Wednesday, April 05, 2006
USA to Iraq: first we bomb, then we sell you out
For a president who talks about bringing democracy to Iraq like its a divinely-ordained mission, he's sure going about it in a funny way.
The WP reports today that the upcoming budget shifts dollars from projects designed to foster democracy to security training. This means organizations that "teach Iraqis how to create and sustain political parties, think tanks, human rights groups, independent media outlets, trade unions and other elements of democratic society" will have to close up shop. Respected NGO Freedom House calls this change in priorities, simply, 'a travesty'.
Listen close, Commander Cuckoo Bananas. You don't build democracy by investing in heavily-armed militias. Democratic government is bloody hard to do...the West has been at it for 200 years, and we still manage to louse it up on a daily basis. We need to provide the resources and expertise the Iraqi people need to build participatory institutions, and replace the ones we blew up. That's how you achieve your mission, Bush. Unless that's not the reason you invaded in the first place? Hmmmm.
All of this comes on the heels of a Wisconsin Referendum where a majority voted to bring the troops back home. Memo to the American People: look, I feel bad for you. You let yourselves be manipulated into an immoral war by an administration of idiots. But you can't just leave. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: you break it, you bought it. The second the first bomb hit and the first American boot hit Iraqi soil, a very long and messy obligation was created. Don't compound your first moral error with a second and leave Iraq to fester in civil war. ¶ 7:02 a.m.
The WP reports today that the upcoming budget shifts dollars from projects designed to foster democracy to security training. This means organizations that "teach Iraqis how to create and sustain political parties, think tanks, human rights groups, independent media outlets, trade unions and other elements of democratic society" will have to close up shop. Respected NGO Freedom House calls this change in priorities, simply, 'a travesty'.
Listen close, Commander Cuckoo Bananas. You don't build democracy by investing in heavily-armed militias. Democratic government is bloody hard to do...the West has been at it for 200 years, and we still manage to louse it up on a daily basis. We need to provide the resources and expertise the Iraqi people need to build participatory institutions, and replace the ones we blew up. That's how you achieve your mission, Bush. Unless that's not the reason you invaded in the first place? Hmmmm.
All of this comes on the heels of a Wisconsin Referendum where a majority voted to bring the troops back home. Memo to the American People: look, I feel bad for you. You let yourselves be manipulated into an immoral war by an administration of idiots. But you can't just leave. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: you break it, you bought it. The second the first bomb hit and the first American boot hit Iraqi soil, a very long and messy obligation was created. Don't compound your first moral error with a second and leave Iraq to fester in civil war. ¶ 7:02 a.m.
