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Message |
    
bottomline
Citizen
Username: Bottomline
Post Number: 142
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, January 6, 2005 - 12:28 pm: | 
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Thomas Friedman's column this morning was right on target about Iraq, as usual. Here is an excerpt:"In short, we need these elections in Iraq to see if there really is a self-governing community there ready, and willing, to liberate itself - both from Iraq's old regime and from us. The answer to this question is not self-evident. This was always a shot in the dark - but one that I would argue was morally and strategically worth trying.
Because if it is impossible for the peoples of even one Arab state to voluntarily organize themselves around a social contract for democratic life, then we are looking at dictators and kings ruling this region as far as the eye can see. And that will guarantee that this region will be a cauldron of oil-financed pathologies and terrorism for the rest of our lives.
What is inexcusable is thinking that such an experiment would be easy, that it could be done on the cheap, that it could be done with any old army and any old coalition and any old fiscal policy and any old energy policy. That is the foolishness of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. My foolishness was thinking they could never be so foolish."
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Chris Prenovost
Citizen
Username: Chris_prenovost
Post Number: 236
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, January 6, 2005 - 3:41 pm: |
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Zing. I don't always agree with Friedman, but this time he got it on the nail head. Basic idea, good. Execution, terrible. |
weekends
Citizen
Username: Weekends
Post Number: 44
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, January 6, 2005 - 3:42 pm: |
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Thanks for the quote, bottomline.
Depressing though. |
Chris Prenovost
Citizen
Username: Chris_prenovost
Post Number: 237
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, January 6, 2005 - 3:59 pm: |
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Worst thing about it? We're stuck there. We cannot simply pack up and leave, that would put Iraq, and possibly the entire middle east, in chaos. We picked up that tar baby and now we own it.
We had a chance to do something right, something good for the arab world, and we have completely screwed it up. So much for the bright shining city on the hill. |
Robert Livingston
Citizen
Username: Rob_livingston
Post Number: 679
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, January 6, 2005 - 4:12 pm: |
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Bush's legacy will have one hell of a body count. Right up there with some of the biggest megalomaniacs in world history.
In the meantime, the people who attacked us are still roaming free in this world, with seemingly little attention being paid to their capture or demise. |
lumpynose
Citizen
Username: Lumpyhead
Post Number: 1069
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, January 6, 2005 - 4:14 pm: |
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Like who? Hitler, Stalin, Sadam?? Do you really think he will equal them? That's pretty irresponsible. |
llama
Citizen
Username: Llama
Post Number: 657
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, January 6, 2005 - 6:42 pm: |
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lumpy;
You are tired and stale. Take a needed rest. |
cjc
Citizen
Username: Cjc
Post Number: 2979
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Friday, January 7, 2005 - 1:14 pm: |
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lumpy is right on calling RL on his stale exaggerations. |
Bobkat
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 7163
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, January 7, 2005 - 1:45 pm: |
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Anyone else see the NY Times article quoting General Metz that about 9million Iraqis live in the areas where voting will be an extremely dangerous activity. That is about 42% of the population. It is hard to imagine that the elections are going to have much credibility. |
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