Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JohnM who wrote (94059)	11/5/2008 2:32:49 PM
From: Sam	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 541659

John, that article on Hersh is worth reading for far more than that quote. Here is another excerpt: As for the troop 'surge' and its putative success, he more or less rolls his eyes when I bring this up. 'People are saying quietly that they are worried about Iraq. This is nothing profound, but by the time the surge got going, ethnic cleansing had already happened in a lot of places. There was a natural lull in the violence. The moment we start withdrawing, and relying on the Shia to start paying members of the Awakening [the alliance of Sunni insurgents whose salaries were initially paid by the US military, and who have helped to reduce violence in some provinces]...' His voice trails off. 'And the big bad bogeyman is Saudi Arabia. There's an awful lot of money going to Salafist and Wahabist charities, and there's no question they'll pour money into the Awakening, and they're so hostile to Shi'ism and to Iran that how can you possibly predict anything other than violence? How do we get out of this? There is no way out. We have a moral obligation to the people of Iraq that goes beyond anything that anyone's talking about. The notion that it's their problem, that we should just leave... I mean, can you believe what we've done to their society? Imagine the psychosis, the insanity, that we've induced.' He stabs the yolk of one of his poached eggs, and sets about his toast like he hasn't eaten in days. Here is the link for the entire article: guardian.co.uk Very much worth reading.

To: JohnM who wrote (94059)	11/5/2008 3:17:34 PM
From: Katelew	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541659

We are going to, finally, get to see just how bad it actually was. I think a lot of stuff flew well beneath the proverbial radar. Yes!!! I found myself thinking that several times last night. We're also going to find out how much off balance sheet deficit spending there is and the full wastefullness of the spending on the two wars, among many, many other things. :( After the initial shock, though, the new administration will at least have a valid starting point to begin the repair.