Link, in which I cite aimai's excellent words about political desire versus political will:
Associated Press Iraq Bureau Chief Steven Hurst asked these questions during a journalists' forum in New York last week. The discussion focused on the challenges of covering the war in Baghdad and other parts of that civil-war-torn country."I think clearly, though, that when the United States begins to leave, if there hasn't been some sort of miraculous turnaround there -- there's no sign of that -- that there is going to be a lot of violence. A lot of violence," Hurst said. "You'll probably end up with a much more radical style Shiite-led government in at least part of Iraq, if it isn't partitioned completely. -- It's probably an outcome that had the American public known about, going into it, there would have been a lot less fervor and support for the war."
Hurst overestimates the American people's faith in the foresight of those experienced in foreign policy. Before the war, there were voices of opposition and warnings that American occupation of Iraq would lead to just the type of resentment and insurgency that began nearly four years ago -- after major combat supposedly ended.
There were voices urging caution, urging further diplomacy, urging that America back down from its belligerence and arrogance and give the United Nations a chance to work on Iraq.
Those voices were eclipsed. Those voices were ignored. Those voices were ridiculed by politicians and commentators, taunted by pro-war groups and savaged by talk radio hosts. Those voices were shouted down by country music singers who came up with patriotic lyrics about putting boots in people's asses and renaming food items in the Capitol cafeteria. Pouring French wine down sewers in front of restaurants after the French refused to get on board with our plans of shock and awe -- remember that? That's what we were listening to back then.
It wasn't that we didn't know, a blog commenter wrote after I first mentioned the forum last week. It was that we didn't care.
A.
It's that so many are rightly afraid of being the next Bobby Kennedy or Martin Luther King Junior.
Posted by: mdhatter | June 17, 2007 at 08:57
God do I love this post. I just love it.
Posted by: Tena | June 17, 2007 at 09:23
What infuriates me is when those who finally, at long last, see how wrong it was to invade Iraq, say we couldn't have known, because the intelligence was just so wrong. That is utter bullcrap. Many hundreds of thousands of us knew very well what the situation was before the invasion. Many were trying desperately to get the administration to listen to reason. Scott Ritter, one of the weapons inspectors in Iraq toured the country trying to convince people about what a mistake we were making. But, all we got was accusations, slander, and ridicule. I won't forget that.
Posted by: Hoppy | June 17, 2007 at 09:35
That's why I don't buy Hillary's lame assed "I wuz duped" defense. The signs were all there, for anybody with half a brain to see. Sorry warmongers (conservative and "liberal hawks" alike), you people goosestepped into this with both eyes open (at least John Edwards was man enough to say he was wrong to support the war), so don't give us this bullshit about "Oh, if we only could have known". Like A posted - you knew, you just didn't care.
Posted by: gene214 | June 17, 2007 at 12:21
dc water and 9/11 made for good blinders.
and now 'we' have a clusterfuck on the scale of millions of humpty dumptyies and the man leading the fixing crew is gomer hitler.
not that the teevee gnews would admit that.
Posted by: pansypoo | June 17, 2007 at 12:31
I'm tired of the "if only we had known" meme after four years of this travesty. When can the pundits and soothsayers move on to the "this criminally incompetent administration" as being the source of this disaster?
Posted by: anonymouse69 | June 17, 2007 at 13:17
And you know that it pisses off Herr Bush to no end that the French and the dirty fucking hippies were right.
Posted by: anonymouse69 | June 17, 2007 at 13:23
What infuriates me is when those who finally, at long last, see how wrong it was to invade Iraq, say we couldn't have known, because the intelligence was just so wrong. That is utter bullcrap. Many hundreds of thousands of us knew very well what the situation was before the invasion. Many were trying desperately to get the administration to listen to reason. Scott Ritter, one of the weapons inspectors in Iraq toured the country trying to convince people about what a mistake we were making. But, all we got was accusations, slander, and ridicule. I won't forget that.
Posted by: Hoppy | June 17, 2007 at 13:26
And Hoppy, let us not forget how the French were villified for being right !
Freedom Fries forever !
Posted by: MapleStreet | June 18, 2007 at 10:09
I STILL won't order "Freedom Fries" or "Freedom Toast". Stupid jerks.
Posted by: The_Other_Sarah | June 18, 2007 at 18:29