Guest blogged by Winter Patriot
USA Today has the “latest”:
U.S. commander expresses fear about possible civil war in Iraq
Much as I hate to disagree with the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, I have to question this assertion. Waddaya mean: “move toward civil war”? How many civilians have to get blown to bloody smithereens every day to qualify this mess as a civil war? How many death squads have to roam the country simultaneously before we can all just can the sleazy rhetoric and admit that the Iraqi Civil War is here now?
And as the Washington Post reported recently, some of our guys are starting to get the impression that they are simply ‘Waiting to Get Blown Up’.
Steffey said he wished “somebody would explain to us, ‘Hey, this is what we’re working for.’ ” With a stream of expletives, he said he could not care less “if Iraq’s free” or “if they’re a democracy.”
…
“My personal opinion, I don’t speak for the rest of anybody, I just speak for me personally, I think civil war is going to happen regardless,” Steffey responded. “Maybe this country needs it: One side has to win. Be it Sunni, be it Shiite, one side has to win. It’s apparent, these people have made it obvious they can’t live in unity.”
Did you ever wonder why they can’t live in unity now even though they could live in relative peace before the Americans came to destroy their country?
Did you ever wonder why American soldiers in Iraq are considering the possibility that maybe the country “needs” a civil war?…
Let’s get back to General Abizaid and USA Today for a moment:
As bad as you have seen it? Yikes! And getting worse and worse all the time? That too, no? Come on, General Abizaid, you can tell us the truth … Unless you can’t!
But that doesn’t matter, Sir! It makes no difference whether you can or cannot tell us the truth. Because I can! So we’re still covered here on the home front, Sir. Getting the truth out loud and clear now, General, Sir!
How long ago did the president proclaim “Mission Accomplished”? And today our top priority is to secure the capital? There’s only one word for this kind of progress: Amazing!!
And why can’t the new Iraqi government stop the fighting? Because certain forces deep within the Pentagon want it that way. This is not news; this has never been news … but it should have been … and it certainly bears repeating.
Last December, a nearly frozen blogger’s diary at Booman Tribune linked to four thoroughly chillling articles by Chris Floyd, Mike Whitney, Robert Parry and Bob Harris. Those articles, and the glue at BT holding them together, are still extremely relevant IMHO.
Here’s the link: Amazing Progress: Death Squads Spreading In Iraq!
And here’s a quote from Mike Whitney to get you going.
“Do you remember the right-wing execution squads in El Salvador?” one official asked Hersh. “We founded them and we financed them. The objective now is to recruit locals in any area we want.”
Please read the whole essay, and please click those links!
Read, and learn, and understand the most basic and hidden truth about this war.
The single most important reason why we’re not making any progress in stabilizing Iraq is because we don’t want to stabilize Iraq! We want Iraq to be unstable indefinitely — so we can hang around and enjoy the fruits of our devastation!
Our soldiers have been so betrayed! Being sent with insufficient armor into a dangerous situation? That’s bad enough, in my opinion. But having a small group deep within the Pentagon actively making the situation even more dangerous? That’s enough to call for impeachment for treason, if it’s true. And I have to say it does appear to be true.
The usually reliable sources (Hersch, Floyd, Parry, and others) have been saying it, and the usually unreliable sources unwittingly confirm it. Witness the good General and his comment about our top priority.
You don’t believe me? That’s ok. You don’t have to believe me! Click. Read. Decide for yourself. That’s all I ask of you. That’s all I ask of anyone.
Afghanistan is a lovely place in Winter.Maybe so is Iraq.
According to Donny.
http://www.uruknet.com/?p=m2542...ize=1&l=e
Thanks, WP! But I wish you wouldn’t mince your words so much. I remember, back when the Supremes selected the Dunce, thinking, well, how much harm can he do? I was a dummy, or else I was sorely lacking in imagination, or else I was a hopeless optimist. Probably all three. This crew has to be evicted and then imprisoned, forthwith, forsooth! Keep up the fine work, bro!
Rummy said Iraq’s civil war wasn’t like our civil war. Well, he’s right. They’re very different.
The main difference is that a foreign power from another hemisphere didn’t come in and bomb Washington. When we bombed Baghdad, it kind of made things worse in Iraq; but Rummy doesn’t quite get that part of it.
