Pajamas Media

42 Comments

1. Libertyship46:

Abigail Adams once wondered whether or not future generations of Americans would ever remember the sacrifices that were made by patriots during the American Revolution. I wonder whether or not future generations of Iraqis will remember the sacrifices made by Americans for the freedoms they now possess. America has given Iraq a chance at democracy. How Iraq decides to use that opportunity if up to them. If the Iraqis decide to slip back into totalitarianism or sectarian violence, they will have nobody to blame but themselves. But the Iraqis need to understand that democracy is certainly not a given in life. You have to work at it, actively support it, nurture it, and yes, defend it when necessary. If the Iraqis are not up to this task, then everything we (and they) have fought for will have been wasted and it will prove that Muslims in that part of the world are thoroughly incapable of living under a democratic form of government. Only time will tell whether or not the Iraqi people are up to the task of maintaining a democratic form of government.

Jan 9, 2009 - 6:23 am 2. Oscar:

Within a democracy is free enterprise. Her people must venture into new businesses and begin competitions. This way the economy is generated by the people, not by a socialistic government.

Jan 9, 2009 - 6:59 am 3. 888:

The liberal establishment, mainstream media, Hollywood hypocrites, phony elitist Democrats, Jimmy Carter and Obama did everything in their might to prevent Iraq from succeeding. Now that Iraq is an ally of the US in a most strategic part of the world, the jokes are on those who wished defeat on the US, Iraqi and allied forces who are fighting insurgency, terrorists, tyranny and evil. Now that we have a SOFA with Iraq, we will be there for many years to come because we will continue to help defend and protect the fledgling democracy as a compassionate and caring America has always done, just like we did (and are still doing) in Japan, Germany and Korea.

Jan 9, 2009 - 7:27 am 4. RV:

Iran is especially glad that Iraq now can democratically become a theocracy as they are now doing.

And I am glad that the Christians, the lucky ones left alive after the ethnic cleansing, were able to hold a festival.

Jan 9, 2009 - 7:53 am 5. Jim:

Ditto 888:

I think those who gave aid and abetted our enemies ought to be charged with treason and seditious acts.

Jan 9, 2009 - 7:57 am 6. vb:

liberty ship,

The Iraqis need to remember their own who sacrificed and believed in the potential of Iraq. They need to remember that people like Omar and Mohammed helped Americans to stay the course because they believed in Iraq. They need to remember fellow Iraqis who reported the IED planters and others who joined the military and police forces to guarantee the safety of their countrymen in times of great risk. They need to remember the women who struggled to feed their families when going to a market was an act of bravery. In the end I want the Iraqis to be able to say “We did it–with some important help from our friends, the Americans.”

Jan 9, 2009 - 8:05 am 7. Professor Guvinoff:

I have read Omar and Mohammed from the beginning. They have been one of my very few windows into Baghdad in these dramatic years. Now the prophetic name “Iraq the model” of their website receives vindication. I was also reading the early blog of their brother Ali, who does not seem to write on the web anymore. I hope he is OK, too.

My cheers for the brothers of Baghdad, their family, and their country! God bless you. Dom.

Jan 9, 2009 - 8:14 am 8. Craig:

“The Security Council resolution 1859 states, among other things, that Iraq is no longer a threat to its neighbors, region, or the world.”

That’s a damn fine sentence there. Powerful. Isn’t it time we hand out a large basket of STFUs to liberals?

Jan 9, 2009 - 9:11 am 9. Joy:

I am 68 and just pray to live long enough to see the tentative success in Iraq turn into something stronger and more permanent – AND the USA recognized for the controversial, but ultimately important role it played in all of this. Only then will the Iraq “model” be a strong enough beacon to other fledgling democratic movements in the region.

Jan 9, 2009 - 9:26 am 10. Keith_Indy:

Some day, we will be celebrating your independence day with you, and it will be a joyous occasion.

People who had faith, and hope, and stood by in true support of the troops and people of Iraq, should stand proud and tall that day.

