{"id":946,"date":"2005-06-25T13:39:53","date_gmt":"2005-06-25T17:39:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/karmalised.com\/wordpress\/?p=946"},"modified":"2005-06-25T13:39:53","modified_gmt":"2005-06-25T17:39:53","slug":"the-truth-behind-staying-the-course-in-iraq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/karmalised.com\/?p=946","title":{"rendered":"The truth behind “staying the course” in Iraq?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bush Vows He’s ‘Not Giving Up’ in Iraq<\/a> <\/p>\n

With polls showing that Americans’ support for the war in Iraq is declining, Mr. Bush’s insistence that he will stay the course sets up a delicate political task for Tuesday night, when the president has asked the major networks to broadcast a prime-time address from Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C. The speech is timed to mark the first anniversary of the end of the American occupation and the transfer of power to the Iraqis.<\/p>\n

Spokesmen for the networks said Friday that they had not decided whether to carry Mr. Bush’s remarks live.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The networks consider whether it’s appropriate to give the GOP free air time? What’s to consider? The smells-like-occupation, looks-like-war, claiming civilian and military casualites daily? <\/p>\n

Mr. Bush seemed to preview the speech a bit on Friday when he said the development of political institutions in Iraq gave him optimism about the future.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So why did he and Rummy swarm the media warning Iraqis against any delays in adoption of a constitution. It can take Congress years to pass gas, but Iraq must have a constitution in 6 weeks?<\/p>\n

He acknowledged the political fragility of the moment when he was asked by a reporter whether he was “in something of a second term slump,” and he shot back with “a quagmire, perhaps.” The line drew laughter.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hysteria abounds in this country.<\/p>\n

A Thirty Years War?<\/strong>
\nby George Hunsinger<\/a><\/p>\n

Recently the International Institute of Strategic Studies, a prominent London-based think tank, concluded that the U.S. will be in Iraq until 2010, because of the difficulties in establishing law and order. University of Michigan expert Juan Cole sees this estimate as optimistic. “The guerrilla war,” he writes, “is likely to go on a decade to 15 years.” But Paul Rogers, a diffident Oxford military expert, now echoes James Webb. His “ostensibly rash” conclusion is that “a thirty-year war is in prospect.” On June 19 Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acknowledged that America’s involvement in Iraq is indeed “a generational commitment.”<\/p>\n

Webb had warned about our not having an exit strategy. In an August 2002 television interview, Charles Krauthammer, the well-connected columnist, explained why not. “We don’t speak about exit strategies,” he noted. “We are going to stay.” Responding to concerns about the cost, he explained, “If we win the war, we are in control of Iraq, it is the second largest source of oil in the world, it’s got huge reserves. . . . We will have a bonanza, a financial one, at the other end.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The shoe is in midair, the press buoys it, but eventually it will drop. Why not hurry that process along? I cringe every time the Republicans and Democrats engage in another pissing contest. How old are these wankers? Tell Mr. Durbin to please find his balls, the Republicans aren’t nice? You can’t grow a man that’s already growed. <\/p>\n

Dan Froomkin<\/a> claims “Karl Rove didn’t get George W. Bush this far just by luck. Rove has a brilliant and so far unbeatable strategy when it comes to political warfare: He doesn’t defend his candidate’s weaknesses, he attacks his opponent’s strengths. Unapologetically.”<\/p>\n

fer fuck’s sake, what strengths? They would appropriate Iraq’s resources more politely? The unspoken truth why millions of Americans are still on the fence about Iraq is greed; the pipe dream of owning those oil fields soothes their fears, not from terrorist invasion of the homeland but of independent players controlling the resources that run it; blistering racism and ingrained religiosity feeding the belief it’s “our” manifest destiny to do so are coals in the fire. Poke a supporter of “staying the course” and the beast proudly rears its ugly head, a beast that is alive and well in the Democrat party and Joe Blow on main street knows it. They don’t want to free Iraqis<\/a>, or a party that will initiate anything resembling the Marshall Plan that Dr. Jaafari urged Mr. Bush to “redo” in Iraq<\/a>, which should suggest to anyone paying attention that the war is going miserably and\/or Iraq is not in controll of its own resources if it must beg Master Bush for funds to rebuild.<\/p>\n

