Friday
01Jul2005
Are we allowed to criticise Iraq?
Friday, July 1, 2005 at 11:29AM
In the LA Times today David Gelernter argued that Senator Ted Kennedy should not call the situation in Iraq a ‘quagmire’, as this would undermine the efforts of the troops fighting out there. So is the War in Iraq beyond criticism? The answer of course is No.
Bush asks us to stay with him for the long haul, not to show weakness and to display our resolve, but where is the strategy that will solve the ongoing insurgency? Ok if we are to look forward where is the policy from Messer’s Bush and Rumsfeld that will deliver victory for the Coalition forces?
With almost 2,000 coalition forces now dead we have every right to demand accountability from our ‘elected’ leaders. This is our right. Bush is no King; he is merely a Politician and therefore will be held to account. I do not accept the argument that Bush was held to account during last years election. The Whitehouse suppressed a great deal of information about the War and now the info has been released, the American public feel justifiably they have been duped.
Take the Pat Tillman disgrace, a high profile recruit; the Army were keen to use Tillman as a poster boy for their recruitment drives. Tillman a promising pro-footballer was hailed as a beacon of heroism and patriotism and was lionised by the Bush administration. His fellow Army Rangers shot dead Tillman while on patrol in Afghanistan on 22 April of last year. The Army -although in full knowledge of the real incident- claimed Tillman was killed in a fire fight against terrorist forces. Tillman received a posthumous Silver Star and Purple Heart and his story was used as pro-Bush propaganda during the election.
Now the family of Tillman have spoken the truth outlining the lies and political exploitation used by the Bush team. The American public now see for themselves the lies that have been used to deceive them on about the war.
We should indeed look forward and resolve the mess we have created, but we must also learn from this mistake and ensure elected leaders cannot again lie and deceive their people and push a country into war. The American and British public are seeing their sons and daughters die for a war that was not necessary. Far from delivering safety, the war is enflaming hatred and providing a battleground for the recruitment and training of ever more Mujahideen (little different to the Soviet occupied Afghanistan). So yes we have every right and need to criticise our leaders.
There are few if any members of congress with children fighting in Iraq. It is left to the children of the American public (most among the poorer social groups) to fight for this misguided ideology. Bush ensures military recruiters have access to school records through his No Child Left Behind policy, which refuses funding to schools who withhold student data and contact details from Army recruiters. Parents are finding military recruiters are aggressively pursuing their children offering ever-tempting -although often not forthcoming- enticements to sign up. Parents demand the right to protect their children from someone else’s war.
The continued mismanagement by Donald Rumsfeld has also been one of the main tragedies of this war; he has proved arrogant and inept. Bush must forgo his ridiculous obsession with his own perceived righteousness and remove the bungling Secretary for Defence; only with a new strategy can the coalition forces ever make sense of the battle.
So I’m sorry but we must continue to highlight the injustices of this episode if only to ensure lessons are learnt and such folly in avoided in the future, as I fear the real perpetrators will walk away weighed down by their ample spoils. As much as it grates the Right, people such as me will continue to fight this corner and attempt to get our voice heard.
Although like Gelernter I also agree that the core debate should be about the resolution of this conflict and the future stability of Iraq, this must take precedence. We must ensure we minimise the horrific loss of life, and only then can we think about getting Mr. Rumsfeld’s head on a spike…
Bush asks us to stay with him for the long haul, not to show weakness and to display our resolve, but where is the strategy that will solve the ongoing insurgency? Ok if we are to look forward where is the policy from Messer’s Bush and Rumsfeld that will deliver victory for the Coalition forces?
With almost 2,000 coalition forces now dead we have every right to demand accountability from our ‘elected’ leaders. This is our right. Bush is no King; he is merely a Politician and therefore will be held to account. I do not accept the argument that Bush was held to account during last years election. The Whitehouse suppressed a great deal of information about the War and now the info has been released, the American public feel justifiably they have been duped.
Take the Pat Tillman disgrace, a high profile recruit; the Army were keen to use Tillman as a poster boy for their recruitment drives. Tillman a promising pro-footballer was hailed as a beacon of heroism and patriotism and was lionised by the Bush administration. His fellow Army Rangers shot dead Tillman while on patrol in Afghanistan on 22 April of last year. The Army -although in full knowledge of the real incident- claimed Tillman was killed in a fire fight against terrorist forces. Tillman received a posthumous Silver Star and Purple Heart and his story was used as pro-Bush propaganda during the election.
Now the family of Tillman have spoken the truth outlining the lies and political exploitation used by the Bush team. The American public now see for themselves the lies that have been used to deceive them on about the war.
We should indeed look forward and resolve the mess we have created, but we must also learn from this mistake and ensure elected leaders cannot again lie and deceive their people and push a country into war. The American and British public are seeing their sons and daughters die for a war that was not necessary. Far from delivering safety, the war is enflaming hatred and providing a battleground for the recruitment and training of ever more Mujahideen (little different to the Soviet occupied Afghanistan). So yes we have every right and need to criticise our leaders.
There are few if any members of congress with children fighting in Iraq. It is left to the children of the American public (most among the poorer social groups) to fight for this misguided ideology. Bush ensures military recruiters have access to school records through his No Child Left Behind policy, which refuses funding to schools who withhold student data and contact details from Army recruiters. Parents are finding military recruiters are aggressively pursuing their children offering ever-tempting -although often not forthcoming- enticements to sign up. Parents demand the right to protect their children from someone else’s war.
The continued mismanagement by Donald Rumsfeld has also been one of the main tragedies of this war; he has proved arrogant and inept. Bush must forgo his ridiculous obsession with his own perceived righteousness and remove the bungling Secretary for Defence; only with a new strategy can the coalition forces ever make sense of the battle.
So I’m sorry but we must continue to highlight the injustices of this episode if only to ensure lessons are learnt and such folly in avoided in the future, as I fear the real perpetrators will walk away weighed down by their ample spoils. As much as it grates the Right, people such as me will continue to fight this corner and attempt to get our voice heard.
Although like Gelernter I also agree that the core debate should be about the resolution of this conflict and the future stability of Iraq, this must take precedence. We must ensure we minimise the horrific loss of life, and only then can we think about getting Mr. Rumsfeld’s head on a spike…
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