US oil from now restricted areas gets sold exclusively here in the US. There would still be plenty of profit for whatever private company stepped up to accomplish the task, but I wouldn't be surprised if the big oil companies weren't involved because the profits would be less than they're used to.
Posted by Joey Link | June 30, 2008 11:46 AM
Wait minute. The Iraq war is about oil now? When did that happen?
Posted by telecom | June 30, 2008 11:48 AM
Bush/Cheney have a track record of calling off special ops in Pakistan even when it looks like they had high profile targets in the cross-hairs. In one situation Rumsfeld actually scratched an op because it would involve "too many" U.S. foces. It's obvious that THE REPUIBLICANS WANT A BOGEYMAN HIDING IN THE MOUNTAINS OF AFGHANISTAN & PAKISTAN. If the threat is contained and neutralized then there is nothing for the American people to be afraid of. We can't have that now can we?
Posted by Usual Kevin | June 30, 2008 2:00 PM
Osama bin Laden is dead and his rotting corpse is being used by the neo-cons the same way that Goldstein was used by the Party in 1984.
First of all, ever notice that OBL puts out his tapes only when it's convenient for neo-con propaganda purposes?
Second, ever notice that the quality of the material he puts out is worse than most of the bootleg concert tapes that were circulating 40 years ago? Can't they afford modern video/audio equipment? Don't you think Riyadh would be able to spring for this equipment? Don't they have consumer electronics stores in Karachi or Islamabad where you can get a decent video camera and tape recorder? If they don't, couldn't they get a member of their vast global network to buy the equipment in some civilized city and send it via trusted courier to the Master's location? Perhaps the technical quality of OBL's "communications" is so terrible because then it can't be too carefully analyzed by independent parties.
OBL supposedly has advanced kidney disease and has to have regular dialysis. How many dialysis machine manufacturers are there in the world? How many dialysis machines are there in the world anyway? Don't these machines require specialized supplies and regular maintenance? How hard would it be to track this information?
OBL is more useful to our government alive than dead, so he'll remain alive, to be trotted out whenever the populace needs an extra dose of fear.
Posted by Mike Austin | June 30, 2008 3:00 PM
Jack: Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in Afghanistan? Where did those numbers come from? Source please?
Posted by Dave A. | June 30, 2008 3:05 PM
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in Afghanistan?
That isn't what I said. I hate it when you guys start in with the "distort, then criticize the distortion" ploy.
Posted by Jack Bog | June 30, 2008 4:40 PM
"Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed since our arrival in Afghanistan. The U.S. economy has been trashed, as has its reputation throughout the world as a peaceful and law-abiding nation. At so great a cost, what have we gained?"
You did type that, Jack (or at least quoted it from somewhere else). I don't necessarily think that is a distortion.
Posted by Mike | June 30, 2008 5:07 PM
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed since our arrival in
Afghanistan
Does that say "killed in Afghanistan"? No, it says " killed since our arrival in Afghanistan." That means to include Iraq.
You got a problem with that? If so, take it elsewhere.
Posted by Jack Bog | June 30, 2008 5:24 PM
Bin Laden smirkingly announced years ago that we would bankrupt our treasury and accomplish nothing.
We would have bankrupted the Treasury without the Iraq War, but it's definitely speeding up the process.
And I'm amazed at how many Republicans and Democrats don't recognize the real fiscal danger our country is in right now.
We're in real financial trouble and our politicans our on their Summer Holiday to raise money to get re-elected.
I'm voting for Obama this year. But I'm also voting out every incumbant, Repub or Democrat. We desperately need new leaders.
Posted by justin | June 30, 2008 6:12 PM