"We Had A War. It Was Relatively Brief & It Took Place In the Spring Of 2003" J. Marshall

[kpete]

J. Marshall: We had a war. It was relatively brief and it took place in the spring of 2003.

"This is the key point: right near the beginning of this nightmare it was clear the sole remaining premise for the war was false: that is, the idea that the Iraqis would freely choose a government that would align itself with the US and its goals in the region. As the occupation continued, anti-American sentiment -- both toward the occupation and America's role in the world -- has only grown.

"I would submit that virtually everything we've done in Iraq since mid-late 2003 has been an effort to obscure this fact."

...........

Of course, the damage that's been done over the last four years of denial is immense -- damage to ourselves, to the Iraqis, damage to Middle Eastern security and our standing in the world. So walking out of the bag isn't easy and it won't fix things. But the stakes alleged by the White House are largely illusory. Most of the White House's argument amounts to the threat that if we walk out of the bag that we'll have to give up the denial that the White House has had a diminishing percentage of the country in for the last four years. The reality though is that the disaster has already happened. Admitting that isn't a mistake or something to be feared. It's the first step to repairing the damage. What the president has had the country in for four years is a very bloody and costly holding action. And the president has forced it on the country to avoid admitting the magnitude of his errors.


more at:
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/013856.php

[vickitulsa]

1. Oh, Bravo and Hip Hip Hooray for Josh Marshall! Telling it like it is

in a most succinct and insightful way -- now this is one article I can kick and rec without a single qualm or a moment's hesitation!

YES, Josh, you summed it up perfectly.

Now I just hope this view (we can call it simply "the Truth") becomes the accepted and understood way of looking at the whole Iraq debacle among the American people as well as the world's citizens.

I think most of the rest of the world saw it this way from the git-go. Time to face the facts, America!

[Dhalgren]

2. Excellent! This is the framing of this debacle that must be forced upon

the Bushist media in this country. The whole occupation is just a long, drawn-out attempt to both force an outcome that is never going to happen and to hide the fact that the whole enterprise was an abysmal failure. K&R...

[Toots]

3. I wouldn't even go that far, we had an invasion that ended quickly

It never has been truly a "war"..We invaded and occupied a sovereign nation against international law and yet it goes on and on...

[NoPasaran]

6. It was a war

We shot at them, they shot back.

[ms liberty]

4. Way to tell it! K&R n/t

[ThomWV]

5. I am inclined to disagree

It seems to me that it isn't correct to think that the war continues to obscure the change in world sentiment but it would be correct to say that world sentiment has changed because the war continues. The end result is not much different but my view offers opportunity for improvement of the situation. In short my version allows that withdrawal from Iraq would improve world sentiment as regards the United States where as in the version given above if we bring the troops home all it will do is expose the current state of world sentiment.

Is my argument flawed?

[BlooInBloo]

7. Just quibbling over semantics.

[donkeyotay]

8. The truth has been gummed to death. It's off the table.

There's been a lot of past-o obscuro, and now we've moved on. They say we're moving forward, and it's extremely important not to look backward. Forget about the elections, forget about the warmongering media, forget about the lies, forget about the incompetence, forget about the assaults on our freedom and the rule of law. A little limited hangout, a little distraction, a little water under the bridge, and life goes on in Washington.

[uppityperson]

9. Very good. End the Occupation of Iraq.

[EVDebs]

10. We have an occupation of Iraq now. BTW, how can * simultaneously stand down w/permanent bases ?

The Iraqis aren't THAT dumb...neocons seem to be though.