Ignore the Useful Idiots: We are Winning in Iraq

[-Cp]

Ignore the Useful Idiots: We are Winning in Iraq
February 15th, 2006



Americans increasingly lack patience and perspective. A pastor I know used to call this a “microwave mentality.” We think everything should be as easy as heating a burrito in a convenience store. Push a couple of buttons and two minutes later, lunch is ready.

This form of luxury, as great as it is and as thankful as I am for it, spoils a free people and gets them accustomed to living in a life of comfort and expediency. So, if I can order a pizza and have a guy five miles away have it at my front door in thirty minutes, shouldn’t this “Iraq thing” be stable in the same amount of time?

Our capitalist economy has enabled us to enjoy comforts beyond the wildest dreams of our founders. The media, Useful Idiots of terrorist groups everywhere, come into our living rooms and show smoke rising from bombed out cars, talk of more servicemen dying, and make a subtle effort to get you to believe that this war effort is either wrong, failing, or both. And of course, they don’t feel obligated to keep the story in perspective by reminding us of the improvements in the lives of ordinary Iraqis.

Let’s put it in perspective for the Useful Idiots, then.

The world is an evil, hostile place. Tyrants are ready to sacrifice millions of lives to get their way. They hate us for our freedom, our prosperity, and the example we offer to their own oppressed people.

War is sometimes a regrettable necessity. Bumper stickers that proclaim “war is not the answer” are simply wrong. Unfortunately for the utopians, war is almost always the answer when you are dealing with evil tyrants who respect nothing but force and whose ambitions are boundless. Another idiotic bumper sticker says, “If you want peace, work for justice.” If you want justice, spread freedom. As long as the free world winks at tyranny, there will always be injustice.

Since the end of the Ottoman Empire, when the British victors of the First World War carved out the nation of Iraq, the people of this ancient land have known nothing but coups, tyranny, revolution and fear.

First the Useful Idiots predicted mass body bags for the liberation. That didn’t happen. Then they predicted low voter turnout in the January 2005 elections because of the fear of terrorist retaliation. That didn’t happen. Then they predicted low voter turnout for the election in fall of 2005. That didn’t happen. Then they predicted disaster for the December 2005 elections. The turnout was far better than most western nations.

The record of the Useful Idiots isn’t very good with these predictions.

For the first time since Saddam took power, the rape rooms and torture chambers are gone. The brutal secret police do not terrorize ordinary citizens. Media in Iraq are free to criticize the government, schools are open, hospitals are open, oil production is back up and running, and the Leftists in Iran, Syria and Egypt are taking notice. Why don’t you know about these things? Because the Useful Idiots are too busy making sure you know about the latest car bombing and the Marines that died in the ordeal.

The biggest threat to our success is this bad reporting. Take note, America.

The Useful Idiots have no interest in the American people getting the whole story, just the parts that are deemed relevant by them. If the Useful Idiots succeed in breaking the resolve of the American people and cause a premature pullout, and this war does turn into Vietnam redux, the blood of not only American Servicemen, but of hundreds of thousands or millions of innocent Iraqis deemed traitors and apostates by the thugs entering the power vacuum, will be all over the hands of the media and the antiwar Left.

The most troubling aspect to me is how the American public – in fact, our culture as a whole in this day and age – view battlefield casualties. The United States of America – its citizenry, mind you, definitely not its warriors – cannot effectively fight another major war if the deaths of brave warriors are turned into an argument against pressing on to victory. Iraq has been a three year operation resulting in 2000 battlefield fatalities, liberating 26 million people from the clutches of a tyrant. If 2000 deaths can send the public into hysteria, how will we fare if we face a determined enemy willing to sacrifice on the scale we saw in World War II, when battlefield casualties ran into the millions?

Our World War II generation was an example for those that followed. As thousands died on the battlefield, the American public kept everything in perspective. I really doubt this generation’s ability to do that, based on the reaction to the reporting of the Useful Idiots over the last three years. And based on our microwave mentality.

If I am right – that based on the hysteria over the cost of Operation Iraqi Freedom, maybe Osama is right, that we don’t have the stomach for the fight – God Help Us.


Jeff Hale

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5249

 

[dilloduck]

Ignore the Useful Idiots: We are Winning in Iraq
February 15th, 2006



Americans increasingly lack patience and perspective. A pastor I know used to call this a “microwave mentality.” We think everything should be as easy as heating a burrito in a convenience store. Push a couple of buttons and two minutes later, lunch is ready.

