Bush unveiled his plan for Iraq yesterday, and boy, what a doozy! More of the same but now with more troops! Wow, that’s absolutely incredible! Hasn’t Bush been strutting around for almost two months supposedly taking the time to understand the problem better, talking with experts and laymen alike, getting all of this different input to formulate his new way forward in Iraq, (Coincidently called, “The New Way Forward”) while also giving his new Secretary of Defense time to understand the issue better? His plan turns out to essentially be, well, more of the same. Yknow, it reminds me of that scene in the
beginning of Ghostbusters, when Bill Murrey’s character looks at Dan Ackroyd’s character after they got chased from the library by the first ghost, “’Get her!’, that was your big plan?” then chuckles. Is this some sort of joke? Americans don’t want a troop surge. Many experts agree that some kind of temporary troop surge is necessary, what they don’t agree on are the reasons. Regardless (or irregardless, if you like that sort of thing) I feel most Americans and politicians understand that a temporary troop surge is immanent. I also know most Americans and politicians expected a plan to try and fix this wonderfully tragic mess we caused called Iraq. But Bush’s, “...more of the same and we’ll see” rhetoric really upset many people. Hell, even staunch republicans were ripping into (I’m
not exaggerating) Secretary of State Rice when she presented the (lack of) plan to the Senate. I think if Bush would have simply provided a loose timeline along with some political plans to deal with Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, he would have been met with some approval. Bush, if you read this (Yeah, that’ll happen) you’re legacy is already shot, quit thinking about your place in history and do what’s right. The sad part of all this is Iraqis continue to suffer, they are paying the price. When I think about this aspect of it a lump enters my throat and I feel very disgusted. I understand a temporary troop surge is necessary, I understand things need to get better and fast. I get it. What I don’t get is when Bush presented this “plan” to his advisors, one of them didn’t have the courage to tell him he was going to come off like a complete fucking idiot, that he is wrong and the American people expected more. Or is it that his bull headed Texas Longhorn attitude scared all of the good people away. Yeah, I remember Colin Powell too. A
senator made the comment yesterday that, “...this is the worst foreign affairs blunder since Viet Nam.” I believe he was mistaken, it’s much worse and getting worse still. When we got mixed up in Viet Nam, it was during the cold war, it was a conflict of ideals. War was already raging. Now, there is no great political enemy. Al Qaeda was not in Iraq. There was relative peace (albeit oppressive) in the region. We disregarded the United Nations. We acted like an imperial power with dreams of growing the empire veiled in democratic promises and high moral standards (yet Sudan and Somalia have been in worse shape for much longer). America has been lucky in that world opinion of us has usually been pretty good and also the realization that our government changes every four years helps other countries and cultures excuse our blunders a little more quickly. This time, I’m not sure we’ll be so lucky.
Some people really don't know how to do anything else. They have convinced themselves that they are somehow better, more knowledgeable and rightious about all aspects of life, they forget that they usually only learn things through humility. No folks, I'm not talking about Christians, although most seem to make up a large percent of the type I'm talking about. I'm referring to all close-minded, self aggrandizing, pompous asses in the world. Unfortunately, it seems like they make up about 95% of all of us. I was a victim and I'll admit I have my bouts, but through treatment, I have been able to live with it and function more outside the ring than inside. Justifying to themselves and those that pat their asses why they are right. Endless games of "Ring Around the Rosy". Never stopping to look around. Always assuming their game is the best and they need nothing else. Sad, really.
