If We Want To Win, Leave Iraq

[Joeve]

As more and more information reluctantly trickles to top of the media food chain about how the Bush administration lied about going to war with Iraq (information which had been apparent to anyone outside of the personality cult the right wing has become and the insulated world of the so-called "professional" media), the sad fact is that our soldiers are still there and no one with any real authority seems to have a clue as to what to do next.

I'll admit there was a time, not so long ago, too, when I believed we had to stay in Iraq for as long as it took because we had a responsibility to make things better for the Iraqi people: in other words, the "you broke it, you bought it" philosophy. I believed that then because I believe we need to be responsible about cleaning up our own messes. But if we were that noble and mature to begin with, we would have never invaded Iraq in the first place. So after careful consideration I think the best thing we can do is to just get the hell out as quickly as we can.

But that doesn't mean I think we should just leave and then forget that Iraq exists. We have a moral obligation to right this wrong, and part of our penance has to include accepting some harsh realities: the biggest one being an Iraqi civil war and the likely emergence of an Islamic state that may ally itself with Iran. And we have to take responsibility for our actions by punishing not only the leaders that brought it about (the Bush administration, the leadership of the Republican Party and their chief financial backers) but also those in the professional media who either failed in their duty or worse aided the administration in their deceit.

The former ought to be removed from power and brought to justice, either here or in an international court. Wars of aggression are crimes against humanity and no nation, no matter how nobly they have behaved in the past, should be above the law. Those in the media who openly collaborated with the political leaders in this conspiracy ought to be tried as well. News organizations that behaved irresponsibly should have their licenses revoked, and the assorted "journalists" whose lazy and irresponsible reporting kept the public in the dark about what was really happening ought to at least be shamed out of the business altogether.

In attacking Iraq, we reacted exactly as Osama bin Laden predicted we would, legitimizing him in the eyes of many in the Arab world who believe that we want nothing more than to kill them, take their oil, and convert them to Christianity. Our moral authority, built up slowly over the fifty years before the turn of the century, was smashed in only five years. It may take another fifty years to get that reputation back, and the only we can even begin to do that is to leave Iraq, admit how wrong we were and make amends. Once we get rid of the neocons, we should publicly apologize to the world and begin the process of building a global structure in order to fight terrorism the way it ought to be fought: by building the kind of world where no one would even think about blowing themselves up. It's not such an easy sell as Hey there's an enemy! Get him!, but in the long run it will be better for all of us, even if we won't see the results of it until after we're dead and buried.

And finally, we have to learn that we can't go on living the lifestyles we live. This war was as much about saving suburbia as it was about anything else. We were lied to, yes, but all too many of us wanted to be lied to because we love our big cars and cheap gas. The party's over as far as that goes and the sooner we figure that out the better.

I believe that if we do these things, we will win: because I guarantee that while many people hate the American government, they love Americans and American pop culture, they love the idea that life can be fun. I think we've lost that sense of innocent enjoyment, we seem to take even our fun seriously.

Will any of this happen? Recent election results were a good sign, but I am going to remain skeptical just for the sake of being skeptical. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and the powers that be aren't going to give up easily. They work hard and tirelessly for their beliefs, we need to match them every step of the way.

[MadHound]

1. Hear, hear! Great post and spot on.

Also kicked and nominated.

[quispquake]

2. Kick!

:kick: for a great post!!!

[Taverner]

3. By Joeve I think you got it

Sorry, I could not resist - but I wasn't lying. You are spot on man!

[northamericancitizen]

4. Great post. K&R

[hwmnbn]

5. Right on!!.....

You make total sense. We have to come to grips about what this chimp has done to our country and the world.

As adults and decent citizens of the world it is our responsibility to clean up our mess. Thanks for expressing it so clearly.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. A "war" that was lost before the shooting started.

Naked aggession against an already protrate and defenseless country that killed thousands was foreseen by anyone paying attention and condemned. Now, it has degenerated into a classic conflict of the invaders dug into strongholds and briefly venturing into a hostile country only with overwhelming force that only makes the populace more hostile.

The killing goes on for no other reason than the vain hope that some politicians' reputations can be salvaged if some miracle occurs and the Iraqi people suddenly decide that having foreign bullies, or their surrogates, running their country is beneficial.

Somebody should inform the politicians and generals that they are delusional.

Good post. OUT NOW!

[RethugAssKicker]

7. What a wet dream...... It sounds fantastic..

absolutely wonderful... If we could do something like that, there would be great hope for us...

BUT,, lets facce it .. that WILL NEVER HAPPEN in todays climate of war and fear. Apologize? The big bad U.S. NO FUCKING WAY

[Cary]

8. Unfortunately our plight is not so easily remedied.

Of course a Neuremburg type proceeding against neo-cons and journalists will never happen so is it even worth thinking about? A far more productive line of thought to ponder should be how we can reach out to more and more of our fellow Americans to find common values and discredit everything that these pukes stand for.

There is nothing new about them. They have been around in various guises since way before the 50 years prior to the turn of the Century. And in terms of what is going on in the Middle East it's roots are more tied to the demise of the Ottomans and the British mandate than anything else.

The neo-cons and our media are mostly guilty of incompetence anyway. Their aims are not so malevolent as their means to achieve those aims are seriously misguided. Their greatest crime, in my mind, is their proclivity to act without making any effort to ponder or accomodate their opposition. This is pure hubris and we should not forget that when our turn comes around again.

That's it, Joeve. Our turn will come around again. It always does and it is our responsibility to make the very best of it when the time comes. They are leaving us with one big fucking mess, to be sure. But there is nothing wrong with our standard of living and there is nothing wrong with our aspirations to maintain that standard of living and spreading it to the rest of the world.

In the microcosm, snarfing a commodity like oil will make a few people rich. In the macrocosm, the spread of prosperity will make everyone richer. That is the way of the modern economy. Real value is not in land, manufacturing, or commodities in general. Real value nowadays is in cutting edge information and relationships and an Islamic state is truly at odds with that real value.

That is our real edge. That is what we must exploit instead of raw military power that really and truly just leaves us more exposed. That is how we must wrest control from those pukes and do the jobs that they've failed so miserably at.

The attack on Jordan did not endear Al Qaeda to Jordanians. It exposed the perverse side of their radical ideology and now we have to work on ridding ourselves of the perverse side of our ideology.