Iraq course bound to end badly ANDREW GREELEY

[jbfam4]

Iraq course bound to end badly

August 19, 2005

BY ANDREW GREELEY

http://www.suntimes.com/index/greeley.html

Every time our smirking, swaggering, stubborn, dishonest president promises "to stay the course" in Iraq I feel sick, especially when, dressed in a sport shirt and standing comfortably under the blue Texas sky, he comments on the deaths in Iraq. Young men and women are dying, being maimed, suffering psychological trauma which will haunt them for the rest of their lives. All the president can do is mouth cliches.

What does "stay the course" mean? At one time it meant "regime change." Then it came to mean "weapons of mass destruction," then it meant "war on terror." Now apparently it means an Iraq that is "democratic and free." Even for someone of the president's limited knowledge of history, that is nonsense. How many Arab countries are currently both free and democratic -- from Mauritania to Saudi Arabia? Not a one. Does that not suggest that it would be impossible for the United States to impose on Arab culture what we mean by freedom and democracy? In fact, how many Muslim countries can boast of Western-style civil society and democracy? Turkey, maybe, at least up to a point. Iran? Pakistan? Bangladesh? Indonesia? Does that suggest that in its present form Islamic culture is not conducive to what we mean by democracy?

Have Karl Rove and Condoleezza Rice told that to the president?

In Iraq even as the president babbles about "staying the course," the Shiite majority is struggling to create an Islamic republic on the Iranian model, more moderate, perhaps, but still a theocratic state in which the mullahs have supreme power -- and women have almost no rights at all. Indeed "staying the course" seems to mean fighting Iran's war against Iraq with Chinese money (which pays for the part of the national debt the war is piling up through the purchase of American treasury notes).

[Stand and Fight]

1. I'm always shocked by a lack of response to some threads.

The article is well-written and hits the nail on the head. I decided to post AND recommend it for "The Greatest Page" because it provides an excellent basis to confront war-mongers and Neo-Conservatives. It should be read and discussed because it presents some very valid observations. While a far cry from the perfect argument, it would lead to a more consistent and united stance on the issoe of the War -- the Quagmire -- in Iraq.

[indepat]

2. Enough to make one wonder if sagacious to wage a pre-emptive war funded

by a Communist regime. How bazaar.

[EVDebs]

3. Bush nation-building the Islamic Republic of Iraq.

Who'da thunk they'd be THAT stupid ?

[geckosfeet]

4. Good read. Puts the obvious into plain sight. Maybe even our

shithead presnit could read this and understand why the world thinks he is such a dried up turd.

The country is running on fumes and he is prancing about shouting "stay the course" and "I am getting on with my life".

Death, please bless our nation.

[silverweb]

5. Greeley's always good.

This is another column that should be shared widely.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

7. Greeley is a Catholic priest who gets it...

As soon as I saw his name on the OP title, I knew I was in for a brilliantly written argument against the war. MKJ

[hiley]

6. Good

read, thanks for posting this.
hiley

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

8. Great end of article summation...What will happen in Iraq will be very

much like what existed before Saddam came to power and eventually lead, in the name of the will of the people, to another tyrant who will rule with an automatic weapon in his hand."

MKJ

[txindy]

9. Why couldn't Father Greeley be my parish priest?

Why? I met him once and would love to listen to his sermons every week. He cuts straight to the point and makes many of his own while doing so.

[BQueen]

10. I love this mobius strip of a point

***Indeed "staying the course" seems to mean fighting Iran's war against Iraq with Chinese money (which pays for the part of the national debt the war is piling up through the purchase of American treasury notes).***

excellent read, thanks for posting.

[Daphne08]

11. The insane foreign policy of this administration was formed by

idealogues who have intelligence but lack humility and common sense.

Unfortunately, our troops and the Iraqi people are suffering for their arrogance today.

I fear our entire country will suffer for decades to come.