This form of luxury, as great as it is and as thankful as I am for it, spoils a free people and gets them accustomed to living in a life of comfort and expediency. So, if I can order a pizza and have a guy five miles away have it at my front door in thirty minutes, shouldn’t this “Iraq thing” be stable in the same amount of time?

Our capitalist economy has enabled us to enjoy comforts beyond the wildest dreams of our founders. The media, Useful Idiots of terrorist groups everywhere, come into our living rooms and show smoke rising from bombed out cars, talk of more servicemen dying, and make a subtle effort to get you to believe that this war effort is either wrong, failing, or both. And of course, they don’t feel obligated to keep the story in perspective by reminding us of the improvements in the lives of ordinary Iraqis.

Let’s put it in perspective for the Useful Idiots, then.

The world is an evil, hostile place. Tyrants are ready to sacrifice millions of lives to get their way. They hate us for our freedom, our prosperity, and the example we offer to their own oppressed people.

War is sometimes a regrettable necessity. Bumper stickers that proclaim “war is not the answer” are simply wrong. Unfortunately for the utopians, war is almost always the answer when you are dealing with evil tyrants who respect nothing but force and whose ambitions are boundless. Another idiotic bumper sticker says, “If you want peace, work for justice.” If you want justice, spread freedom. As long as the free world winks at tyranny, there will always be injustice.

Since the end of the Ottoman Empire, when the British victors of the First World War carved out the nation of Iraq, the people of this ancient land have known nothing but coups, tyranny, revolution and fear.

First the Useful Idiots predicted mass body bags for the liberation. That didn’t happen. Then they predicted low voter turnout in the January 2005 elections because of the fear of terrorist retaliation. That didn’t happen. Then they predicted low voter turnout for the election in fall of 2005. That didn’t happen. Then they predicted disaster for the December 2005 elections. The turnout was far better than most western nations.

The record of the Useful Idiots isn’t very good with these predictions.

For the first time since Saddam took power, the rape rooms and torture chambers are gone. The brutal secret police do not terrorize ordinary citizens. Media in Iraq are free to criticize the government, schools are open, hospitals are open, oil production is back up and running, and the Leftists in Iran, Syria and Egypt are taking notice. Why don’t you know about these things? Because the Useful Idiots are too busy making sure you know about the latest car bombing and the Marines that died in the ordeal.

The biggest threat to our success is this bad reporting. Take note, America.

The Useful Idiots have no interest in the American people getting the whole story, just the parts that are deemed relevant by them. If the Useful Idiots succeed in breaking the resolve of the American people and cause a premature pullout, and this war does turn into Vietnam redux, the blood of not only American Servicemen, but of hundreds of thousands or millions of innocent Iraqis deemed traitors and apostates by the thugs entering the power vacuum, will be all over the hands of the media and the antiwar Left.

The most troubling aspect to me is how the American public – in fact, our culture as a whole in this day and age – view battlefield casualties. The United States of America – its citizenry, mind you, definitely not its warriors – cannot effectively fight another major war if the deaths of brave warriors are turned into an argument against pressing on to victory. Iraq has been a three year operation resulting in 2000 battlefield fatalities, liberating 26 million people from the clutches of a tyrant. If 2000 deaths can send the public into hysteria, how will we fare if we face a determined enemy willing to sacrifice on the scale we saw in World War II, when battlefield casualties ran into the millions?

Our World War II generation was an example for those that followed. As thousands died on the battlefield, the American public kept everything in perspective. I really doubt this generation’s ability to do that, based on the reaction to the reporting of the Useful Idiots over the last three years. And based on our microwave mentality.

If I am right – that based on the hysteria over the cost of Operation Iraqi Freedom, maybe Osama is right, that we don’t have the stomach for the fight – God Help Us.


Jeff Hale

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5249

 

[dilloduck]

1 Island--60 miles long--463 square miles--3 months

Killed on Okinawa

American Soldiers - almost 12,520 people
Soldiers from Mainland - almost 65,908 people
Soldiers from Okinawa - almost 28, 228 people
General Inhabitant - almost 94,000 people

Total

200,656 people

(conservative estimate)

http://www.virtualokinawa.com/about_okinawa/articles/battle.html

 

[musicman]

Great post, CP - and your new graphic ROCKS!

 

[Nienna]

Excellent piece.

 

[Mariner]

it's very difficult to get a balanced view of what's happening in Iraq. I wish more reporters and newspapers devoted themselves to broad, balanced coverage.