I knew the effort would work, and be worth it, when Iraqis continued to line up for police and army recruitment, even after being bombed a number of times. There would be a bombing, killing and injuring, scores of people, and the next day, they’d line up again.

Jan 9, 2009 - 9:31 am 11. Staring In Disbelief:

#4 RV: A typically warped, biased, ignorant statement based on selectively chosen fragments of partially reported and biased CNN news. They are doing no such thing as becoming a theocracy (as I am sure you mean it, i.e. a Taliban on the Euphrates). People like you are so bitter about being so STUPENDOUSLY WRONG about the Iraq War that you can’t accept that people like the Brothers Fadhil are far more representative of ordinary Iraqis than Moqtada Al Sadr, and that Iraq will be an American ally instead of an Iranian satellite.

You should hide the little moonbat snipes, they show your small minded character in full.

Jan 9, 2009 - 10:46 am 12. Scott:

We are very proud of your progress, Iraqis. (But please do something about Sadr before he does something really stupid).

Jan 9, 2009 - 1:23 pm 13. mohammed:

Delusions, Delusions. Delusions
Nobody will remember any ’sacrifices’ in Iraq because they weren’t any sacrifices. Rather we will remember the murder and failure to hold Iraq. We will gladly wait for day the rest of the American army will leave for good. The fact that Iraq is a democracy means that America will never be loved there. The Iraqi’s just see America as a tool that got rid of Saddam and freed the Shi’ites to cahoot with their Iranian brothers. It is the Americans that kept him there in the first place.

Jan 9, 2009 - 2:10 pm 14. Marc Boyd:

I have been following ITM from the beginning. What a journey it has been. Thanks to both of you for keeping us informed even when it was dangerous for you.

#13 mohammed…your lucky number! Yes you are deluded. This journey is coming to a good end without your “Help”, Thank God.

Jan 9, 2009 - 4:24 pm 15. 888:

mohammed (13), you are an ingrate, and you are also rewriting history. I guess you forgot the elation and tears of the Iraqi people as they held up their purple-inked fingers after submitting votes for the first time in democratic elections.

America has been trying to bring safety and security to Iraq and that part of the world for many years now, and that should not be taken lightly, given that Saddam terrorized the Iraqi people and the region and also murdered hundreds of thousands of Kurds. Not to mention, he invaded a sovereign nation and savagely tortured, mained and killed innocent Kuwaitis, Filipinos, Indians and others caught in the mayhem that ensued following his invasion of Kuwait.

There are lots of good news coming out of Iraq today, and those are what should be reported by the media. Unfortunately, their hatred of Bush and adoration for Obama prevents the mainstream media from reporting facts and from being unbiased. Just recently, Saddam’s massive palace compound in the Green Zone(used by allied forces and Iraqi Govt officials) was turned over completely to the Iraqi Government http://www.nypost.com/seven/12312008/news/worldnews/us_soldiers_take_leave_of_saddam_palace_146674.htm as a sign that Iraq is becoming increasingly safe. Additionally, the US military in Iraq is now under the authority of the Iraqi Government pursuant to the SOFA signed by both Governments. That right there says a lot about the new power and political strength of the Iraqi Government and people.

You also cannot deny that Iraqis will have a better tomorrow and potential for even more greatness, hope and prosperity, as compared to when they were oppressed and controlled by the ruthless Saddam regime. In fact, life has so improved that round-trip airline tickets from Baghdad International to Dubai have been sold out for months because Iraqis are going on vacations in droves to nearby countries and enjoying what others elsewhere just take for granted.

Of course, life is not perfect and Iraq still has a long way to go. But there is much to be thankful for, too. There have been dams, bridges, schools, buildings, airports, athletic fields, commercial centers, hospitals, etc., etc., etc. that have been built or renovated with billions of US taxpayer dollars, as well as American lives lost or permanently injured. Unfortunately, all you see by the ‘mohammeds’ (#13) of the world and the left-wing media is an evil America. Rather than criticizing America, a simple ‘thank you’ will do.

