Letters to the Editor
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Questions for neocons
"Why not include the part where Odom admits to Hewitt that he doesn't know how many people were killed under Saddam, but would be interested in finding out. As I said, Odom's got tunnel vision."
If neocons were so damned concerned about how many Iraqis were killed by Saddam, why weren't they protesting in the streets during Clinton's administration calling for an Iraqi invasion? Why did they accuse Clinton of "wagging the dog" anytime he warned, threatened or took action against Iraq?
Why did Republicans get so upset and accuse Clinton of wagging the dog everytime he ordered bombings in Iraq in retaliation for violations of the no-fly zone?
If Republicans were so concerned about how many people Saddam killed, why did Rumsfeld go visit him and have his picture taken with Saddam smiling and shaking his hand?
Why does the Bush administration only release troop death numbers, and leave out deaths of private contractors working in Iraq?
If neocons are so concerned about how many Iraqis died under Saddam's regime, why don't they care how many Iraqis have died since the US invasion and during the occupation afterwards? Shouldn't they be demanding that the Bush administration release accurate numbers?
The answers to these retorical questions are: Neocons don't care about the Iraqi people. They don't care about our troops' lives, either. They don't care about how many Americans or Iraqis have died there--not in the 80s, 90s, now, or in the future. They only care about low taxes, and giving blind support to the Bush administration.
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Munich and military experts
To return to Churchill/Chamberlain. Chamberlain was by no means the only one responsible for the capitulation to Hitler's aggression at Munich. He was aided and abetted by British and French "respected military experts" who wildly exaggerated German military capabilities at the time and lulled the British and French publics into accepting appeasement as the better course. Some might think there is a lesson to be drawn there.
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nabalzbbfr
Yes there is a lesson to be learned there.
Germany was a great industrial and military power, a society and economy which had been tuned to the coming war by the time of Munich.
Neither Iraq nor Iran were/are any of those things.
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@tiptap
No, the lesson to be drawn there is that appeasement doesn't work, no matter how many "respected military experts" maintain the contrary. Even someone with a half a functioning brain will notice how close the Saudi oil fields are to the Iraqi border and will guess what the Sunni/Shi/Iranian extremists' next step will be, once we leave.
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Slogans, symbols and smears
Odom made a couple points in his article that the vainglorious “Victory Caucus” does not want to bring up or even acknowledge.
First, that this war is no longer even being fought to achieve “victory” (because we can’t even define what that would be, or how it could possibly be achieved), but to avoid “the blame” for not achieving “victory.”
To put another way, this is now the Republican Party’s War in Iraq continued so that the Republican Party doesn’t get blamed for “losing” it. But they already have, and the more they protest reality, the worse it will be for them.
Secondly, is Odom’s point that we are being compelled to continue fighting to “support the troops” when it is becoming increasingly obvious that the troops themselves are gradually more unhappy with this war.
In short, the longer this goes on, it will become apparent that even the troops no longer “support the troops.”
That is the problem when policies (i.e. “victory” and “support the troops”) are really “bumper sticker” slogans and not policies at all, but propaganda.
Slogans, symbols and smears – that’s all the “Victory Caucus” offers.
I’m not sure how many of them even believe this stuff themselves anymore – but it’s either catapult the “Victory” propaganda or accept the blame for the worst strategic mistake the U.S. has ever made.
We know how they’ll decide on that one.
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Nabalzbbfr and Hitler obsession:
To return to Churchill/Chamberlain. Chamberlain was by no means the only one responsible for the capitulation to Hitler's aggression at Munich. He was aided and abetted by British and French "respected military experts" who wildly exaggerated German military capabilities at the time and lulled the British and French publics into accepting appeasement as the better course. Some might think there is a lesson to be drawn there.
Their knowledge of history is limited to these premises:
(1) Hilter is bad.
(2) Must fight Hitler.
(3) Churchill good. He fight Hitler.
(4) Chamberlain bad. He not fight Hitler.
(5) Every new bad leader = Hitler. Hitler Everywhere. Must fight Hitler.
That really does cover it.
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daleyrocks:
Like most of the left, Odom is actually ignorant or pretends ignorance on the atrocities committed under Saddam Hussein.
You shouldn't lie, daleyrocks. You don't care at all what happens to the Iraqis.
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Who knows what to say?
We could take up some aromatherapy , moxibustion, homeotherapy, Mako Ho, meditation, Rolfing, Tai chi, yoga, even say ole'say invent the ole-FASHION PRAYER-letter chain-letter to Complain viae-mail to the pub-Salon editor, of the Salon Tavern talk?!. I follow step by step. Whoever led me to the Greenwald-sight...Pffft. yer yer meditaters! Thanks fer healthy life-styles! But, please lead me Home? Howdy does none get here?>follow the electra Stop?Go?... electric lights...go datta way? right/left?
PS, no-publist my letters to Salon. No pleaz! por favo - gracious.ur, mucho gracious, Yes,misser.mr. Senoir & Senorigta's at our service? Pleasemerci, senorita...what can one say? merci. A ...kiss upon the sweet neck....is all I can afford to offer...before I go konkout, dead til' tomorrow.
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Rhetoric as problem solver
No, the lesson to be drawn there is that appeasement doesn't work, no matter how many "respected military experts" maintain the contrary. Even someone with a half a functioning brain will notice how close the Saudi oil fields are to the Iraqi border and will guess what the Sunni/Shi/Iranian extremists' next step will be, once we leave.
Simple solutions to huge problems with "half functioning brain" rhetoric on the side.
Isn't it amazing... the insurgency in Iraq is deemed to be 60% or more carried out by the Sunni...supported under the radar BushCo, Carlyle, Haliburton's ole friend: House of Saud.