On the other hand... several things the writer says don't make sense:

1. He shows inadequate respect for the journalists who are risking their lives in Iraq to bring us information. If he's so sure it's safe in Iraq, tell me, which street in Iraq could he walk down, unarmed? It's been clear for a while that even the "Green Zone" is hardly safe. 4 children and a half-dozen adults were blown up yesterday, in an apparent attack on a liquor store instigated due to fundamentalist prohibitionism. If he's so sure that reporters are biasing things negatively, there's nothing to stop him from going to Iraq and filing more positive reports rather than dissing those who actually go there as "idiots."

2. There's an important reason that the media has been generally critical of our progress in Iraq that he completely leaves out: many journalists have been feeling shamed by their failure to inadequately question Bush's oh-so-secret rationales for the war, for swallowing the "slam-dunk" rhetoric, which turned out to be nothing than a bunch of discredited baloney about aluminum tubes and uranium, along with fake intel from Chalabi, Curveball, etc. As a result, they're being more careful to scrutinize administration claims of progress. They're dealing with a president who was so naive about the political situation in Iraq that he claimed "Mission Accomplished" fully 3 years ago.

3. Although the MSM has not been perfect in bringing us positive news, they've not been awful either. The New York Times, for example, runs a regular feature which shows the progress in detailed graphical form--growing circles show progress in pumping oil, bringing basic services, etc. Basically, this is a glass half-full vs glass half-empty type of situation--you can choose how you want to see it. But we're far behind any kind of schedule or prediction Rumsfeld and Bush were making 2-3 years ago. Oil production, for example, has yet to attain pre-war levels, something that was supposed to happen long ago, and only a couple of thousand Iraqi troops are up to leading difficult missions, per the Defense Dept.

4. The writer ignores the fact that most of Saddam's crimes--100,000+ Kurds gassed to death--took place prior to Bush 2, prior to Dick Chency doing business with Saddam, and prior to Clinton. I'm as happy as anyone that Saddam is gone, along with his torture apparatus and Ba'ath party. Good riddance. But it's disingenuous to paint a picture of vast criminal activity right up until Bush invaded. In fact, your chance of dying as an Iraqi is higher since our invasion than before.

5. There's a reason people are not happy about military deaths in Iraq. That's because of the steadily mounting evidence that Iraq was a bait and switch ploy which distracted us from chasing the real bad guy--Osama bin Laden--and may have made us less secure not more (via the creation of ~200 new insurgency and terrorist groups and the vast drop in mainstream Muslim support for the U.S. following the invastion). If we were losing a few thousand soldiers in battles with Al Qaeda in Pakistan that would be one thing. Losing a few thousand in search of an idealistic plan to end tyranny and spread democracy to the entire Middle East is too much even for some Republicans (e.g. Reagan's speechwriter Peggy Noonan and Bush 1's Brent Scowcroft). I fervently hope Bush's plan succeeds (and have promised to vote Republican in the next election if he does), but it's clear he's bitten off a lot--perhaps more than he can chew.

Mariner, aka "useless idiot," as I'm sure someone will be quick to call me.

"If everyone's thinking the same thing, someone's not thinking"

 

[dilloduck]

it's very difficult to get a balanced view of what's happening in Iraq. I wish more reporters and newspapers devoted themselves to broad, balanced coverage.

On the other hand... several things the writer says don't make sense:

1. He shows inadequate respect for the journalists who are risking their lives in Iraq to bring us information. If he's so sure it's safe in Iraq, tell me, which street in Iraq could he walk down, unarmed? It's been clear for a while that even the "Green Zone" is hardly safe. 4 children and a half-dozen adults were blown up yesterday, in an apparent attack on a liquor store instigated due to fundamentalist prohibitionism. If he's so sure that reporters are biasing things negatively, there's nothing to stop him from going to Iraq and filing more positive reports rather than dissing those who actually go there as "idiots."

2. There's an important reason that the media has been generally critical of our progress in Iraq that he completely leaves out: many journalists have been feeling shamed by their failure to inadequately question Bush's oh-so-secret rationales for the war, for swallowing the "slam-dunk" rhetoric, which turned out to be nothing than a bunch of discredited baloney about aluminum tubes and uranium, along with fake intel from Chalabi, Curveball, etc. As a result, they're being more careful to scrutinize administration claims of progress. They're dealing with a president who was so naive about the political situation in Iraq that he claimed "Mission Accomplished" fully 3 years ago.

