Crush All Boxes!

rumsfeld_saddam
Originally uploaded by jonnybutter.

Aaron Brown and Sen. Evan Bayh last night on 'Newsnight':

BROWN: But I wonder why it is that Iraqis, who, after all, we did liberate from a truly reprehensible government, why Iraqis are not more supportive, are not more helpful, are not more willing to fight for their country. It doesn't seem to me they're doing a very good job of it.

BAYH: Well, this is an example of no good deed going unpunished, isn't it?

We were temporarily welcomed as liberators, but that seemed to last for the blink of an eye. And it's irrational to my way of thinking, Aaron, and I'm sure to the American people, here, where we're spilling our blood, we're spending our treasure on behalf of the people of Iraq, but there doesn't seem to be that much gratitude.

This is reprehensible, despicable crap. Let's review, shall we?

The United States Government has been cruelly diddling the people of Iraq for 30+ years - the way a cat 'plays with' its dead or dying prey. First, it cynically 'tilted' towards Saddam in the pointless blood-lust exercise known as the Iran/Iraq war, sending him weapons and support. Then, we invaded Iraq and Kuwait, killing tens of thousands of hapless conscripts along the 'train of death' or whatever it was called. Then, we left Saddam in power, allowing him to psyche 'Stormin' Norman' out with a bad truce, including, among other things, allowing Saddam to keep his helicopters. Then, after urging the Kurds and Shia to rise up against Saddam, we did nothing to help them when they did, and Saddam used those same helicopters to slaughter thousands more (some Kurds on the killing fields said they could see US jets high in the sky observing the carnage). Then, 12 years of crippling sanctions, which - although they were improved over time - still resulted in many thousands of deaths of ordinary Iraqis, and the hollowing out of the country's infrastructure - a formally advanced country reduced to a shell . THEN, we invaded the country again, removing the government, such as it was, but having nothing to put in its place. The Americans sat behind their lines and, again, watched while what was left of the country devolved into utter chaos and lawlessness (Rumsfeld had the gall to call it 'untidiness'), and it went on month after month after month. No security, no plan. America 'transitioned' Iraq from a Stalinist, authoritarian state to no-State-at-all.

'Gratitude'!? SHAME.