Another Iraq War Reader
No real time for a proper obsession, being busy with various things, but here is a quick roundup of items on Iraq that I’ve been accumulating for the last week or so, and meant to pass your way:
- Bradley Graham has an interesting article in the Washington Post: Prewar memo warned of gaps in Iraq plans. Those darned State Department eggheads. Luxuriating in the freedom to think and question and gather actual evidence independent of the White House political operation (damn you, Colin Powelll, and good riddance), State Department analysts were warning (with remarkable prescience) exactly what was going to go wrong in Iraq — a month before the invasion.
- Even good, solid, echo-chamber conservatives with funny credentials like Andy McCarthy of NRO are having second thoughts about spending all this blood and treasure just to establish an Islamic republic that will be a defacto client state of Iran: Losing the war on terror: The voice of despair echoes again. (Further commentary on McCarthy’s commentary from Digby at Getting off the bus.)
- More on where Bush is headed in Iraq from this Reuters piece: U.S. conceding to Iraqi Islamists, negotiators say, with commentary by Billmon: Slouching towards the Islamic republic.
- Continuing with the reality-based community, some discussion of what possible exit options remain, from Kevin Drum (Can we win in Iraq? and The best hope for Iraq) and Juan Cole (Ten things Congress should demand from Bush on Iraq).
- Susan Nossel of Democracy Arsenal has a Top 10 list: Consequences of Iraq becoming a failed state.
Finally, let’s end with a few visual notes. First, from Salon, a collection of disturbing images of the sort that, for whatever reason, seldom make it into the mainstream media in the US: Iraq: The unseen war (one-day pass required).
And from the latest issue of The Onion, this informative infographic:
Whew. Lies.com: Linking to relevant content in big, soggy bunches since 1996!
August 25th, 2005 at 10:32 am
The graph from The Onion accounts for only 185% of the U.S. military fatalities in Iraq – what about the rest? John, knowing your penchant for insisting that all data is properly referenced, sans personal opinions…..
August 25th, 2005 at 11:07 am
Heh. Yes, well, it’s from The Onion. They use a higher math.
August 25th, 2005 at 12:39 pm
Well, I don’t think those percentages need be additive. It’s very possible that through Sen. Kerry’s cowardice, actual quagmires were able to kill obese soldiers (which were of course sent by executive order).
August 25th, 2005 at 12:43 pm
Some passing comments on the pictures from Salon:
No surprise that the gruesome picture of various body parts from a suicide bomber doesn’t get splashed onto the front page of USA Today: there are some standards of decency and journalistic judgement that need to rule for media that is readily accessible for ALL members of the population on thousands of news stands. War is hell (and violent and heartless and ugly and unfair and….). Most people do understand that. To me, such pictures border on gratuitous titillation for those who have an interest in things with shock value. They don’t really further advance anyone’s understanding of actions and events.
My other observation is that selection of pictures with narration makes sure to explain that the dead baby and young girl are the result of US military actions or weaponary. The injured civilian in the rubble is there as a result of a car bomb targeting US contractors. All terrible and ugly scenes to be certain. I’m sure the omission of any scattered body parts of old ladies and children due to an intentional terrorist targeting of a group of innocents at a restaurant or other public setting, which is all too common of an occurance these days, is purely coincidental, what with space limitations and all.
August 26th, 2005 at 11:20 am
Interesting article I read today, here’s a snippet…
He (Bush) speaks of “protecting the homeland, taking the fight to the enemy and advancing freedom.” Certainly, Iraqis and Afghans are better off with democracy, than despotism. But the Iraq invasion does nothing to protect the United States. And it takes the fight to an enemy that wasn’t there before the invasion.
Bush continues to float the bogus notion that Iraq and 9/11 are linked. In fact, there is no evidence that the Al Qaeda attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, had any connection with Iraq. He mentioned 9/11 no fewer than five times to the war vets, and seven times when he spoke to the National Guard.
Americans are recoiling from this self-serving muddying of the waters.
They want to know why Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Omar are still on the loose, four years after 9/11.
They want to know when Bush expects the new regimes in Baghdad and Kabul will be strong enough to survive without help. How many Iraqi and Afghan soldiers must be in the field before U.S. forces can begin to withdraw? What’s the plan for securing the borders of Iraq and Afghanistan against infiltration from outside? What are the next steps to neutralize Afghan warlords and to suppress Iraqi insurgents?
These are not unreasonable questions. They invite Bush to set out benchmarks by which the public can judge his performance, before the Congressional mid-term elections. Unfortunately, he wants none of it.
Little wonder growing numbers of Americans feel trapped in a Vietnam-like morass, led by a president whose inflexible rhetoric sounds hollow and who cannot tell them where these wars are going. Bush promises “victory.” But what does victory mean, and how will it be measured?
Americans just don’t know. Two in three want the troops out next year. One in three wants them out today.
Read the whole thing @
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1125006612125&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795
Peace.
August 26th, 2005 at 11:28 am
If anyone seen John Stewart last night (Thursday) he gave a very passionate, well, rant I guess about how is sick of being labelled a traitor or un-patriotic whenever you question this admin. who clearly won’t admit mistakes when clearly they made numerous and how Bush simply spews out the same old tired rhetoric and will not answer reasonable questions from adults.
Did anyone else see that, I thought it was bang on and very passionate.
August 26th, 2005 at 11:42 am
http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/
for the best in Daily Show clips (etc)
JS rocks – he allows me to stay sane in an insane world
it is to laugh (or I must cry and rend my clothes, pull my hair from its roots and surrender to madness… ie vote Republican)
August 30th, 2005 at 9:03 am
Thanks for that link enkidu, thats a keeper!!
August 30th, 2005 at 2:49 pm
also in that same vein:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/
mb not as good as onegoodmove (I like Norm’s style)
Jah! Pastafari!