In a curious move, the Bush Administration is now refusing a demand from the duly elected Iraqi government for a date of withdrawal. It appears that we are not done rescuing the Iraqis — no matter what the Iraqis may think. So it appears that a continued open-ended occupation now opposed by a majority of voters, a majority in Congress, and a majority of Iraqis will continue until the White House is satisfied. It appears that all that business about the freely elected government was simply aspirational.
State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos issued the rejection: “The US government and the government of Iraq are in agreement that we, the US government, we want to withdraw, we will withdraw. However, that decision will be conditions-based.”
One condition is apparently not the will of the Iraqi people or its government. While the Bush Administration insists that it is not an “occupying power,” this decision would confirms that status. If the Iraqi government cannot demand our departure by a date certain, it would seem that we remain in the role of an occupying power.
On Tuesday, Iraq insisted that it will not consent to any security part with the United States without a date for the pullout of U.S. troops.
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Israel is the parasite and the USA is the host – is a better analogy for the Israel/US relationship.
Almost every neocon that pushed for the Iraq “war” was a Jew. From Wolfowitz and Feith and Leiberman to Kristol, Frum and Murdoch (let’s not forget Perle, Kissinger, Luttwak, Irving Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Elliot Abrams, Haass, Zoelick, Bolten, Wurmser, Adelman, Eliot Cohen…).
The aim is for the US to destroy Israel’s enemies and then to keep a “presence” in the Middle East to control as much oil as possible. The neocons who swore that Iraq was an imminent threat to Israel and the US, now say the same nonsense about Iran. And if Iran is attacked, then it will be Syria, then Lebanon, then Jordan, and once that US stooge Mubarak goes, Egypt and if it wasn’t for the fact that Pakistan has a much larger army, more skilled pilots AND enough nuclear weapons to turn Israel into a sheet of glass in 30 minutes, Pakistan would be on the list too.
Too many people are afraid of being labeled an “anti-Semite” if they speak the truth.
Rob,
Sad, but, TRUE!
Beer Hound,
I stand corrected. The U.S. and Israel do work closely together and that is more accurate than saying the U.S. does Israel’s bidding.
Best,
Jill
Oh, Beer Hound and Butters are one and the same. I have different personalities on different days.
Jill, if you can countenance such off-the-wall statetments, I feel bad.
Rob:
-“At Israels bidding.” Support this. This made it hard for me to take the rest of your comments seriously. Go educate yourself: http://www.forward.com/articles/sharon-warned-bush/
I don’t feel like addressing the rest of the points you make. They’re outrageous. And you lawyers should be able to think more subtly and stop drinkig from the kool-aid.
Rob,
You made an impressive summary of multiple dire situations. I think other countries should be very afraid of the govt. we have here, I know I am!
Jill
The US went to Iraq for oil, and at Israels bidding, it knew Saddam was not a threat, the whole weapons of mass destruction lie was a convenient veneer (when you couldnt tie him to the people who attacked you). You never went to free the people of Iraq or for any supposed progress, you went for yourselves and you allies to conquer and occupy a country that your allies didnt like and so you could fill your gas tanks.
Butters – show me the supposed progress, infrastructure destroyed millions dead and homeless even more violence (civil war is going on whether you admit it or not) than during your conquering of the country. “If the Iraqis’ demands are a serious impediment to further progress, let them jump in the lake.” Why the hell should the supposed democratically elected government and by extension the people (in theory) go jump in a lake when their wish is to get you out of their nation, don’t they have a right to decide what progress is for themselves, unless of course you are admitting they are nothing but a puppet government that you put in place, a puppet government that has no longer any intention of playing along (whoops time for another “liberation”)
Doublestd I think your syphilis has affected your brain, you aren’t a country of freedom look at what your government is doing to your supposed freedoms in gutting your ability to know the truth (FISA ring a bell). As for sitting around watching dictators come to power look in your own back yard and start there before poking your nose into other peoples business, don’t get me started on radical Islamic fronts…you’ve created more with your invasions than you could have ever prevented. “We couldn’t possibly be there to help them secure the country” no you couldn’t if you refuse to leave when they ask you. ”
You invaded (and ultimately created a civil war) based on lies for the benefits of your power elite, who aren’t there dying with you. You took control of their main asset without due process and are exploiting it for your own profit and the Iraqis get no say.
Your forces slaughter innocent civilians because they cant find the people who have the temerity to fight back against your invasion and when this slaughter is documented and brought to light the guilty go unpunished
Your “security” contractors slaughter innocent civilians at a intersection in BROAD DAYLIGHT for no good reason and go unpunished (in fact they get airlifted out of the country).
And you have the gall to question why people regard your country with suspicion and distrust and a little fear. My only hope for you is that the sane elements of your society as evidenced by a number people on this site manage to DEMOCRATICALLY take back control from the buzzards cowards and profiteers who are in power right now although with all of your candidates under the control of corporations and saying one thing and flip flopping to exactly the same position to those currently in power, my hopes for you are fading fast!
That last sentence could’ve been worded better: If the main purpose of establishing a democracy in Iraq was to ensure long term stability in the region and thereby protect our interests, we can get away with undermining the nascent Iraqi democracy at this point and still achieve our goal. We’re still occupying the country and have not fully handed control to the Iraqis. Defying them while we still have a mass of troops left from the invasion won’t inflict lasting damage on their democracy. It would be different if, say, in ten years we did as we wanted in Iraq.
No rafflaw, it’s neither. We neither went in for altruistic reasons nor solely for oil. To be sure these were factors that played a role in the final decision to go to war. But the real reason we went to war was to protect OUR interests in the Middle East. We (wrongly) perceived Saddam as a national security threat and thought that replacing his authoritarian regime with a democratic one would ensure stability in a very volatile region.
“Thumbing our nose” at Iraq’s government is perfectly fine if it serves our interests and doesn’t undermine the very government and democratic regime we seek to put into place. I don’t think it does at this point.
Most importantly, I hope Iraq reacquires it’s oil, which has again been given to large american companies in no-bid contracts.
It’s amazing how the media has turned a certain portion of Americans against their own executive branch, oh so conveniently just in time for a major presidential election.
Some of you should really be ashamed of yourselves. Is America the champion of freedom and progressive ideals? Or are we just another France, or Germany? A country who sits by, does nothing and pokes geopolitical jabs at every country/administration that tries to make a difference?
I guess we should all just sit around while dictators, and radical Islamic fronts develop throughout the world… You support our troops but not their mission. Oh yeah we’re just in Iraq for “oil”.. We couldn’t possibly be there to help them secure the country, and at the same time prevent terrorist camps from developing in a part of the world known for extremism, and which is also obviously having trouble with it’s own security. Oh no that would make too much sense. That doesn’t contain a conspiracy at the highest level of government so it couldn’t possibly be true…
Wake up, not everything the biased opinions of media heads, and people who are invested in defeat, say, is correct. Use your brain for once look around and see what’s going on for yourself.
LOL@ Martha!!!
That was PERFECT!
Seriously i’ve not seen anyone sum up the irrationality of the pro-war crowd in such a creative way and funny way ever! That was a work of pure genius!
now – if you were serious.. i’m sorry… but i can’t conceive that anyone could be so uninformed and have found their way onto the internet to post 🙂