Jan 9, 2009 - 4:38 pm 16. Jim Baker:

Maybe you Iraqis can show the United States the way back to liberty and government of The People. We seem to have lost our way.

Jan 9, 2009 - 8:05 pm 17. typos_R_us:

Omar, that is by far your best article in the years I have been reading you. That fancy University is paying off, isn’t it? History will give the Lion’s share of the credit to the oft maligned G.W. Bush. While not the sharpest tool in the box, it must be said that he didn’t retreat and held his position against all odds. ‘Stonewall’ Bush?

Special Orders to No.1 Section 13/3/18

(1) This position will be held, and the section will remain here until relieved.
(2) The enemy cannot be allowed to interfere with this programme.
(3) If the section cannot remain here alive,
it will remain here dead, but in any case it will remain here.
(4) Should any man, through shell shock or other cause, attempt to surrender,
he will remain here dead.
(5) Should all guns be blown out, the section will use Mills grenades and other novelties.
(6) Finally, the position as stated, will be held.

F.P. Bethune Lt
O/C No.1 Section

Jan 9, 2009 - 8:55 pm 18. Tom W.:

Maybe you Iraqis can show the United States the way back to liberty and government of The People. We seem to have lost our way.

I’ve been thinking the same thing.

Hey, Fadhil brothers: Are you guys up for invading and occupying us? Not forever, but just to bring about regime change. We just elected the biggest incompetent in our history, and the Congress is getting ready to loot the treasury like nothing we’ve ever seen.

I sort of like the cut of Prime Minister al-Malki’s jib. His expression of low-key, weary disgust when the reporter threw his shoes at Bush was truly amazing.

So, send in the peshmerga!

Jan 9, 2009 - 9:15 pm 19. monty:

Dear Mohammed-(and Omar)-I am so thankful that there are people like you and your fellow “hopers”.And also our men and women in uniform who were(and are)risking it all to give others a chance at the freedoms we have here in the US.I believe IRAQ will become a stable,safe country.I’ve believed it from the start.So many here condemned the US action.I can only assume that as long as these here have what THEY want,then the rest of the suffering can just be ignored.No doubt many innocents have died in this action.My heart goes out to the survivors of these.The hope and direction of the new Iraq is wonderfully full of good things.I as always am praying to my God that the schisms in the Iraqi population(the Sadrs and others like him)will recognise the possibilities for the future Iraq-and get on board with the hopeful.How can they possibly justify the murdering of innocent Iraqi’s with suicide attacks and such,then claim it’s the American presence that’s “creating ” it?Where is this “great love” for fellow Muslims when killing them freely is preached from their Mosques?I trust it is working out-and I’m VERY proud of the Iraqi People who have given their all to this NEW enterprise.I agree with the former poster above-These people here that have condemned the US and our struggle over there(the voices in Washington)should be ashamed of themselves and publicly brought to task for their unabashed traitorism.The soldiers I’ve talked with see a positive future,and many have desired to return to your country to help as much as they can.Personally-Thank God Saddam’s OUT!!!God bless you all-American,coalition, and Iraqi’s and stay strong there.Peace be upon you all-sincerely,Monty

Jan 9, 2009 - 11:05 pm 20. Terry Gain:

“The Iraqi’s (sic) just see America as a tool that got rid of Saddam and freed the Shi’ites to cahoot with their Iranian brothers”.

Why should we respect the opinion of someone who doesn’t know the difference between th pluaral and the possessive?

“It is the Americans that kept him there in the first place.”

Saddam joined the Ba’ath party in 1963. He staged a coup in 1979. So was it Kennedy or Carter that put Saddam in power?

Jan 10, 2009 - 7:16 am 21. Kafir:

“The Iraqi’s just see America as a tool that got rid of Saddam and freed the Shi’ites to cahoot with their Iranian brothers”

- #13 mohammed

Mohammed,

That would be a shame if it were true. If it is true, we have to ask ourselves why. It would be because the Shi’ites were just looking for an opportunity to strike against the Sunnis as another blow in a war that’s been going on for over a thousand years. What a waste it will have been if they decide to use this opportunity to just do that.

