Important stuff on Iraq

Since pretty much every diary here is another twist on something that has happened to or been said by or about Obama or Clinton, things like a number of bombings and attacks by al-Qaeda in Iraq (or “al-Qaeda in IraqTM”) has taken place over the past couple of days.

While all eyes here are on the primaries tomorrow and every conceivable poll that may or may not prove something that we will ultimately find out in a few days or weeks, yet another soldier from Fort Carson who has no business doing anything other than getting treatment for his bipolar, paranoia and homicidal tendencies is being sent back to a war zone. this is the latest of close to 80 similar soldiers in the past year.

So, while we all talk about how much Obama will win tomorrow or whether Hillary will still hold on to her superdelegates or whose campaign raised more money this past day, think about the fact that parts of northern Iraq are without power, and that the “surge working” has now led to battles in Mosul and close to 130 dead with many more injured from suicide bombings:

Al-Qaida's resiliency began showing itself Feb. 1, when two women with Down syndrome were strapped with explosives then detonated by remote control just minutes apart in two Baghdad pet markets. The final death toll was 99.

In the meantime there have been a series of hit-and-run bomb attacks countrywide, with most of the victims being Sunni tribesmen who have turned against al-Qaida and are now fighting alongside American and Iraqi soldiers.

It happened again Monday when twin car bombs targeted a meeting of U.S.-allied Sunni tribal leaders in Baghdad, killing as many as 22 civilians and wounding 42, according to police and hospital officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to disclose the information.

Now, I don’t think that EITHER Obama or Clinton would stand for this – certainly not nearly as much as Senator Hothead who would love nothing more than to be in Iraq for 100 years. And when you talk about the only possible measure by which the escalation was working – a decrease in violence – then remember that it is McCain that has to explain how violence has increased substantially where there hasn’t been sectarian cleansing, along with no political progress whatsoever.

And lest anyone, ESPECIALLY the right wing noise machine and the talking meatsticks who salivate over the chance to suck up to McCain, talk about how much progress there is and what the future holds, let them answer the following (emphasis mine):

Electricity Minister Karim Waheed told The Associated Press the power wouldn't be back to normal in the north of the country for at least a week.

A truck bomb Sunday also took out a key generating plant in Mosul, he said.

"If there is no security or political stability, there is no way I can promise the Iraqi people that the electricity sector will improve in the coming years," Waheed said.

So no security, no political stability, no military solution according to General Petraeus, no improvement in basic necessities such as electricity for years. How will maintaining 150,000 troops in the midst of this help the situation, or protect America?

While everyone talks about why Obama is more electable or that Clinton’s camp is not in as much trouble as it may seem, would either of them send mentally unstable troops who have been taken out of duty BACK to Iraq or Afghanistan? Of course not. But Bush is doing just that. And McCain’s “100 years in Iraq” or “bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran” rhetoric would not only continue to do just that, but would do it on a much longer and grander scale.

What would we see under a third Bush term, which is what we should be calling a McCain administration?

Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, was outraged.

“If he’s an inpatient in a hospital, they should have never taken him out. The chain of command needs to be held accountable for this. Washington needs to get involved at the Pentagon to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

“First, we had the planeload of wounded, injured and ill being forced back to the war zone. And now we have soldiers forcibly removed from mental hospitals. The level of outrage is off the Richter scale.”

Is McCain going to order a draft to fight these neverending wars? Or will he continue to send injured, ill and mentally unstable soldiers into war zones – soldiers whose active service should long since have ended for them to get the mental, emotional or physical rehabilitation and treatment they deserve?

And just as another reminder that bin Laden or anyone else is NOT watching our elections to see who wins. But they ARE continuing to attack our troops, plot to attack our troops as well as civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. None of which has anything to do with Obama or Clinton – and everything to do with the failed policies of Bush and the more than tacit approval of McCain.

This is too important not to mention, and, yes, more important than slicing and dicing everything that is said or not said in this primary season. One party’s candidate, regardless of how flawed we think he or she is, will not let this stand or continue. And the other party’s candidate will embrace a continuation of these disgusting events and acts.

And THAT has gone missed way too much around here.