Even neoconservatives now accepting defeat in Iraq
David Frum was one of the leading neoconservative advocates of the invasion of Iraq. The former Bush speechwriter is a true believer, having co-authored a radical neoconservative book with Richard Perle entitled An End to Evil: How to Win the War on Terror, which — according to its publisher — “calls for the United States to overthrow the government of Iran, abandon support of a Palestinian state, blockade North Korea, use strong-arm tactics with Syria and China, disregard much of Europe as allies, and sever ties with Saudi Arabia.”
But in a strikingly candid essay on his National Review blog yesterday, Frum all but admits that the U.S. invasion of Iraq has been a failure, and says that the only realistic goal we can hope to achieve is preventing Iraq from becoming a training ground for Al Qaeda — a goal which was already achieved, of course, prior to our invasion.
Frum now admits that the sectarian civil war will rage on until Shiites assert total dominion over Baghdad and all of Southern Iraq, at which point “Baghdad – and therefore central Iraq – will in such a case slide after Basra and the south into the unofficial new Iranian empire.” About this result, Frum admits: “The consequences for the region and the world will be grim.”
How long do you think we’ll have to wait for an apology from the neo-cons for screwing up… well… just about everything they put their hand to?
And then making the rest of us pay the bill for their screw-ups?
Thank goodness the American people rallied around Social Securitt or that would also be another +trillion dollar bill from this failed experiments in conservatism.
Pekuliar has summed up the neocon delusion neatly:
[Paraphrasing] “The Prez’s approval rating isn’t due to his administration’s consistent, massive incompetence, and generally anti-American philosophy. No, it’s due to the high gas prices! The glorious leader can do no wrong, it must be because those stupid, coward American’s can’t see beyond the end of their gas bill!”
Of course, the logical error he has made is in confusing correlation with causation. Gas prices, as currently set, are essentially set not by some scientific or market based process, but rather on fear. The more afraid people are of the international situation, the higher the gas price goes based upon some nebulous possibility of future calamity. Of course, this fear is, in fact, largely based upon the aforementioned incompetence, so even accepting your theory, Pekuliar, the Administration carries more blame for the gasoline situation than any other involved party. And, before you think it, I say this not from the perspective of someone who feels sorry for murderers and kidnappers, but rather one who is interested in achieving some semblance of victory. The truth will set you free, my friend. Embracing it is more conforting than embracing your chains, I assure you.
Pekuliar –
If we went into Iraq, the world’s fourth largest producer of oil, “just for oil”, then why did we simultaneously pull out of Saudi Arabia, the largest producer?
GregAllen –
You think Social Security as it is now is a “success”?
Doug –
a rerun of Vietnam – the same revisionist history. failure was not the fault of the people who got the US into the war
That would be the French and JFK and LBJ, of course. 🙂
Greg Allen –
It’s obvious that you are not happy with the war in Iraq, but what else have the “neocons” “screwed up”?
Ha! “all but admits.” That means he didn’t admit it. So where’s he accepting defeat?
I hear sheep.
Frau IBC
…but what else have the “neocons” “screwed up”?
Comment by Frank IBC — 7/29/2006 @ 7:48 am
The short list:
the war on terror,
justice,
airport and airline security,
loss of tech jobs to offshore non-allies,
stem cell researched,
consumer protections,
health care,
protection from predatory drug pricing,
global warming
STOP, your 60 seconds are up.
the problem HERE, comes with the idea, that NOTHING has value until SOMEONE is willing to pay for it.
The Major corps are seeing this, and learning to control EVERYTHING.
If a city is willing to take MAjor money for a rescource(greater then operating costs to gain) the city makes money for other services(IT THINKS) but then the corp, Raises CHARGES to the consumer to HAVE access to a Utility that should have been Cheap or free in the first place.
the problem is that we dont have the REGULATIONS we used to have, to control WHAT IS/IS NOT a controled rescource. Everything can NOW be Privatized.