Hopefully, not only will Iraq become a model for governance in the Middle East, but also a model of how Middle Easterners can get along in a pluralistic society (Sunni/Shia, Arab/Kurd, Muslim/Christian/Yazidi/Jew).

Jan 10, 2009 - 7:26 am 22. Richard:

I don’t see any reports about the serious problems in Mosul as related in the attached link. I have been reading her blog for years and it seems the war there is the worst it has ever been. I would be interested in any other information on the situation in Mosul.

http://youngmammy.blogspot.com/

Jan 10, 2009 - 8:21 am 23. Matt Delventhal:

To Omar and Mohammed: While Iraq continues to face many difficulties, your statement of optimism may inspire some to hope. But as seen in the comments section, it may also inspire some poorly informed individuals who are looking for any way to declare “triumph” in the name of a certain out-going US president.

To 888 and others: Most Iraqis have a complicated view of the US. Many are grateful for the ouster of Saddam, yet also resent the US for a variety of completely understandable reasons. You may wish to look more deeply into this topic.

Jan 10, 2009 - 11:50 am 24. Lee:

Having spent a great deal of time as a US Special Operations soldier living among Iraqis and working shoulder to shoulder with the Iraqi security forces, my experiences closely parallel the observations Muhammed and Omar have diligently and intelligently articulated over the years. Consistently I’ve found that experience on the ground in Iraq generates an optimism that is in stark contrast to the cynicism and pessimism resulting from a steady diet of mainstream media coverage.

Jan 10, 2009 - 2:10 pm 25. OldSarg:

I wish, to one day, walk your streets as an American tourist. Thank you Muhammed, Omar and all the Iraqi’s that stood up so bravely for freedom. We are very proud to be your friends.

Jan 10, 2009 - 6:46 pm 26. Louise:

Ditto what Typos said. All of it.

Jan 10, 2009 - 8:41 pm 27. Aakash:

I remember those Iraqi blogs starting, around 2002-2004… I see that “Iraq the Model” is still up-and-running; I don’t know how many of the others are.

That being said, I have long been skeptical that the views of O & M are representative of mainstream Iraqi opinion.

It was not that long ago that even the strongest supporters of the Iraq war were criticizing the situation there, and regretting their support for the invasion. But the fact that things were so bad has given people the false impression that things are good now. That is only true, in comparison.

Overall however, the situation in Iraq is nothing whatsoever like the war hawks predicted it would be, when they were advocating this war.

And while it would be great if Iraq were to become a functioning constitutional republic (not a “democracy” – there is a huge difference!), that most likely will not happen, if the current tactics and processes are continued.

*** Social does not work, whether it is tried within our borders, or outside of them. The failure to understand that is a horrible mistake.

There is nothing conservative – nothing truly “republican” – about this war, and it is truly tragic that our country has gotten into this deadly mess, in the first place.

President Bush, had he known what he knows now, would likely have not made the decision to invade.

If only he had had the wisdom to stick to the conservative principles, upon which he was first elected President, rather than embark upon the left-wing utopian vision that he ended up following.

Jan 11, 2009 - 2:03 am 28. 888:

Aakash (#27): In the 20th and 21st centuries, pushing freedom, democracy, stability and peace throughout the world is neither Republican nor Democratic; it’s American. Whether it’s Ronald Reagan telling Gorbachev to “tear down this wall” and putting missiles around Europe to defend the continent; Truman leading the UN in defense of South Korea; Roosevelt in WWII; or, George HW Bush in Kuwait, America has always been there to fight for freedom and democracy and help their allies. If the result is nation-building, like in the case of Germany, Japan and South Korea, then so be it. History has proved that the world has been a better place because of it.

Matt Deventhal (#23): I’m not naive to not know or understand that there are many reasons why Iraqis and other people around the world hate or despise Americans. I have seen it firsthand in many countries.

