Bungling Iraq

After starting one war in Afghanistan, Bush and the far right started another in Iraq, which they were told could turn into a quagmire like Vietnam. After a brilliant victory, we didn’t have enough troops to stop five weeks of looting, but enough to protect the oil. We disbanded the Iraqi army when needed the most. We said we wouldn’t occupy the country. We didn’t expect so many insurgents to fight us. We didn’t find out why they were so motivated – like Vietnam. We kept training the Iraqi army which never did the job, like Vietnam. We’ve been trying to do it for them – like Vietnam. We pushed democratic reforms, like Vietnam; and the resulting the government hasn’t worked – like Vietnam. We’re rebuilding Iraq, like Vietnam, though it’s going up in smoke. Our government is too secretive about all this – like Vietnam.

We report the total American deaths in Iraq, but rarely guess at the total deaths of Iraqi government forces, civilian deaths or coalition deaths – like Vietnam. We mourn our deaths, not theirs – like Vietnam. Message: Americans matter, others don’t.

We pour over all this with American media and officials, like in Vietnam, and rarely with those from other countries – which says American thinking counts, foreign thinking doesn’t.

It’s said there are 24 groups of insurgents. What do they want? Why do 75% of the Iraqis want us out? What is the role of oil? Why do we rarely hear the views of the UN, of refugees, the coalition, the Kurds or those who predicted civil war. We talk of winning or losing the war when we don’t know what it’s about.

We’re going in circles [and inviting another 9 -11].