3. Although the MSM has not been perfect in bringing us positive news, they've not been awful either. The New York Times, for example, runs a regular feature which shows the progress in detailed graphical form--growing circles show progress in pumping oil, bringing basic services, etc. Basically, this is a glass half-full vs glass half-empty type of situation--you can choose how you want to see it. But we're far behind any kind of schedule or prediction Rumsfeld and Bush were making 2-3 years ago. Oil production, for example, has yet to attain pre-war levels, something that was supposed to happen long ago, and only a couple of thousand Iraqi troops are up to leading difficult missions, per the Defense Dept.

4. The writer ignores the fact that most of Saddam's crimes--100,000+ Kurds gassed to death--took place prior to Bush 2, prior to Dick Chency doing business with Saddam, and prior to Clinton. I'm as happy as anyone that Saddam is gone, along with his torture apparatus and Ba'ath party. Good riddance. But it's disingenuous to paint a picture of vast criminal activity right up until Bush invaded. In fact, your chance of dying as an Iraqi is higher since our invasion than before. Our invasion has caused 30,000 civilians lives (or more--that was Bush's own number). That's more than Saddam is believed to have killed between 1992 and 2003.

5. There's a reason people are not happy about military deaths in Iraq. That's because of the steadily mounting evidence that Iraq was a bait and switch ploy which distracted us from chasing the real bad guy--Osama bin Laden--and may have made us less secure not more (via the creation of ~200 new insurgency and terrorist groups and the vast drop in mainstream Muslim support for the U.S. following the invastion). If we were losing a few thousand soldiers in battles with Al Qaeda in Pakistan that would be one thing. Losing a few thousand in search of an idealistic plan to end tyranny and spread democracy to the entire Middle East is too much even for some Republicans (e.g. Reagan's speechwriter Peggy Noonan and Bush 1's Brent Scowcroft). I fervently hope Bush's plan succeeds, but it's clear he's bitten off a lot--perhaps more than he can chew.

Mariner, aka "useless idiot," as I'm sure someone will be quick to call me.

"If everyone's thinking the same thing, someone's not thinking"

you dumb shit---our invasion didnt "cause" all those civilian casualties and since when did you even give a shit about Iraqi civilians? :chains:

 

[musicman]

"There's an important reason that the media has been generally critical of our progress in Iraq that he completely leaves out: many journalists have been feeling shamed by their failure to inadequately question Bush's oh-so-secret rationales for the war...".

Mariner

And what, pray tell, will be the MSM's rationale for it's steady drumbeat of defeatism when the awful truth about WMDs comes out - to wit: they existed?

 

[Mariner]

If and when that happens, it will be very interesting indeed. For one thing, it might force the completion of the investigation into the administration's use of intelligence, which the White House has successfully stalled for years now. The operative question will be--if they were real, how come our intelligence was so bad that we didn't know where to find them, and how come our military planning was so bad that we let them get away?

Mariner.

 

[rtwngAvngr]

If and when that happens, it will be very interesting indeed. For one thing, it might force the completion of the investigation into the administration's use of intelligence, which the White House has successfully stalled for years now. The operative question will be--if they were real, how come our intelligence was so bad that we didn't know where to find them, and how come our military planning was so bad that we let them get away?

Mariner.

Nobody cares.

 

[musicman]

The operative question will be--if they were real, how come our intelligence was so bad that we didn't know where to find them...

Perhaps because President Bush inherited a CIA that was little more than a festering remnant of Clinton cronyism and criminal incompetence. Do you deny that he is paying a political price for his determination to fix that train wreck of an organization? Between the CIA and the NYT, it's as if Bush were living in an enemy camp!

Actually, I think the operative question is, when can we expect Democrats to say, "Gosh, it was wrong, and politically opportunistic, of us to impugn the President's motives and integrity. We apologize for calling him a liar, and deeply regret undermining the efforts of our brave military. We have no doubt made their work harder and more dangerous; we are certainly responsible for increased casualties by having emboldened our enemies. We suck."

...and how come our military planning was so bad that we let them get away?
Mariner.

Our military is great, Mariner, but it's not omnipotent. There is a limit to the number of miracles it can perform simultaneously. One of our board members has, as his sig, a quote from Gen. Robert E. Lee, on the true worth of second-guessing - particularly by the media. I'll see if I can find it for you; it applies here.

 

[musicman]

As promised:
___________
"Why, it appears that we appointed all of our worst generals to command the armies and we appointed all of our best generals to edit the newspapers. I mean, I found by reading a newspaper that these editor generals saw all of the defects plainly from the start but didn't tell me until it was too late. I'm willing to yield my place to these best generals and I'll do my best for the cause by editing a newspaper." -- Gen. Robert E. Lee

Kudos to CSM, USMB board member.