When I lived in Germany, there were (and still are) many local Nationals there who hated Americans and wished they would leave their country. Once US military bases started closing and that hit the local German economies hard, the hatred around those bases turned to regret. Another reason for Germany’s dislike of Americans is that German guilt and hangover from WWII still remain, and the easiest way to rationalize for their past, is to villify the do-gooder Americans.

When I lived in Korea, I saw it there also when Koreans would demonstrate against the Americans for anything they can come up with (’Mad Cow’ scare, US military bases, etc., etc.). AT one time, their demonstrations were almost daily. One Korean National who worked for me, told me one day that the Korean people cannot forget nor forgive Americans for those 2 Korean teenage girls who were run over in 2002 by a US military vehicle. My response to her was, when Seung-Hui Cho, the Korean Virginia Tech student, massacred 32 Virginia Tech students — mostly Americans — and injured scores of others, the American people didn’t blame all Koreans for what Cho did, nor did Americans start hating Koreans. She said, “Well, that’s the difference between Asians and Americans — you look at people as individuals. We don’t.”

I saw the same disgust in mainland Japan when I lived there. Here’s another guilt-ridden nation who uses Hiroshima and Nagasaki to make America look bad, yet they have no hesitancy at all to rewrite their history in school textbooks, not mentioning the inhumane atrocities, torture and devastation they committed during WWII.

I saw it also in Spain when I lived there, and in Italy when I lived there. In the Middle East, where I lived for 5 years (Bahrain and United Arab Emirates), I saw it all the time.

But in all these places that I’ve lived over the years, I’ve also met and seen many, many local Nationals who were extremely pro-American. Not just because they worked with us, or, for us, but because they understood that we were there to help them…not to occupy their country nor to oppress their people. Those who do not have an understanding of what America is doing abroad, are quick to criticize.

But if America is so bad, why have we given almost a BILLION dollars in humanitarian aid to North Korea since 1995? (http://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RS21834.pdf) And, in the month of September 2008 alone, we gave Cuba over $11 million in aid: http://www.usaid.gov/press/factsheets/2008/fs080920.html. Friends and foe alike, America has always helped in time of need. It’s too bad people around the world, and even Americans back home, don’t give America the credit she deserves.

Jan 11, 2009 - 6:04 am 29. David Starr:

Thanks for publishing this blog. The writings of Iraqi citizens writing from Iraq are enormously more creditable than the pontificating of the mainstream media, most of who don’t speak the language and don’t get out of the green zone. You have done your country a great service by presenting the real situation in Iraq to the American public.

Jan 11, 2009 - 8:11 am 30. Brian H:

Aakash;
“It was not that long ago that even the strongest supporters of the Iraq war were criticizing the situation there, and regretting their support for the invasion.”

That is dreamworld revisionism. Neither O&M nor many long-term posters here ever regretted the liberation. Maybe your circle of friends is a wee bit constrained.

Jan 11, 2009 - 12:00 pm 31. monty:

To 888:Thank God somebody understands what America is REALLY about!!!Good Job with your info!!

Jan 11, 2009 - 1:18 pm 32. Aakash:

#30 Brian H:

I have been following this issue closely, and have been monitoring public commentary, from prominent U.S. leaders of varying political parties and philosophies. It is ironic that you say that “maybe [my] circle of friends is a wee bit constrained,” but then refer to “long-term” posters at this site. Pajamas Media didn’t even exist when the Iraq war began, nor in the couple of years after it dragged on, and became more unpopular. If you do a simple news search, you will see that many of the elected officials and commentators, from the right and the left, who supported the Iraq war, subsequently renounced their support. Myself and others have done several blog entries & comment posts, overviewing this regret.

Jan 11, 2009 - 7:00 pm 33. Aakash:

Regarding other comments:

I didn’t mention this in my prior post, but I have said before that the philosophy behind the Iraq war is in fact, un-American.

Socialism does not work, whether the federal government attempts it within our borders (the Bush administration has certainly helped on that accord as well), or outside our borders.

