Not that you’ve complained, dear reader, but I find myself overwhelmed by the nature of the developments in our “liberation” of Iraq (and reactions to said developments) to write anything sustained and thoughtful. I have a PhD. I should be, like, smart and stuff. Yet I find myself wanting to write these snarky little entries. Hit and run. Kibbles and bits. What good do they do?
Some thoughts are brewing, though.
- Anyone remember weapons of mass destruction?
- At what point do people who oppose the war stop agreeing with the sentiment behind the expression “Support our troops”?
- Does anyone ever get fired in the Bush administration?
- Which of these is worse: stupidity, incompentence, dishonesty?
I’ve been thinking about these questions all day (essentially since we were chatting this morning). I don’t know if there are any easy answers to these questions, but I think that outrage over the abuses in Abu Ghriab is pretty strong both abroad and here in the US (Limbaugh and Inhofe being prominent exceptions).
I’d agree that the phrase “support our troops” seems somewhat hollow right now given the actions of the guards. Not sure I have much to add right now. The last few months seem to defy rational analysis.
oh my dear American friends !
are you still believe that this administration went to Iraq really in order to look for mass destruction wepeons? As we appreciate your achievements as a people we upset because you did not voice loud against this Conservative administration. as Arabic and Muslim , I want to say the American elite that dont get all your knowledge from the media such as Fox news and others, please go a head directely in a dialogue with the Arab pepole and you will find that there are more people appreciate the American people than you think but not necessarily the American politics for many reasons.
I think the number of people who believe we went to war because of weapons of mass destruction is pretty low, actually. I’m curious as to why no one in America seems to think the obviously false claims are any sort of scandal worthy of further investigation. In this regard, the smokescreen of subsequent scandals (who can keep up?) obviously helps as much as it hinders the Cheney-Rumsfield-Wolfowitz agenda in the Middle East.
George, I think I’ve ound one way in which the phrase support our troops still makes sense:
One high-level military strategist told me that Rumsfeld is “detested”, and that “if there’s a sentiment in the army it is: Support Our Troops, Impeach Rumsfeld”.
I think the situation is much more complicated than blaming Rumsfeld or the half dozen soldiers who have been charged with crimes, but the Guardian article by Sidney Blumenthal does point to some serious impatience within the army with Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz’s neo-conservative projects.