 

[Mariner]

quote, Musicman. I agree, if WMD's turn out to be real, all the doubters will owe Bush a huge apology. I don't agree that dissent at home emboldens the enemy. On the contrary, I think it's an awesome advertisement for the American way of speaking one's own mind. I can just imagine how puzzling it must be to Islamists to see a society where we are permitted--even expected, as part of being a citizen--to critique our gov't.

Mariner.

 

[dilloduck]

quote, Musicman. I agree, if WMD's turn out to be real, all the doubters will owe Bush a huge apology. I don't agree that dissent at home emboldens the enemy. On the contrary, I think it's an awesome advertisement for the American way of speaking one's own mind. I can just imagine how puzzling it must be to Islamists to see a society where we are permitted--even expected, as part of being a citizen--to critique our gov't.

Mariner.

That would be great EXCEPT when the libs critique the government it isn't as if some poor dude blurts out some risky but personal opinion. It's a whole shitload of wackos echoing the party lie (typo but I like it) as the biased press presents it to them. No courage in that. No creativity. Free speech isn't parroting.
Check your history ---the N Vietnamese relied on American dissent as a valuable too to ensure an American pullout.

 

[musicman]

I agree, if WMD's turn out to be real, all the doubters...

Not "doubters", Mariner - "power-hungry, backstabbing sociopaths who thought nothing of announcing, to friend and foe alike, that the President of the United States was a liar and a murderer". It's a subtle distinction, to be sure - but one that must be made.

will owe Bush a huge apology.

Do you think he'll get it?

I don't agree that dissent at home emboldens the enemy.

Ah - "dissent' - another term possessing subtle shades of meaning. There exists a line that - once crossed - degrades dissent into a naked quest for power, and hang right and wrong, damn public safety, and screw the blood of American soldiers. Democrats know all about this line; on the wrong side of it rests their template for the acquisition of power. Damn THEM.

On the contrary, I think it's an awesome advertisement for the American way of speaking one's own mind. I can just imagine how puzzling it must be to Islamists to see a society where we are permitted--even expected, as part of being a citizen--to critique our gov't.

Mariner.

Try to kid me all you want, Mariner - but don't kid yourself. If you would measure Islamist "awe" over freedom of speech, look at Denmark. Our enemies - past and present - interpret the tolerance of dissent as evidence of our weakness and stupidity. Weak and stupid Democrats only add to their fervor, offer them hope, and guarantee more American bloodshed.

 

[Gunny]

quote, Musicman. I agree, if WMD's turn out to be real, all the doubters will owe Bush a huge apology. I don't agree that dissent at home emboldens the enemy. On the contrary, I think it's an awesome advertisement for the American way of speaking one's own mind. I can just imagine how puzzling it must be to Islamists to see a society where we are permitted--even expected, as part of being a citizen--to critique our gov't.

Mariner.

Poppycock. Totally lame. You are ignoring logic and cause/effect to justify your continual criticizing of anything Bush and/or his administration.

It's as good for the enemy's morale as it is bad for ours.

 

[Mariner]

GunnyL, you'd have to show some particular Islamist was emboldened by my particular posts here on USMB.

So, who was it?

More seriously, I do see the point that we can look like a softer enemy if we 1. dislike casualties, and 2. openly critique our leadership. But I dislike the alternative even more--that we should become blind sheep nodding our heads at whatever our leaders do. That's totalitarianism.

Besides, at this point it's hardly only Democrats or peaceniks criticizing Bush's Iraq plan--take a look at the piece I just posted by Francis Fukuyama, an eminent neoConservative who now says he can't support his own movement in its Bush version.

If 60% of the country no longer supports the war, I guess we're a majority-traitor nation... ?

Musicman, if any of Bush's original WMD assertions turns out to be true, I will mail an apology to the White House and cc it here. I have nothing personal against Pres. Bush (in fact, he's warmed my heart with his recent statements on oil and science, and his gradual movement away from skepticism on global warming).

Mariner

 

[musicman]

Musicman, if any of Bush's original WMD assertions turns out to be true, I will mail an apology to the White House and cc it here.

Mariner

For my part, you needn't cc it here unless you feel strongly about doing so. You've never given me reason to doubt your word.

I'll even dive in with you. If ANY ONE Democrat politician or mainstream journalist will admit that his attacking President Bush over the WMD issue undermined the war effort and further endangered our soldiers, I will post on USMB that there remains a glimmer of hope for those interchangeable entities: the Democrat Party and the mainstream media.