Arianna Huffington (Thursday): Civil War in Iraq

[Jack Rabbit]

From The Huffington Post
Dated Thursday February 23

Civil War in Iraq: Murtha Told Us So
By Arianna Huffington

I was originally going to title this post "Jack Murtha's Crystal Ball." After all, he's been saying for weeks that "Iraq is not about terrorism; it's about civil war" -- and the bloody events of the last two days have proven his assessment all too true.

But Murtha isn't a soothsayer.

He's a truthteller. He wasn't reading the political tea leaves, he was reading the facts on the ground (and listening to what his wide range of military sources were telling him).

He was willing to see the inevitable -- unlike far too many of his fellow Democrats who continue to be blinded by the fear of not appearing strong on defense, and unlike President Bush who continues to be blinded by his fanatical belief that we're bringing democracy to Iraq. True, it's Fanatical Belief 4.0, since the earlier versions didn't pan out, but it's a fanatical belief nonetheless.

Read more.

[Lexingtonian]

1. I just love that phrase/label

-> Fanatical Belief 4.0 <- :D

[bemildred]

2. "appearing strong on defense"

It's telling to me that with both the Democrats and Republicans it is a matter of "appearing strong on defense", not of "being strong on defense". If they wanted to be strong on defense, our military, economic, and social policies would be far different. But the politicians only real agenda is to feather their own nest and keep getting re-elected.

[IndianaGreen]

3. What do we mean by being "strong for defense"?

If we mean that we can invade and bully any country to advance our corporate interests, that's not being "strong for defence" but "strong for insanity." If we mean that we create conditions in which we are respected as a responsible member of the family of nations, then we can never achieve any measure of collective security for as long as we pursue a ravenous imperialistic foreign policy.

The world is not a John Wayne movie!

[bemildred]

4. And in the long run, the current policy is a loser, we are in decline.

You cannot hollow out the economy and undercut the health and education of your population while still protecting the long term strength of your nation. A nations power ultimately derives from it people, not its military toys.

[Jack Rabbit]

6. Tell me, IG, do you find it interesting that . . .

. . . in the army, John Wayne is a term of ridicule, while our neocon chickenhawks seem to think there is no problem in the world that can't be solved by sending in more troops?

[Shelor]

5. Arianna - dead on the money, as usual.

[Cha]

7. Excellente article, thank you!

We all knew Jack Murtha was right on the money when he first came out and now it's getting more obvious to everyone except the oily barons.

[lfairban]

8. Now, tell me again, how is this not like Viet Nam.

He also rightly points out that "the ethnic and religious strife in Iraq has been going on, not for decades or centuries, but for millennia."

Just like our involvement in Viet Nam was based on a justification that totally ignored the thousands of years rivalry between China and Viet Nam.