Hello, There’s a war on
Michael Duffy, from Time magazine, wrote an interesting piece about a month or so ago titled Why the Surge worked (Interestingly, the title of the article has changed in the online version. It is now the Surge at Year One). In spite of the misleading original title, this was an outstanding article which underlines the complexity of the problem that is Iraq. Throwing 30,000 more troops can’t solve the problem in Iraq. Instead, it has just prolonged problem.
Duffy writes: “The surge’s successes and limits are both plainly visible on al-Kindy (a street in downtown Baghdad) today. A well-stocked pharmacy has reopened. A new cell-phone store selling the latest in high-tech gadgets opened in December. A trickle of shoppers moved along the sidewalks on a recent chilly morning as a grocer, who asked that his name not be used, surveyed the local business climate. “Things are improving slightly,” he said. “But not as much as we hoped.” Indeed, if al-Kindy is coming back, it is doing so slowly, unevenly—and only with a lot of well-armed help. Sandbagged checkpoints stand at either end of al-Kindy, manned by Iraqi soldiers with machine guns. Iraqi police in body armor prowl back alleys and side streets to intercept would-be car bombers. U.S. military officials often point visitors to al-Kindy Street as a metaphor for what is working—and what remains undone. “We still have some work to do,” says Lieut. General Ray Odierno, the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq. “I tell everybody we’ve opened a window. There’s a level of security now that would allow [Iraqi politicians] to take advantage of this window in time, pass the key legislation to bring Iraq together so they can move forward. Are they going to do that? In my mind, we don’t know.”
An interesting poll by USA Today/Gallup revealed that 60% of Americans call the invasion a mistake and want a timetable to get out. Almost half of those surveyed in a Pew Research Center for the People and the Press poll thought that less than 3,000 Americans have died in Iraq. Only 28% of the public were aware that almost 4,000 U.S. personnel have died in a Iraq. The same study found that news coverage of the war has dropped significantly over last 12 months.
I believe this adds up to this: Americans have a short attention span. It is up to everyone to not forget that we are bogged down in a war that is costing us almost $1 trillion. The President clearly told us the purpose of the surge was to quell the violence so that the Iraqi government could make the decisions necessary to move the country forward. Using the President’s own yardstick, this hasn’t happened. So what are we doing in Iraq, again?
My personal feelings toward the various reasons we went to war and remain at war with Iraq truly baffles and upsets me. Is there in fact a real honest reason, I find it hard to believe that Iraq was a bigger threat to our National Security than Iran and North Korea. How is it that we have to cut spending in education and services for our citizens but we can spend billions and trillions of dollars on a war. Money that supposively we did not have to spend on our own citizens.
Where is the outrage? How can we as an American society allow our elected officials to steer our country into the ground and forget about the people they are suppose to take care of. Is it our duty as America to be the worlds police force? I do not see President Bush demanding that the killings throughout Africa be stopped or they’ll be action taken on the oppressors. I have lost faith in our government that are suppose to be serving the people of America. Is there hope in our future? We shall see.
I still think it was an excuse to get closer to the Arabian oil source. Look where Bush and his friends come from. Big Oil. The Opec decides the price and how much is pumped from their region. The big oil companies don’t have anyplace to go and felt threaten for their source. So Iraq was going to be an easy sell to attack since 1991. Afghanistan was too difficult since the Russians couldn’t concur. Iraq has huge oil reserves and is in the middle of all the countries. If we can make iraq an american Allie then we would have a seat at OPEC which is what the oil companies want. That way they are assured the cost and control stays in their hands. The neocons relish the control over the country and so they can do as they please. Look how they have destroyed our constitution the spying they do on anyone without any oversight. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU… Anyone can be classified as a terrorist. Have you seen “Good Night and Good Luck”About the Communists Where is the Iraqi oil that is suppose to be paying for the war and reconstruction? Bush is stating that that is their money. Okay maybe it is but WHO is paying to rebuild their country WE ARE… Haliburton has gotten rich on us. What about 8 billion they lost in the beginning. This was orchestrated to make sure the rich excutives stay rich but on a bigger front. How many people were able to invest in Halliburton stock before the war plus the other companies that make the military equipment.
What makes me sad is the commercial that has a military mom begging McCain not to make her sons death in vain. So that means more sons have to be killed to justify what????