Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests WMD+...revisited

Dr. Nixon: Seemed to work out in Germany? Are we talking about the country which was rather democratic before Hitler rose to the Chancellorship via elections? Are we talking about the country which had a rather Western-valued, Western religion following healthy and educated middle class which held respect for authority? A country which had gotten its religious-sectarian violence out of its system a century or two before?

Wow. So if it worked in Germany, are we supposed to assume it WILL work in Baghdad?

The degree to which that assumption is shaky is the degree by which our Cowboy in Chief compounded the bungling of Rumsfeld by adding naivete. Some might even suggest recklessness.

There have been other administrations previously, plagued by philosophical cleansings yielding loss of expertise yielding stupid decisions by the new administration. Lots of analysts were canned after China turned red, like it was their fault or they let it happen on their watch, etc. Lots of valuable insights regarding Korea and Nam were lost in those housecleanings. Bush and our service people are now paying for Bush celebrating philosophy over competence with his housecleanings. Or did you think Rumsfeld's done a bang up job? And what about Cheney and his cronies knowing more than Colin Powell in Powell's areas of expertise? What a wasted asset Bush made of Powell.

If indeed Iraq was invaded to "spread democracy" like we're military missionaries, thank goodness that means we're NOT like Castro sending Cuban troops to Angola in the old days to be military missionaries of his political model.

You say we tried cut and run in Lebanon and it didn't work out... Lebanon is on the way to having elements of democracy and a substantial middle class. And Nam? Were we supposed to invade the North and put in our own SVN puppet government, as it seemed everyone running the SVN gov't was corrupt and ineffective. You might have a stronger point with Somolia.

I have no magic bullet cure for the jihaddist movement. But if we are going to make do in the meantime by selectively applying our military, my enthusiasm for doing more of the same or staying the course is severely dampened when the track record of the executive branch team applying it stinks. The military did/does its job: it told Bush and Rummy what was needed and then executed the plan/orders Bush and Rummy gave them. Maybe we still need to put more troops into Iraq and Afghanistan than we have there now, although 3 years ago would have been better. But to trust that Bush/Cheney/Rummy team to NOT bungle up further? Excuse me while I hedge my bets.

If Iraq turns into a model secural democracy and a beacon to the Arab middle east over the next 30 years, I'm sure GWB will get his credit. But remember who gets that credit if Iraq turns into the new Iran instead.