Enough of this bullshit already. There has been so much backpeddling from the complete and total disaster that has been the Iraq folly lately that you would think that nobody supported the war or the "spreading of democracy" to begin with. Well, everyone except for Bush, Cheney and Holy Joe, that is...
Now, I have been completely out of the loop since early yesterday with my move, and between all of the damn "Support the Troops" magnets I have seen on SUVs here in NJ and the excellent roundup by mcjoan (which was the first news item that I have read since Tuesday night) my level of patience for hearing one more yahoo say anything about Iraq other than how much of a fuck up it is and how it will take generations to undo the damage that Bush and the neocon war criminals have done is at an all time low.
I should mention that our new neighbor directly across the street from us has a huge "God Bless America" wood sign hanging above their front door. So that should be interesting.
But this has gotten way past being out of hand. Today brings more news on how the violence in Iraq has gotten worse as each day goes by. The CBO just reported that "staying the course" would cost We the People another $1.3 trillion over the next decade as an increase in the deficit. According to thinkprogress.org:
A phased withdrawal would save $416 billion on the deficit over the next four years and $1.28 trillion over the next decade. On the other hand, a strategy of "stay the course" will increase the deficit by $313 billion over the next four years and $1.3 trillion over the next decade.
The Iraqi Prime Minister said last week that the US was making things worse in Iraq with its presence (remember they already asked us to leave not once, not twice, but three times) and the vaunted "Baghdad offensive". Chuck Hagel goes on national television and calls Iraq a "hopeless and winless situation".
Our troops are returning in large numbers with PTSD. Veterans benefits are being cut left and right. Tours are being extended, troops are serving multiple tours of duty, further straining their lives and families.
Have I mentioned that there is no goddamn course to stay? What is the fucking plan? Saddam is captured. His sons were killed and their bloody faces plastered all over our TVs so that flag-waving jackasses could celebrate their pound of flesh. The Iraqis have had how many elections, Prime Ministers and different "governments" now? We haven't won over many hearts and minds. Our Secretary of Defense personally authorized torture and then pointed the finger at "a few bad apples". And then went in front of the troops on more than one occasion to tell them to piss off ("go to war with the army you have...", lack of proper armor, functioning equipment, enough troops to begin with or whatever other colossal fuckup of a decision that he made.
And now today we find that Bush is backpeddling on his grand plan of democracy-at-the-barrel-of-a-gun:
Bush administration officials were beginning to plan for the possibility that Iraq's democratically elected government might not survive.
"Senior administration officials have acknowledged to me that they are considering alternatives other than democracy," said one military affairs expert who received an Iraq briefing at the White House last month and agreed to speak only on condition of anonymity.
Oh yeah - I forgot to mention that there is a fucking civil war going on there - thanks to the brilliant idea of invading Iraq, disbanding their army, not giving a shit about the lack of power, potable water, rampant disease, unemployment rates above 60% and having no clue what to do once "Shock `N AweTM" was over and done with. Funny how those Iraqis didn't take too well to being bombed with white phosphorus either.
So now our troops are stuck in the middle of a raging civil war where they are either playing referee or just flat out being caught in the crossfire. These same troops - this same army, navy, air force, marines - which are needed around the world in so many other countries, for so many other efforts, so many other things that are in the interest of our country and the world. These same troops who are tired and, according to the head of the Army Reserves as far back as January 2005, a "broken force".
These same troops that have no fucking business being sitting ducks and targets in the midst of the biggest military disaster since at least Vietnam, and were sent to fight for lie upon lie.
These troops deserve better. Much better. They deserve to have been told the truth. They deserve a Commander in Chief who wasn't a deserter of the military when called to service. They deserve a Secretary of Defense that isn't going to put them in more danger by not having a fucking clue and not providing them with the basic tools that any troops need. They deserve a Congress that isn't going to cut their sorely needed medical and other benefits when (or if) they return.
And most of all, they deserve to come home.
Right fucking now.
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