Hope everyone had good turkey experiences!!!
Just wanted to chip in a few holiday observations.
So Bush pulled another PR stunt and got the media all google-eyed. Some called the stunt a dumb and risky one. It was.
The sad part to a scene like this is it was made more for Bush, than for our soldiers. If Bush really wanted to help our soldiers the best thing he can do is get 'em, as quickly as possible, away from the Iraqi duckshoot and put himself in the dunking booth.
Importantly, if the violence against Americans and the few allies in the theater doesn't end soon then the killing zone will likely widen into both Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Ironically, were this to happen Iran could become a power broker. Is this what the US wants? I don't think so!
Why make a bad situation worse? That's precisely what Bush's policies are doing.
The fact of the matter is that Bush severely blundered both diplomatically and militarily. To resist that this didn't happen will only mean more deaths for Americans not just in Iraq but all over the world, as young terrorists pick up on the rally call to go against Americans.
The only effective weapon in this war against terrorism is education.
But education won't show overnight results, and it's not as effective of a political weapon as is war-terror politics. Bush, et. al., probably think Bush, Sr. lost his election because he gave up on the military end, he didn't push for continued war. By pushing this war Bush strategists know that they appeal to the gut of Americans who'll want to win it, especially if they're led to believe doing so means, whether true or not, protecting their family and home.
But, most unfortunately, the military option likely will only show worse results for people everywhere. At least, at a minimum, a strategy rooted in education and diplomacy could achieve results over a period of time. The education route presents not only hope, but also a possibility of eventually reaching an understanding between now angry and too many times screwed-over Arabs and the rest of the world.
Right now, we've got to begin thinking of terrorists as drug dealers. As soon as one is gone another jumps in to take their place. And we all know the drug war has failed miserably, both in dollars, loss of freedom and in loss of life.
So will Bush's military campaign have the same result? Most likely.
You see, there's no way of winning with a war like this. As the goal line always changes in this kind of war, it might be more prudent to consider that "a handful of might is NOT a handful of right!" And is America even right in all of this? That remains an open question.
Bush should indeed bite the bullet and admit he made a colossal mistake; and, further, even admit that he went to great lengths of fabrication in order to make this mistake. He should stand up, be tall and apologize!
He should immediately backtrack back to day one after 9/11, and sincerely ask: Why would terrorists do any such thing? He and his subordinates should travel around the world, asking this question and also asking what exactly the United States can do to help make the world a better place, a way in which America can do this without killing people.
Finally, there is no thanksgiving when Bush behaves the way he does. Plain and clear! |
