No, I've been closely watching and reading about this war, not the thread. Fact of the matter is I've been and am very depressed by what I'm seeing, and extremely worried about what I haven't yet seen. The reality is I'm in no mood for posting.
A further reality is the early going reporting of this war has been filled with too many 'feel good' type reports, that the war is going well. It's my view that nothing could be further from the truth.
Predictions that this war would be over in a couple of days, that the Iraqis would easily surrender have proven nothing but wishful thinking only. That Iraq's regular army, predicted to immediately surrender, has shown stiffened resistance is not a good sign of what's to come.
I fear our soldiers are tired and worn from travel and will arrive at the outskirts of Baghdad in insufficient numbers and will need to rest and reinforcement. And the prospect of attempting to capture this city of 5.5 million. against well fortified and entrenched urban Iraqi positions should give all us cause for deep depression.
My worst fear remains that vulnerable and unreinforced US-Brit forces, needing rest, could become encamped around Baghdad; it, in a state of seige, Syria and Iran (both countries fearing they're next on Bush's list) decide to enter the battle.
I'm concerned our government thought it could control the will of the Iraqi citizenry, much like it succeeded in controlling the thinking of many Americans into supporting this war, that its propaganda campaign will be successful, could end up hurting rather than helping our forces who'll be forced to make the actual point of urban combat contact.
That Turkey will enter the northern war theater when we have insufficient numbers of forces in the north could create nightmare scenarios yet to come. I fear there, the grim reaper will have a heyday in the north should Kurd vs. Turk vendettas reawaken. I also suspect they'll become Iranian interference here, as well.
Yes, there's much that I'm concerned about. It remains my firm belief that America has made a tragic mistake by entering this war. There is no humor to go around, and for me to post with regularity on these threads indeed I need a measure of humor. Right now, I'm having trouble finding any.
So I doubt you'll see many posts from me during this period of time. By the way, I've read nothing on this thread since the war began.
This is more a time for prayer and hope, and there is enough of a real battle going. The last thing I need, feeling as I am, is a word battle on this or any other thread. I'm sorry to anyone who might have been expecting a lot of writing from me.
Finally, since the Bush Administration has been and is both inept and incapable of finding a political settlement, I'm hopeful our soldiers will find a way to end this as quickly as possible with as few deaths and casualties as possible.
So that's it, Enigma. That's how I feel. Ironic it is that when I first looked at this thread that your post was the first one I found. Indeed, this war is an enigma.
PS: Marvel Comics once had an powerful character named the Enigma. As I recall, Enigma was not a force of good. It sure seems today that both Iraq's Saddam Administration and America's Bush Administration, sadly and jointly have assumed this role. Unfortunately, there is no Silver Surfer, no Fantastic Four, no Superman and no Spiderman who'll today come to the rescue of humanity. Like I wrote earlier, this is a time for prayer and hope. |