Think about the idea that had recently, to Privatize social security.
think about a corp that ALWAYS wants to make money, thats ALSO trying to give money away. It dont work, and they would want MORE coming IN, and less going OUT. Social security ISNT a profit making business, unless you can control WHOM can be considered, retired or disabled, and THEN have a RIGHT to take money from THOSE that are trying to save FOR retirement or in case of disability.
At this time, you can make ANYTHING a commodity for resale.
There are to many Electric companies that make MORE money Buying and reselling Electricty, then MAKE the electricity. 80% of the power made ISNT made by an electric company. Its made by others, and the company buys the OPTION for it to be generated, then resells it to OTHER states, 2-3 times before it ever gets used. they are selling something that hasnt even been generated yet. and the consumer ends up paying MORE in the buying and selling, then he does in the MAKING of the electricity.
the Electric company HERE is abit pissed, as SOMEONE built a Windmill plant, and ACCORDING to federal law(as I have read it) they MUST purchase it at a PREMIUM rate. This makes it hard for them to resell. consider that DAMs were NOT made by the Electric companies, but were built by the Corp or engineers and by the Federal government. Electric companies CHARGE you to bring it TO YOU and for Maintenance of the power lines. by the time they Sell, and buy BACK the power 2-3 times, the price starts going up, and up and up.
35. Correct. Except for the French – DeGaulle warned us not to get into that snake pit. And lets not forget all the GOP cheerleaders for the policy, too.
The “we stand down as they stand up” used to be known as “Vietnamization.”
And Social Security is a resounding success. Poverty in old age has been massively reduced from what it once was. With some tinkering (ie raising the income cap on taxation), the SocSec trust fund will be fine indefinitely.
SS, was fine until SOMEONE opened the Gates to the general funds, and making SS USEABLE from it.
SS is OWED ALOT of money from the general fund.
Its about 40-80 BILLION OWED to it, from the general funds.
>protection from predatory drug pricing,
Umm, predatory pricing is when companies lower their prices to make a competitor bankrupt. You’re complaining that drug pricecs are too low!
>ie raising the income cap on taxation), the SocSec trust fund will be fine
It won’t. Raising the tax doesn’t change the spending side. The trust fund is a myth. The government takes in money each year and psends it on all sorts of things. Raising the tax just means the government will take in more money now, but it will still have to come up with more money later.
What’s new? These cocky self-serving ignoramuses are constantly spouting out their BS with supreme confidence while ignoring many facts that are staring them in the face. ie. Global warming. They force their selfish ill-concieved policies on the public with blatant lies only to reply “oops, how could we have known?” that our approach could have been so destructive and without mitigation. The unexplainable part is how these reckless decisions don’t ever have an impact on their confidence to make more or at least be more open minded and consider all the evidence rather than just those bits that support a pre-determined point of view. Unfortunately, policies that have no major beneficiaries are policies without a “voice”.
It’s so hot… why it’s almost as hot as it was 700 years ago… On a planet that is over 5 billion years old.
So what if it’s July.
You’re a moron if you think the campaign against “global warming” has no beneficiaries.
Doug:
And Social Security is a resounding success. Poverty in old age has been massively reduced from what it once was
Post Hoc /= Propter Hoc.
Are you suggesting that India is not an ally of the USA, Mr. Effusion?
Frau IBC
I was referring to China specifically, however I really wonder if India is an ally of the US. Have you checked out where the majority of computer parts are made today?
Now I noticed that you have only one qualm with that VERY short list. Why don’t you give us a list of what the neo-con Congress and Shrub have done to make us a stronger country? Ooopps, I forgot. You are very good at challenging and questioning others, but not so good when it actually comes to posting FACTS.
How about dropping the Kyoto treaty, so that jobs and factrories can stay here, instead of giving even more advantages to India China and Africa?
Tax cuts. Millions of new jobs. Missile defense.
I’m not sure why you throw out neo-con for everything. You’re lumping in lots of people into that word who wouldn’t associate with it. It only applies to foreign policy, and maybe some social policies like crime, though even that was 20 years ago.