Stoopid Stuff

Wake Me Up When September Ends

As the administration scrambles to tell bigger and more preposterous lies to try and convince the American public to support the status quo, it strikes me as odd that one simple question isn't being asked. The bush administration has now gone to the position that in spite of announcing the escalation in January and deploying the additional troops in February, "The Surge" has only been in place for two weeks. Just since the LAST troops deployed in the surge arrived in theater, not since the first. So they say "give it a chance to show progress".

So we wonder, how much time do they want? Wait until September, they say. September is the point where the General will report on how well the surge is working. Just wait until September. You'll see.

September? You mean THIS September? That's less than fifty days away. So these criminal idiots who have managed this bloody horrorshow from the beginning, who have had American troops on the ground in Iraq in large numbers for over FOUR YEARS are now telling us, seriously, that things will turn around in 45 days. That's appallingly dishonest.

I could go into all the reasons why the surge can't work, why the problems in Iraq are not military problems, why there's absolutely no reason to believe that the Iraqi government has any motivation for compromise. I could lay out a serious, thoughtful case for ending the American occupation of Iraq immediately. But there's just no need. The administration desperately trying to convince you and I that things in Iraq might somehow be significantly different in less than two months is all the information anyone needs to make an informed decision.

They are merely fighting for the status quo. As long as American troops are bleeding into the sand in Iraq, they can say they haven't failed. I think they really believe it. Under no circumstances will bush and cheney allow the reduction of troop levels while they are in office. Reasons for this are not completely clear, but it's part ego, part a strategic desire to have a strong American military presence on the oil fields, and part of it is if they were to withdraw, say, 100,000 troops and the violence levels actually decreased, they would be exposed for the murdering thugs they are.

There is one (possibly) good reason for keeping American troops in Iraq. Without the American presence, interference in the form of increasingly active participation by regional actors such as Turkey, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel would be a very serious threat to regional peace and stability. But here's the thing. America acted in a grossly irresponsible fashion when we invaded and occupied Iraq. So the fear is if we end our irresponsible occupation, other nations might act irresponsibly. And that's a possibility. But it's at least equally possible that those neighbors may recognize that they have to live together and might therefore find a way to end the fighting and begin to build.

It doesn't come with a guarantee. Maybe it isn't even likely. But it really is the best option we've got...

posted by mikey @ 9:13 AM 5 comments

AARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!

Yep, this is a blog. This is where I'm supposed to say what I think. Where I can share my thoughts with the world, and the world can read them and, if it chooses, react to them. And I'm here, typing away. But I'm speechless. I'm sad, and I'm sickened. But I really don't have words.

Honestly, what names are left to call them. We called them criminals. Time and again, they proved us right. We called them authoritarians. They smiled and enacted the Patriot Act, NSA warrantless spying, Guantanamo Bay and the Military Commissions Act. We said they had no respect for the constitution, and they stood before us and shredded it. We said they were bloodthirsty warmongers, and they merely nodded judiciously as they invaded and occupied two sovereign nations.

But this. Libby. The foul henchman, willing to be a stand-up guy, do the stretch with his mouth shut. Protect the Capos. And him and his family would be taken care of forever. One almost needs to remind ones self that this is the American Government, not an episode of The Sopranos. Bush's embarrassingly transparent "explanation" is that while Scooter deserved to be punished, the sentence was "too harsh". This from a man who, as Governor of Texas presided over hundreds of executions, and never once thought that perhaps those sentences were "too harsh". In his six years as President, how many young black men were sentenced to ridiculously long cocaine sentences because it was rock instead of powder?

Nope, this is the good soldier taking the hits for the team, and being taken care of in return. It is a repulsive abuse of power, but this should not come as a surprise to anyone. Think about it. Libby commits perjury in order to obstruct an investigation that otherwise leads directly to Karl Rove and Dick Cheney. The investigation stalls due to Libby's perjury. Libby is convicted and sentenced. But no worries, here comes bush to decide his sentence was "too harsh". Gee, do you think maybe Libby knew all along he had zero chance of going to prison? Talk about an organization protecting itself.

The rule of law has been on life support for years. It's now officially dead. And don't for a moment think that it will all somehow go back to how it used to be magically in January 2009. The lessons of this administration will echo down into the future, and it's unlikely that America will ever look the same again...

posted by mikey @ 4:03 PM 1 comments