Sunday, August 14, 2005
you don't say...
U.S. Lowers Sights On What Can Be Achieved in Iraq
lets look at some select out-takes of this article.
The United States no longer expects to see a model new democracy, a self-supporting oil industry or a society in which the majority of people are free from serious security or economic challenges, U.S. officials say.
really?
But the realities of daily life are a constant reminder of how the initial U.S. ambitions have not been fulfilled in ways that Americans and Iraqis once anticipated. Many of Baghdad's 6 million people go without electricity for days in 120-degree heat. Parents fearful of kidnapping are keeping children indoors.
Barbers post signs saying they do not shave men, after months of barbers being killed by religious extremists. Ethnic or religious-based militias police the northern and southern portions of Iraq. Analysts estimate that in the whole of Iraq, unemployment is 50 percent to 65 percent.
well that can't be good, but lets read on...
"We set out to establish a democracy, but we're slowly realizing we will have some form of Islamic republic," said another U.S. official familiar with policymaking from the beginning, who like some others interviewed would speak candidly only on the condition of anonymity.
nope, definatly not good. what else do we have in there?
"We are definitely cutting corners and lowering our ambitions in democracy building," said Larry Diamond, a Stanford University democracy expert who worked with the U.S. occupation government and wrote the book "Squandered Victory: The American Occupation and the Bungled Effort to Bring Democracy to Iraq."
"Under pressure to get a constitution done, they've lowered their own ambitions in terms of getting a document that is going to be very far-reaching and democratic. We also don't have the time to go through the process we envisioned when we wrote the interim constitution -- to build a democratic culture and consensus through debate over a permanent constitution," he said.
The goal now is to ensure a constitution that can be easily amended later so Iraq can grow into a democracy, U.S. officials say.
Well, now we're happy if the constitution is written in pencil? I'm sure that the neo-cons over here would like that too...
In closing:
Ironically, White said, the initial ambitions may have complicated the U.S. mission: "In order to get out earlier, expectations are going to have to be lower, even much lower. The higher your expectation, the longer you have to stay. Getting out is going to be a more important consideration than the original goals were. They were unrealistic."
Hmmm... having looked at that, read those words, kinda make you wish that the president had, oh say, some sort of 'Focus Group' telling him not to go to war. But, seeing as the white house spent so much time creating reasons to go to war, they should have no problem creating ways to leave Iraq. And whenever they choose to leave, be it tomorrow or 20 years from now, Iraq will fall into chaos as soon as there is no Amrican military to prop up the American installed government. IMHO.
So long as we are getting reaquainted with reality, do you think that this war in Iraq is just that, an isolated war? Perhaps a part of the larger Persian Gulf war that started when America and other western countries armed Saddam Hussein with WMDs to combat the Iranians? Or just a part of what is coming to be world war 3?
I would like to thank George bush for helping us all to live in interesting times. Yes, thanks George. Thanks for flushing America's influence down the tubes and reducing us from the economical and political leaders of the world to a paranoid state of bullies who so motivation for its actions are 'because i said so'. Thanks for stressing out the military to the point where we could not respond to a real military action if we had to. Thanks for helping to build what will be the biggest theocratic region in the world that will hate us for generations. And thanks for proving that democracy can't be found at the end of a gun.
And finally, thanks for proving that a spoiled rich man's son, who has no experience with international politics, a horrible background in economic affairs, a foul temperament, and a belief that everything should come to him on a silver platter, has no place occupying the highest office in the land.
Have a pretzel george.
tomkitty
lets look at some select out-takes of this article.
The United States no longer expects to see a model new democracy, a self-supporting oil industry or a society in which the majority of people are free from serious security or economic challenges, U.S. officials say.
really?
But the realities of daily life are a constant reminder of how the initial U.S. ambitions have not been fulfilled in ways that Americans and Iraqis once anticipated. Many of Baghdad's 6 million people go without electricity for days in 120-degree heat. Parents fearful of kidnapping are keeping children indoors.
Barbers post signs saying they do not shave men, after months of barbers being killed by religious extremists. Ethnic or religious-based militias police the northern and southern portions of Iraq. Analysts estimate that in the whole of Iraq, unemployment is 50 percent to 65 percent.
well that can't be good, but lets read on...
"We set out to establish a democracy, but we're slowly realizing we will have some form of Islamic republic," said another U.S. official familiar with policymaking from the beginning, who like some others interviewed would speak candidly only on the condition of anonymity.
nope, definatly not good. what else do we have in there?
"We are definitely cutting corners and lowering our ambitions in democracy building," said Larry Diamond, a Stanford University democracy expert who worked with the U.S. occupation government and wrote the book "Squandered Victory: The American Occupation and the Bungled Effort to Bring Democracy to Iraq."
"Under pressure to get a constitution done, they've lowered their own ambitions in terms of getting a document that is going to be very far-reaching and democratic. We also don't have the time to go through the process we envisioned when we wrote the interim constitution -- to build a democratic culture and consensus through debate over a permanent constitution," he said.
The goal now is to ensure a constitution that can be easily amended later so Iraq can grow into a democracy, U.S. officials say.
Well, now we're happy if the constitution is written in pencil? I'm sure that the neo-cons over here would like that too...
In closing:
Ironically, White said, the initial ambitions may have complicated the U.S. mission: "In order to get out earlier, expectations are going to have to be lower, even much lower. The higher your expectation, the longer you have to stay. Getting out is going to be a more important consideration than the original goals were. They were unrealistic."
Hmmm... having looked at that, read those words, kinda make you wish that the president had, oh say, some sort of 'Focus Group' telling him not to go to war. But, seeing as the white house spent so much time creating reasons to go to war, they should have no problem creating ways to leave Iraq. And whenever they choose to leave, be it tomorrow or 20 years from now, Iraq will fall into chaos as soon as there is no Amrican military to prop up the American installed government. IMHO.
So long as we are getting reaquainted with reality, do you think that this war in Iraq is just that, an isolated war? Perhaps a part of the larger Persian Gulf war that started when America and other western countries armed Saddam Hussein with WMDs to combat the Iranians? Or just a part of what is coming to be world war 3?
I would like to thank George bush for helping us all to live in interesting times. Yes, thanks George. Thanks for flushing America's influence down the tubes and reducing us from the economical and political leaders of the world to a paranoid state of bullies who so motivation for its actions are 'because i said so'. Thanks for stressing out the military to the point where we could not respond to a real military action if we had to. Thanks for helping to build what will be the biggest theocratic region in the world that will hate us for generations. And thanks for proving that democracy can't be found at the end of a gun.
And finally, thanks for proving that a spoiled rich man's son, who has no experience with international politics, a horrible background in economic affairs, a foul temperament, and a belief that everything should come to him on a silver platter, has no place occupying the highest office in the land.
Have a pretzel george.
tomkitty