As I said to Rich Lowry at the 2004 National Conservative Student Conference, it is true that the great President Ronald Reagan believed in exporting American values abroad – the difference however, between the foreign policy vision of Ronald Reagan & George H.W. Bush (which was grounded in realism) vs. the foreign policy philosophies of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush (which is in line with liberal internationalism – something which George W. Bush campaigned against when he was first elected, but then chose to embrace – as Pajamas Media co-founder Michael Totten pointed out, the year the Iraq war began)… The difference between those visions is the means by which U.S. values are spread, to other nations.

Former President George Herbert Walker Bush has never supported the Iraq war, and virtually all of the top foreign-policy officials from his administration have been against those policies as well, along with many key members of the Reagan administration. Ronald Reagan believed in peace through strength, not through war, and would not have gone to war with Iraq.

But what is most significant is how the leftist utopian / Wilsonian vision behind this war is very different from the wisdom and advice of our Founding Fathers. It is contrary to the principles of traditional conservatism and constitutionalism, and to the principles of republican liberty upon which our great nation was founded.

Jan 11, 2009 - 8:25 pm 34. monty:

Let’s not forget-it’s VERY possible there would have been NO 9/11 had “President”(they STILL call him that)Clinton(coward)gone after Bin Laden as his commanders advised him to at Tora Bora.Case Closed.Powell did an excellent job of convincing the US that Saddam had weapons-then he says”he didn’t have any?”Where’s the backbone of these guys?It’s all “Mr.Bush”(as he’s referred to)’s fault.What a crock.Can you imagine what would happen to these guys(the liberals)talking like that about their leaders in some of these other countries?Can you say”disappear”.Go America-God bless our Allies and all who share the hope of freedom!!!

Jan 12, 2009 - 12:06 am 35. monty:

And just a sidenote for all you sceptics out there-you might want to check out some of Saddam’s TORTURE VIDS,freely available on the web,and then ask those Iraqis”was it worth it?”(gettin rid of Saddam)!He WAS the weapon of mass destruction.God Bless all you who are standing up for the New Iraq and everyone’s work and sacrifice over there(wish I could go).

Jan 12, 2009 - 12:16 am 36. Valerie:

“Nobody will remember any ’sacrifices’ in Iraq because they weren’t any sacrifices.”

Brothers, I remember the sacrifices, including your own loss. I remember the discovery of the mass graves from the Saddam Hussein era, and the targeting of responsible adults in all walks of life, first by Hussein and then by Al-Qaeda: clerics, sheiks, members of Parliament, judges lawyers, doctors, school teachers (in the classroom, in front of the children), and even old people, volunteers for police and IA jobs, and children, including the wiring of a girls’ school that was discovered and thereby prevented.

Then, there was the evidence of, not just killing, but savagery: cutting off people’s fingers for smoking, corpses with holes drilled in their joints, cutting and burning and wounding designed for no reason than to cause pain or desecrate the bodies of the slain.

I remember the use of the body of a murdered baby as a booby-trap for its parents.

I remember the use of people whose families had been threatened, drivers of cars who did not know the plan, girls of limited intelligence, and animals as “suicide” bombers.

And I remember the responses: The people who came out to vote, and dip their fingers in purple ink, the people who went to work, anyway; the engineers who just kept rebuilding; the ordinary people who built tangles of wires to keep their fans and lights running, the mother who cried out “If my son dies, I will drink Zarqawi’s blood!”

The cleric who asked other clerics to declare the terrorist writings outside the law of Islam, and said “treat the Sunnis like your family;” the politicians who said “One Iraq, for all Iraqis,” and who made the point of including Christians and Jews among them; the vow to rebuild the Golden Dome; the prominent local Muslims who came to church when it was reopened, and asked to be photographed there, to tell their neighbors that it is ok to come back home;

the American officer clutching the bloodied body of a four-year old girl in a vain attempt to save her life, the tears from the big guys with the guns, when they discovered some starveling orphans; and the people who asked for cigarettes to smoke when Al-Qaeda was thrown out of their area.

the Kurd who wrote you saying that “you are welcome to come live here.” The General who surveyed what was working, and came up with a plan to win the peace by, of all things, respecting the adults responsible for the welfare of local Iraqis.

