Sunday, March 26, 2006
Last Throes
Despite all the happy talk coming out of the White House, the news from Iraq continues to be grim. The New York Times reports,
The almost daily reports of large groups of beheaded and shot bodies being dumped along with the Iraqi Army's admission that there are areas "too dangerous" to go into give lie to the White House's happy talk on Iraq. Next time you hear someone like Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice say
Invading Iraq was a mistake. Failing to build a real international coalition was a mistake. Failing to provide meaningful security during and immediately after the invasion was a mistake. All were mistakes of policy, not competence. Iraq has become our albatross.
Despite all the happy talk coming out of the White House, the news from Iraq continues to be grim. The New York Times reports,
The bodies of 30 beheaded men were found on a main highway near Baquba this evening, providing more evidence that the death squads in Iraq are becoming out of control. [. . .] Iraqi army troops were waiting tonight for American support before venturing into the insurgent-infested area to retrieve them.Two things are apparent. One, the violence continues and the Iraqi government is unable to do anything about it. Despite claims that things are moving forward politically, these killings make it clear that many people in Iraq have no faith in elections, political negations, or diplomacy. Second, the Iraqi Army, not withstanding the photo-op otherwise known as operation "Swammer," is incapable of operating on its own. One has to ask, if the Iraqi Army can't venture into Baquba, who is in charge there? The bodies were
"It's too dangerous for us to go in there alone," an Iraqi Army commander, Tassin Tawfik, said.
Earlier in the day, the corpses of 10 other men, all bound, blindfolded and shot, were discovered in Baghdad.
heaped in a pile next to a highway that links Baghdad to Baquba.That doesn't sound like a very remote area and the fact that the Iraqi Army is afraid to drive on the highway linking two major cities is troubling at best.
The almost daily reports of large groups of beheaded and shot bodies being dumped along with the Iraqi Army's admission that there are areas "too dangerous" to go into give lie to the White House's happy talk on Iraq. Next time you hear someone like Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice say
"I think it's entirely probable that we will see a significant drawdown of American forces over the next year,"remember it's nothing but wishful thinking. We've been hearing the same pie in the sky talk for going on two years. There are few signs that the Iraqi Army will be able to operate effectively by December. There are few if any signs that there is a "political" solution on the horizon. If American troops do leave, we should be prepared for lots of blood.
Invading Iraq was a mistake. Failing to build a real international coalition was a mistake. Failing to provide meaningful security during and immediately after the invasion was a mistake. All were mistakes of policy, not competence. Iraq has become our albatross.