Wednesday, September 1, 2010

OK, Let's Give "Credit" Where It's Due

Now that President Obama has announced the end of combat operations in Iraq, the neocon chickenhawks who lied us into a war with a country that had nothing to do with 9-11 are demanding "credit" be given to former Preznit Dumbya. Their main point is that the troop surge turned the tide in the war, ignoring the fact that none other than Gen. Petraeus mainly credits the Sunni abandonment of al-Qaeda in Iraq -- the so-called Anbar Awakening -- with the decline in violence. That abandonment was triggered not only by heavy losses of Sunni insurgents, but also by greasing the palms of tribal leaders with millions of dollars.

So, let's give credit to Dumbya (and his puppeteer "Vice" President, The Dick) with knowingly lying us into the war with multiple falsehoods: the Iraqis possessed weapons of mass destruction, the Iraqis conspired with al-Qaeda on 9-11, our actions would bring about a flourishing of democracy across the Middle East, etc. Of course, it's done nothing of the kind, and in fact has emboldened a more influential Iran in pursuing nuclear power. Over a trillion dollars has been spent on this misadventure, while Osama bin Laden remains at large far away. Sadder than all of these consequences is the loss of over 4,400 American lives, some 37,000 wounded Americans, and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians killed and perhaps 3 million displaced from their homes. Let's never forget who gets "credit" for that.

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