Twenty thousand more troops
Vice President Cheney derides those who oppose the President’s decision to send more troops to Iraq, because he says they don’t have a better idea. That is a lame argument in support of the policy, but it does deserve an answer.
The Democrats and Republicans who are trying to block the President’s ‘new’ policy in fact don’t have anything positive to say. My guess is they are afraid, unwilling, unable to talk about the larger issues. They may understand as many of us do that there is no good way out of an ill-conceived badly managed war, which is turning into a nasty sectarian conflict. Opponents of the President’s plans don’t have a better plan because there is no good way out of the mess he and they have gotten us into.
Congressmen and Senators are unwilling to outline an alternative policy in Iraq because it might require them to admit that the three thousand American and many more thousands of Iraqi deaths were in vain.
The war was a mistake to begin with, so those in both parties, including the majority of citizens who approved of the war have no place to stand.
It is not just the invasion of Iraq which was a mistake. The Middle East policy of many congresses and presidents for decades has been mistaken and immoral. We have rightly supported the right of Jews to a nation in Palestine, but have done so to the detriment of Christian and Muslim Palestinians. We have regularly supported dictatorial governments in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Saudia Arabia and Egypt while pretending to encourage democracy. We have at times even supported Sadaam Hussein and Osama bin Laden!
Most important, since the beginning of the twentieth century we have used our power to ensure a free flow of cheap oil from them to us. We have built a luxurious life style for ourselves at a huge cost to the average person in many countries in the Middle East.
The President’s continued attempt to force democracy on Iraq and call it ‘fighting terrorism’ is wrong and is a mistake. Sending another twenty thousand new troops to Iraq won’t make any difference, will not bring democracy to Iraq and will only prolong our need to deal with the mess he has made. His entire Middle East policy and his views on oil consumption and the environment are mistaken.
Anyone who wants my vote for President in 2008 needs to develop a whole new Middle East policy that does not put our need for cheap oil first and does not put American fear about terrorists above compassion for the poor.
The Democrats and Republicans who are trying to block the President’s ‘new’ policy in fact don’t have anything positive to say. My guess is they are afraid, unwilling, unable to talk about the larger issues. They may understand as many of us do that there is no good way out of an ill-conceived badly managed war, which is turning into a nasty sectarian conflict. Opponents of the President’s plans don’t have a better plan because there is no good way out of the mess he and they have gotten us into.
Congressmen and Senators are unwilling to outline an alternative policy in Iraq because it might require them to admit that the three thousand American and many more thousands of Iraqi deaths were in vain.
The war was a mistake to begin with, so those in both parties, including the majority of citizens who approved of the war have no place to stand.
It is not just the invasion of Iraq which was a mistake. The Middle East policy of many congresses and presidents for decades has been mistaken and immoral. We have rightly supported the right of Jews to a nation in Palestine, but have done so to the detriment of Christian and Muslim Palestinians. We have regularly supported dictatorial governments in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Saudia Arabia and Egypt while pretending to encourage democracy. We have at times even supported Sadaam Hussein and Osama bin Laden!
Most important, since the beginning of the twentieth century we have used our power to ensure a free flow of cheap oil from them to us. We have built a luxurious life style for ourselves at a huge cost to the average person in many countries in the Middle East.
The President’s continued attempt to force democracy on Iraq and call it ‘fighting terrorism’ is wrong and is a mistake. Sending another twenty thousand new troops to Iraq won’t make any difference, will not bring democracy to Iraq and will only prolong our need to deal with the mess he has made. His entire Middle East policy and his views on oil consumption and the environment are mistaken.
Anyone who wants my vote for President in 2008 needs to develop a whole new Middle East policy that does not put our need for cheap oil first and does not put American fear about terrorists above compassion for the poor.
posted by Thomas Van Brunt | 3:23 PM
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