FLAIT

Originally Posted: July 2005

In order to justify the war in Iraq, George Bush, the GOP and their brainwashed base are quick to point to Saddam Hussain's capture. But when you consider the costs of this senseless war - the lives, the limbs, the dollars, the long term consequences - there's no way it was worth it, especially when there were no WMDs and Hussein wasn't a threat (at least not nearly the threat Bush made him out to be).

But with casualties going up, Bush's poll numbers going down and no way out of this mess, he's had to redirect his spin to the "progress" that is being made.

But what "progress?" Iraq is a colossal disaster everywhere you look!

Bush and the GOP bring up laughable "progress" such as a "growing" Iraqi economy, cell phone availability - can you imagine these same Republicans using spin like that if this disaster was all Clinton's doing...ah misdoing? - and children going to "back to school." But they were already in school before the war!

And with tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of innocent Iraqi casualty's ("pro-life," Ha!), there's plenty of children that will never go "back to school!"

And then, of course, Bush and the Republicans point to the "historic elections" as proof of even more "progress."

Will it be "progress" when this "new wonderful democracy" leads to an Islamic Theocracy that may have ties to Iran?

Will it be "progress" when this "new wonderful democracy" brings former Baathists - THE REGIME WE WENT TO WAR AGAINST! - into the "government?"

Will it be "progress" when this "new wonderful democracy" comes down hard on women's and minority rights?

Will it be "progress" when this "new wonderful democracy" goes after Sunnies to seek revenge? Will it be "progress" when Shiites in this "new wonderful democracy" start arresting and torturing Sunnis (oh wait, that's already happening) because they have old scores to settle?

Will it be "progress" when the "government" is controlled by Islamic clerics?

Will it be "progress" when...ah IF...an Iraqi "government" does form, and it's as stable as the next days assassination or truck bomb?

Will it be "progress" when there's still IED's and car bombs going off every day? Will it be "progress" when there's still kidnappings and assassinations taking place every day? Will it be "progress" when the main road from the airport to the Green Zone is still the most dangerous in the world? Will it be "progress" when there's still sewage and disease in the streets? Will it be "progress" when there's still a lack of electricity and clean water?

And will it be "progress" if the new "government" tells Bush they want our troops to leave (how will Bush spin his way out of that one?)?

So there isn't any "progress!" It's all spin designed solely for mindless and gullible Republicans to ensure that Bush's poll numbers don't sink too low. And Bush and Dick - "the insurgency is in its last throes" - Cheney will continue spinning as long as their brainwashed base keeps believing it.

But even putting all that aside, and the monumental task of stabilizing the country - which, as we've seen, will be extremely difficult - there's even more reason for concern: our troops, military and national security.

There's no way Bush is going to set a date for troop withdrawal because he knows we can't leave any time soon (besides, Bush wants us there permanently). But with Democrats and some Republicans calling for a specific withdrawal date, it illustrates how big a mess Bush's arrogant incompetence has put us in.

If we pull out, the chaos and violence would escalate and the insurgents, Baathists, militia groups, and even al-Quada, would gain control of the country (imagine if al-Quaeda got hold of the oil fields).

Ironically, Iraq under those circumstances - an Islamic Thocratic "government" that has ties to Iran, with militia and terrorist groups controlling the city's - could become a real threat to us and Israel; certainly a much bigger threat then it was BEFORE the war under Saddam Hussein! And that would be the good news!

The bad news is a civil war with other Arab nations getting involved. How would Republicans spin "progress" like that?

So we have no choice. Our troops have to stay. But the longer they stay, the more senseless casualties we'll suffer.

Also, our military is stretched dangerously thin as it is. And with a significant drop in recruits, it'll stretch them even further. So the longer we're there, the weaker the biggest superpower in the world becomes. You think Iran, No. Korea or al-Quaeda will take advantage?

So from a practical standpoint we should pull out (even if Bush calls for a complete withdrawal tomorrow, it would take at least a year to bring all our troops home. So this time next year, our military will be in trouble, no matter what. Ironically, in his speech at the 2000 Republican Convention, Bush made a crack that the military, under Clinton, had deteriorated to the point that they couldn't respond if called upon. It wasn't true. But it is now.).

So we're in a pickle because we can't leave, we can't stay, and our real enemy's could be waiting for just the right opportunity to strike...when we're at our most vulnerable. Great going, Mr. President!

Republicans complain that the so called "liberal" media doesn't report all the "progress" or "good news" from Iraq. But this war is such a colossal disaster - which we'll be paying a dear price for in a number of ways for decades to come - that the only "good news" is we're damn lucky it isn't worse then it is.

I'm serious.