No sacrifices, indeed. The sacrifices in Iraq have been enormous, as have the responses: a display of human courage, tenacity, will, generosity, creativity, faith, hope and love.

God Bless Iraq. God Bless the USA. Heaven help us all.

Jan 12, 2009 - 6:27 am 37. monty:

Well Done Valerie!!!

Jan 12, 2009 - 9:58 am 38. Staring In Disbelief:

888: Well spoken. Well spoken indeed.

Aakash: Your position may be a soundly reasoned on philosophical grounds, with excellent footnotes and annotations (did you major in English? Poli-Sci?), but your well-meaning reasoning completely ignores the reality of the post 9/11 world. If George Bush had played his cards slightly differently, we would not have stopped at Iraq, but would have steamrollered the entire pack of animals in the ME – Syria, Iran, hell even Saudi Arabia would have been boxing up their Wahabi crazies. The US was completely ENRAGED after 9/11, sick to death of Islamists ever since the Iranian hostage crisis. The “Death to America” crowd was going to get some smackdown no matter what. Bush picked the next-biggest immediate, proven threat on the table after the Taliban-protected AQI’s were toppled and OIF was born. Like many other wars we have ever fought to a true completion (i.e. NOT the 1991 Gulf War), it was messier and more difficult than we hoped, and we can still “lose the peace”, just like we did in Viet Nam. The winner of the combat phase in Iraq has been decided. The winner of the peace will take much longer. We are in the same situation as we were in 1945. The question is, will we consolidate the gains made or squander them. Does your textbook conservatism lead you to think WWII was a mistake too?

I was in High School during the “America Held Hostage” days, was a BIG Reagan supporter and have worked in the Defense Industry most of my career. I thought many of Bill Clinton’s interventions abroad were stupid precisely because they weren’t in our vital interests (e.g. Somalia, Haiti, etc.), while those that were (Iraq, Al Queda terrorism) were ignored. It is impossible to argue that a stable, democratic Iraq is not a huge boon to US and Western interests (to say nothing of the Iraqi’s interests). Sometimes the rigorous logic leads you to the wrong place.

Jan 12, 2009 - 1:19 pm 39. Elrond Hubbard:

You said,

“This is a future where Iraq’s billions are used in transparent contracts to build the country and improve economic ties with our true allies and friends, not in shady deals for building palaces, supporting terrorists, and procuring tools of aggression.”

and yet over 100 billion has been lost to corruption, some of it U.S. taxpayer dollars.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/world/middleeast/14reconstruct.html

You mentioned the Christian festival, and yet in October, 3000 Christians fled Mosul.

http://www.christiansofiraq.com/houses%20blownup.html

But yes, it’s nice that Iraq is not a threat to its neighbors, if it is true. The U.S. does not get a permanent military base there, as was hoped by Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld and other neocons; nor is there a Saddam to keep Iran in check. Mission accomplished!

Jan 12, 2009 - 8:33 pm 40. Elrond Hubbard:

Staring in Disbelief, as a Reagan supporter you must have stared in particularly extreme disbelief when his administration supported Saddam Hussein.

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/

Jan 12, 2009 - 9:28 pm 41. The Historian:

WAR IN IRAQ: LEST WE FORGET
The Democrat Party destroyed the “Waters Edge” concept and will have to live with the results now that they are in control.

http://greensrealworld.blogspot.com/2009/01/war-in-iraq-lest-we-forget.html

Jan 13, 2009 - 3:14 pm 42. Best Network:

War, economy and politics are (sadly) tied together.
We have asked many times the root cause, motive and after-war effects.
How can we ever break away from this unfortunate karma?
Can the United Nations play their role effectively and truly for the sake of mankind?

With Concern,
Alexander

Jun 8, 2009 - 9:46 pm

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