Meanwhile, back in Baghdad, or be careful what you ask for...
Taking a break from the 'liberal' media, I decided to see what some of the conservative people I admire are saying about Iraq and what some of the actual Iraqi citizens are saying who are blogging about life in Iraq..
One postulate I (and many others who opposed the war) had was that Saddam was evil and horrible, but what comes after Saddam is removed would be chaotic and destabilizing. This was the only reason Bush I and Colin Powell stopped their march through Iraq in the first Iraqi war.
Subsequent events seem to have largely verified the postulate. Sure there are good stories, and progress in certain areas, but life in Baghdad and Basra and much of central Iraq is as bad, if not worse, than before. The percentage of time with electricity is roughly the same as before and oil exports are actually down.
Let's check in with William F. Buckley:
We wanted Saddam gone, and we got it..good riddance, but look what else happened. The fight against terrorism in Iraq has done nothing more than destabilize a country, embolden terrorists worldwide and oh by the way, kill over 2,000 American soldiers, and over 50,000 Iraqi civilians. Is THIS what we asked for?
One postulate I (and many others who opposed the war) had was that Saddam was evil and horrible, but what comes after Saddam is removed would be chaotic and destabilizing. This was the only reason Bush I and Colin Powell stopped their march through Iraq in the first Iraqi war.
Subsequent events seem to have largely verified the postulate. Sure there are good stories, and progress in certain areas, but life in Baghdad and Basra and much of central Iraq is as bad, if not worse, than before. The percentage of time with electricity is roughly the same as before and oil exports are actually down.
Let's check in with William F. Buckley:
Our mission has failed because Iraqi animosities have proved uncontainable by an invading army of 130,000 Americans. The great human reserves that call for civil life haven't proved strong enough. No doubt they are latently there, but they have not been able to contend against the ice men who move about in the shadows with bombs and grenades and pistols..Let's check in with a young woman who was originally a supporter of the United States invasion - from her blog, 'Baghdad Burning'. This is an entry from July 11, 2006.
The Iraqis we hear about are first indignant, and then infuriated, that Americans aren't on the scene to protect them and to punish the aggressors. And so they join the clothing merchant who says that everything is the fault of the Americans.
The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, elucidates on the complaint against Americans. It is not only that the invaders are American, it is that they are "Zionists." It would not be surprising to learn from an anonymously cited American soldier that he can understand why Saddam Hussein was needed to keep the Sunnis and the Shiites from each others' throats
The day before yesterday was catastrophic. The day began with news of the killings in Jihad Quarter. According to people who live there, black-clad militiamen drove in mid-morning and opened fire on people in the streets and even in houses. They began pulling people off the street and checking their ID cards to see if they had Sunni names or Shia names and then the Sunnis were driven away and killed. Some were executed right there in the area. The media is playing it down and claiming 37 dead but the people in the area say the number is nearer 60.
The horrific thing about the killings is that the area had been cut off for nearly two weeks by Ministry of Interior security forces and Americans. Last week, a car bomb was set off in front of a 'Sunni' mosque people in the area visit. The night before the massacre, a car bomb exploded in front of a Shia husseiniya in the same area. The next day was full of screaming and shooting and death for the people in the area. No one is quite sure why the Americans and the Ministry of Interior didn't respond immediately. They just sat by, on the outskirts of the area, and let the massacre happen.....
People are staying in their homes in the area and no one dares enter it so the wakes for the people who were massacred haven't begun yet........
There was also an attack yesterday on Ghazaliya though we haven't heard what the casualties are. People are saying it's Sadr's militia, the Mahdi army, behind the killings. The news the world hears about Iraq and the situation in the country itself are wholly different. People are being driven out of their homes and areas by force and killed in the streets, and the Americans, Iranians and the Puppets talk of national conferences and progress.
We wanted Saddam gone, and we got it..good riddance, but look what else happened. The fight against terrorism in Iraq has done nothing more than destabilize a country, embolden terrorists worldwide and oh by the way, kill over 2,000 American soldiers, and over 50,000 Iraqi civilians. Is THIS what we asked for?