Believe? Oh yes I believe – believe more than I ever thought was possible.
I believed in the possibility of civil war from day 1 of this mess.
The one, and probably only, good thing I can say about Sadam is that he was able to get those people to co-exist.
His methods may not have been admirable, but at least they weren’t killing each other.
The neocons appointed the perfect dupe into the white house:
Galbraith gives them the benefit of the doubt, though. He doesn’t think that they’re evil; they’re just stupid:
“thanks to George W. Bush, Iran today has no closer ally in the world than the Iraq of the Ayatollahs.â€
The Pentagon shouldn’t have backed OUR side of the war.
Look at it this way, friends. Bush invaded a sovereign country he knew nothing about, destabilizing the Middle East for generations to come. He strengthened Iran and created new terrorist cells throughout the Asian subcontinent. He made the United States the most hated world power since the Roman Empire. His lack of erudition has made him, and us, a laughingstock overseas.
Domestically, he stole two elections, trashed civil liberties, ignored laws he dislikes, spied illegally on American citizens, appointed inept cronies to key jobs, ignored global warming, and borrowed trillions of dollars from China and Japan without a clue about how to pay it back.
But…he’s against gay marriage! He won’t stand for awful stem-cell research! He’s keeping us safe! The economy is growing at an average rate! He quit drinking! He goes to church and talks directly to God! He’s for family values! He’s never had sex with an intern! Feel better now?
He talks to a god? I want to know which god it is!
Seriously, the main thing is they’ve wiped out our military, so they can justify higher federal spending for “defense”. Isn’t that worth the whole war effort?
If only Ken Lay were here to applaud Bushie for ‘staying the course’.
#7
excellently well said, Robert. May I copy/paste your whole comment into my latest, probably futile, letter to a member of Congress?
I took my big Support The Troops-Impeach Bush sign out today for 5 hours and some guy got out of his car to tell me his son was in Iraq and that I was killing him.
So there you have it folks.
I am very sorry for the destruction I’ve caused!
RLM #7
That was a good message as usual and an important thread, compliments of Winter Patriot.
In answer to your question, no, I do not feel better now.
I am getting past the point of forgiving my fellow Americans for their willfull ignorance. These people would support DICK CHENEY if the media told them to!
Oh, I meant Charles Manson! How could you even compare those two people, Manson killed thousands of…
Oh!
#10 Larry,
I’m sorry you were so misinterpreted by that soldier’s dad. I had an opposite experience getting gas the other day. My car has alot of bumper stickers on it. Impeach George W, Peace is possible, etcetera.
The guy behind me, who looked about 30 & was wearing a camouflage jacket, got out of his car & said “I like your bumper stickers. First my dad was killed in Vietnam. Then my brother was killed in Iraq.”
I said “God, I’m so sorry.” We had a short conversation about the madness. He said his heroes were the people who organized against the war in the sixties.
“They don’t want us organizing like that again” he said. “They’re afraid of us.” He gave me the peace sign as he drove away.
Joan #12
I’ve had many thousands of responses to my sign over the last 3 years and, happily, his wasn’t representative. I’ve had many soldiers tell me they love what I’m doing. One guy who had a son die there even got teary eyed and said “God bless you”.
For all I know, that guy I met yesterday was a “street troll”, meaning he might have been like some of the deceptive pricks that hang around the internet.
One funny thing happened also. A couple of guys on vespas went by and one of them had a clown mask on, I guess to make fun of me. I got thinking about it and realized how stupid it was to be trading your helmet for a mask that must have been almost impossible to see through. Oh well, natural selection!
The best thing was when somebody from a nearby Kentucky Fried Chicken came outside and yelled F*@K Bush. He and the other employees there waved enthusiastically out the drive in window.
It’s been the only good thing about having Bush in office. I would feel ridiculous doing this under any other circumstances, but have not felt one moment of shame or embarassment in over 400 miles and many more hours at busy intersections. I have a wealth of lifetime memories from my effort.
Larry,
Can you post a picture of your sign?
Here’s how I stab people in the eyes with my magic marker!
If above link doesn’t work try this smaller picture.