Karl Rove has his fat finger on their pulse:<\/p>\n

Rove on Bolton<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Rove also made some news. Until now, White House officials have been noncommittal about whether or not Bush will give John R. Bolton a recess appointment if he’s not confirmed by the Senate. Rove made it pretty clear.<\/p>\n

“ROVE: John Bolton is going to be the United States ambassador to the United Nations. We will get either an up-or-down vote or he will be the ambassador one way. . . .<\/p>\n

“SCARBOROUGH: A recess — possible recess appointment?<\/p>\n

“ROVE: Well, I’m not going to — we have got plenty of options. . . . “<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bring Bolton On. UN compliance with Bolton directives will expose the institution for the indentured escort it is, no more than it has been, and in the best of scenarios should force a confrontation with the United States and the United Kingdom. It’s a slap in the face of all Iraqis to suggest the UN can fairly administrate policy in Iraq so long as it’s a handmaiden of the U.S., beyond the obvious insult that Iraqis are incapable of governing themselves. <\/p>\n

The World Tribunal on Iraq taking place in Istanbul this weekend has posted opening day speeches. H.C. von Sponeck<\/a>‘s “The Conduct of the UN before and after the 2003 Invasion<\/em>” should<\/em> be sobering gruel for those appealing for UN peacekeepers to assume the occupation, as if they need reminding.<\/p>\n

Since the illegal invasion of Iraq, there has not been a debate in the Security Council about the fundamental disregard by the coalition forces of existing conventions created to ensure that the occupation armies act in accordance with the Hague and Geneva Conventions to which they are parties. Looting and burning of the national museum and the national library, the damaging of archeological sites and the humiliating treatment of civilians by the US armed forces, provoked no protest in the Security Council. The Security Council watched impotently when the soul and ethos of Iraq was attacked. The detention of political figures for indefinite periods and the unimaginable brutality and sadism with which detainees were treated not just in Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca but also in other prisons were not subject of Security Council concern. Carpet destruction of towns such as Al Fallujah, Tel Afar and Al Qaim did not ruffle the Security Council and lead to emergency meetings. There were no protests in the Council that CPA administrator Paul Bremer and other CPA officials represented an allegedly liberated and sovereign Iraq at major international meetings such as the World Economic Forum in Amman and the WTO in Geneva. The Security Council took no note that the assignment of a human rights rapporteur for Iraq was abruptly terminated by the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva following the illegal war. The Security Council agreed in 2003 to the continuation of payments by the UN Compensation Commission even though it had earlier agreed to discontinue the entertainment of claims. <\/p>\n

The Security Council did play an important role in the preparations for an interim Iraqi administration and elections but ultimately succumbed to US heavy handedness in deciding the details of the process. <\/p>\n

In the history books of the United Nations the handling of the Iraq conflict by the Security Council will be recorded as a massive failure of oversight responsibility.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Security Council should rectify these egregious errors. That it won’t speaks to its relevancy. John Bolton, Daffy Duck, who cares? U.S. policy isn’t decided by its ambassador.<\/p>\n

Appealing to the United States gov’t, Democrats or Republicans, to dismantle years of foreign policy and build anew on a foundation of peace and justice is like asking the schoolyard bully to play nice. And it will take more than demonstrations that amount to little more than temporary distractions, as Anthony Alessandrini’s “The Violation of the Will of the Global Anti-War Movement as a Crime against Peace<\/em>” reminds so well. This is the slide presentation (pdf<\/a>) that accompanied his speech, a collection of photos gathered from the web of worldwide antiwar protests that took place on February 13, 2003.<\/p>\n

But it was a tremble, unlike other apparitions<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bush Vows He’s ‘Not Giving Up’ in Iraq With polls showing that Americans’ support for the war in Iraq is declining, Mr. Bush’s insistence that he will stay the course sets up a delicate political task for Tuesday night, when … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pdXTf-fg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/karmalised.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/karmalised.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/karmalised.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/karmalised.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/karmalised.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/karmalised.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/946\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/karmalised.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/karmalised.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/karmalised.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}