It’s Working Because I Say So!

The political strategy of using untruths that are readily retracted by politicians as misspeaking and this being accepted by the people because they find it difficult to believe their leaders might be dishonest, has become the new normal. This has led to a political climate deliberately manipulated by recurring untruths that when they become cumulative and frequently repeated at best create an underlying suspicion or at worst become believed as truth.

Consider the reasons presented after seven weeks supporting the early success of the new military surge in Iraq that officially started February 14, 2007:

- Vice President Dick Cheney says so and we know that a sitting Vice President would never lie or distort the truth to the American people. The Vice President during a news conference told of a friend of his who drove from Baghdad to Basra as evidence of the surge working;

- Senator John Mc Cain (a perspective Republican presidential candidate) who recently visited a market in Baghdad swept by U.S. troops just prior to the visit, wearing a flack jacket, surrounded by 100 heavily armed American (but no Iraqi) soldiers and with helicopters flying above him, said so;

- Senator Joseph Lieberman says so because the militant Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr called on his followers to unite against the U.S. military and he viewed this as a sign of the Madhi Army’s present weakness. However, this occurred after al-Sadr had his followers cooperate with the surge efforts for the past seven weeks (could this be part of the reason for the decrease in some violence during this time frame?). A rally of tens of thousands of Shiites supporting al-Sadr’s recent call occurred one day later;

- Halliburton says so after proposing new contracts (probably of the non-bid variety) to supply the new surge troops in Iraq. The new rebuilding contracts will be worth $billions;

- The Republicans in Congress say so for whatever reasons are politically expedient;

- The Democrats in Congress say it is not so for whatever reasons are politically expedient and they continue to lack the fortitude to follow the mandate of the American people given them in the 2006 elections. Supporting the troops is so much more than giving a blank check to this administration. Don’t be surprised if the Democrats capitulate to the administration for politically expedient reasons. Supporting the troops occurs when the deaths and life long incapacitating disabilities of our valiant troops in a war that cannot be won are prevented; and

- The White House says so because two Iraqi dentists who are bloggers in Iraq said so.

A truth that belies the assertions of the surge working is the increased deaths of American troops in Baghdad over the past seven weeks. The numbers show that the deaths have almost doubled (before 29 deaths) since the surge started (53 deaths). Military analysts speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the available analysis data have expressed that such doubling of troop deaths was expected and are at an acceptable level for such casualties, but would probably continue to increase over the next couple of years (an interesting and thought provoking statement).

It is probable that the Iraq war supporters will continue to say so when the American death toll reaches unacceptable numbers since they for the most part do not have to sacrifice for this war. The deaths are just unfortunate problems for someone else. Iraqi deaths are even more remote to them even though the presently expressed reason for the continued war is to create stability for the Iraqis. Some real concern might be expressed when Iraqi war deaths reach the hundreds of thousands and the world community should finally say no more to America, but let’s not hold our breath. Unfortunately, by then all of the U.S. credibility capital will have been long expended and moral bankruptcy will be America’s legacy.

However, when the present surge does not work, it will be time for the White House to announce the next surge and ask the American people for just one more chance to allow it to work.

In this never, never land of a never ending war in search of a non-existent victory rational Americans must accept the ultimate truth that they must now say no more to the war in Iraq.

Dr. Saul B. Wilen

CEO, International Horizons Unlimited

P.O. Box 40578

San Antonio, Texas 78229

(210) 363-4329

(210) 692-1268

FAX (210) 692-1265

SBW@intlhorizons.com

www.intlhorizons.com

Nero did too, playing the fiddle while Rome burned.

As long as McCain is having fun, I guess the serious issues that are tearing our country apart are irrelevant.

Laissez les bon temps rouler...

At least I appreciate McCain's honesty and attachment to reality on this topic. Bush or Cheney would have come up with another bald-faced lie in the same situation.

That's a very good thing. This is one reason he is so popular, because he isn't evasive, and you do generally know where he's coming from.

As for the fun comment, he certainly doesn't look as uncomfortable is his cavalier wrongness as Hillary was in her calculated response on the morality of gayness.

We, the 60+% of Americans, had more than enough of the delusional liars in the past

6 years. It was, and still is a nightmare, that we are forced to leave with. People are

dying for a bunch of selfrighteous, criminals.

If McCain EVER had backbones, he lost it sometimes in the last 7 years.

when he said he was a gun owner and a lifetime hunter of varmints. Does the BS get any steamier. Crooked politicians all have the same MO. If there is a visual/audio record of their lies, they claim to have misspoken or, assert that what you heard them say is not what they said/meant. If there's no record they don't recall or recall something self-serving, to the best of their recollection.

Now add to the toolbox; I was wrong but hey it was just good harmless fun with some good ol' boys and a few snipers along for the ride. Hell, I always take along helicopter air cover when I walk to the local market.