What happens after what happens next doesn't?
Last night, the president outlined a scenario of likely events if the U.S. got out Iraq, a scenario not so different from the apocalyptic visions of John the Evangelist at the back of the Bible, only without God leading the charge.
We have to stay, and not only stay, but escalate the conflict, the president said, because to do otherwise might well bring about disaster of Scriptural proportions. Let us, for the sake of argument, assume he's right.
It's also true the president let it be known that the U.S. is not going to stick around forever. Our patience is running out and the Iraqis need to step up to the plate and take care of their own damned country. Fine. What happens when they don't? How many last chances does that country get? And if they blow it this time, do we leave then? And if we leave in a year or so, and the Iraqis are still not doing the job, does the apocalypse get postponed?
Two more points:
1. Freedom is hard work and throughout history people have to be dragged kicking and screaming to embrace it. Not long after Moses and the children of Israel left bondage in Egypt behind, they started whining about how much better it was to be enslaved in a city than free in the wilderness. Of course, when God is kicking your behind, you get with the program pretty quickly.
As wonderful as the U.S. is, it's not God, and our country can't manufacture a pillar of fire by night to guide the Iraqis or provide manna from heaven to eat. (Although I hear that the boys from Halliburton are working on the former, and the Pentagon' MRE are full of creamed chipped manna on toast)
2. Beware of the phrase "mistakes were made'': the passive voice effectively eliminates the tricky questions of who made the mistakes and how will they be held accountable. It's the last resort of responsibility dodgers.
We have to stay, and not only stay, but escalate the conflict, the president said, because to do otherwise might well bring about disaster of Scriptural proportions. Let us, for the sake of argument, assume he's right.
It's also true the president let it be known that the U.S. is not going to stick around forever. Our patience is running out and the Iraqis need to step up to the plate and take care of their own damned country. Fine. What happens when they don't? How many last chances does that country get? And if they blow it this time, do we leave then? And if we leave in a year or so, and the Iraqis are still not doing the job, does the apocalypse get postponed?
Two more points:
1. Freedom is hard work and throughout history people have to be dragged kicking and screaming to embrace it. Not long after Moses and the children of Israel left bondage in Egypt behind, they started whining about how much better it was to be enslaved in a city than free in the wilderness. Of course, when God is kicking your behind, you get with the program pretty quickly.
As wonderful as the U.S. is, it's not God, and our country can't manufacture a pillar of fire by night to guide the Iraqis or provide manna from heaven to eat. (Although I hear that the boys from Halliburton are working on the former, and the Pentagon' MRE are full of creamed chipped manna on toast)
2. Beware of the phrase "mistakes were made'': the passive voice effectively eliminates the tricky questions of who made the mistakes and how will they be held accountable. It's the last resort of responsibility dodgers.
posted by Michael Riley at 8:57 AM
1 Comments:
most Americans are unaware that even with the extra 20k troops, we still have less troops than at our peak a few years ago since we've been quietly redistributing forces elsewhere across the world to combat terrorists..if we wan to give a real show of support and rid this area of insurgents have 2 options...go extreme numbers 100k more and do the job right or leave with no support and let the will of the Iraqis in power now figure it out..can't be wishy-washy or do mediocre..it's all or nothing at this point..
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