Font Rants on Many Subjects

Contining my long tradition of babling on about what everyone else has already made their minds up about; I offer my rant on the current mess in Iraq. Since I've been completly wrong on this, from my support for going to war, to my beleif that Al-Sistani would never come to terms; to missing the boat on the Al-Sadr problem; I'm really hoping to turn it all around here with this post. Otherwise I'm going to talk exclusivly about religion, since clearly when it comes to world affairs, I havn't consistantly been right since the 90s (see: the 2000 Election, or How can Gore lose; Bush must govern from the center; the stock market will recover quickly...). My only hope is that my few readers will be thankful that a) I"m willing to admit the long lapse in my and, b) I'm not forcing my opinion down everyone elses throat like say Thomas Freidman, who has a disturbingly simliar track record of being right about things lately; but gets to do it from a cushy office in the NYTimes; while jet settings around the world and having the opportunity of acutally getting to talk with foreign leaders. Now, without additional reflection the Iraq rant.

My summary is; well..."F,@#$, #@#, more swear words, various curses, and really really loud yelling, and flailing of arms, etc.". Reading Clarke's book, they first wanted to make the War in Iraq and its subsequent occupation a part of the response to 9-11; but they couldn't get any good evidence linking Osama to Saddam. So next the war was about WMD and the fact that after 9-11 we couldn't trust Saddam with his nukes and chemicals; which he didn't have. Even Bush, suspected that the case was a little weak, (i.e. 'This is all you've got...trust us Mr. Pres its a slam dunk', Woodward's book). Then we get into Iraq; and there wern't any WMD, just like the inspectors said. Finally it was about stopping the rape an tourture at Saddams prison camps. Since that's totally screwed up maybe we could say it's about the oil. Except why the hell are we paying $40/barrel? So the only thing left for this war to be about is Bush II revenge on Saddam for slights made to Bush I. There's nothing left for this war to be about.

I'd like to say snarkily maybe this is the Seinfeld war, it's the war about nothing. Except that something like a thousand American soldiers have been killed and that's too terrible a thing to contemplace.

The saddest thing about these damn photos is they've allowed the actions of a few, to undermine the good work of many. They have shamed and disgraced our noble cause, and ruined the image of the american soldier. For 60 the image of the American GI was the guys storming the beaches at Normandy on D-Day, liberating Europe. What do we have to the next 60 years, but a Soldier leading a young arab around naked on a dog collar.

We've been nationally disgraced and humiliated, no one in charge; not one person in the chain of command has had the decency to resign. It used to be when you took full responsibility for something; it was followed by some penance. Where is the sackcloth, where are the ashes. How about a small personal donation to the men who were humiliated. Yet we have nothing.

If we were shareholders in a company we'd have the CEO resign. If we were a church we'd ask the minister to leave. If were were a man or woman in a marriage, we'd ask for a divorce.

The last time I was right about anything was after 9-11 when a freind asked, "Do you think we'll attack Afghanastan", and I said, "Yes, this is why we have a military. States cannot allow this kind of violence from a foreign power, without responding in
kind." I beleive I'm right when I write that this kind of thing cannot be solved without voting Bush and Co out of office. If the Republicans arn't careful they will end up like the Tory party in Canada after Mulrony. You will recall that in that election the Tory party went from control of the Parliament, to 2 seats. My advice to Republicans is draft someone else at the convetion, like Powell. Get Bush off the ticket or get used to being a minority party again.