To All-
"But I trusted in the competence of the Bush administration"
Andrew Sullivan utters these words in his blog-
http://www.andrewsullivan.com/index.php?dish_inc=archives/2005_06_19_dish_archive.html#1119457911109
78597
I saw this and thought, "This is the sound of a thoughtful
conservative who sees the error of the rush to war." But then the 2nd thought
creeps in.
"What, leading up to the war, made you think they were competent?"
Before 9/11 and during the run up to the Adventure, we had ample examples of
incompetence, wishful thinking, Ivory Tower intellectualism, suppression of
truth or scientific findings, shoving aside any person who questions Admin
"facts", cloaking decisions in secrecy, Admin infighting and lack of
coordination, Unilateralism...etc.... . All the characteristics the "thoughtful" conservatives decry in
post Invasion planning were right there in front of them, and all of us, from
Jan. 2001 on.
<more>
Because of BushCo's evident incompetence, when the Iraqi Adventure was proposed,
I and several of us opposed the shift of resources from the Real Enemy in
Afghanistan to the Straw Man in Iraq. Unless it could be proved to be an al
Qaeda style danger, then leave him until the realists get in power.
Remember, before 9/11 both Powell and Rice were saying Saddam was no problem
and bottled up. Then a couple of months later, he is a direct and imminent
threat to the Continental US? Drones spraying bio weapons? "Mushroom" clouds?
No, it was obviously a put up job.
Now the argument has shifted to, "He was a bad man and a danger to his
people." Well, take a number, the world is full of them. But this question
has to be asked. If a worldwide coalition had successfully defeated al Qaeda
and addressed the problems of Afghanistan, while leaving Saddam alone for a
couple of years, would they not then be in a better,
military/diplomatic/economic position to go to the Middle East and force
necessary changes, with strong diplomacy backed by the demonstrated military
might? And while thousands died under Saddam, would not the tens of thousands
of dead and maimed Iraqis still be alive and whole instead of victims of
Bushism? Not forgetting the thousands of American soldiers and the pain of their families.
So instead of addressing the Middle East from a position of strength, we do so
in weakness. Pakistan, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Palestine...all see
the US tied up in knots in Iraq, Al Qaeda has reformed, Afghanistan is still a
mess, and bin Laden works on his tan. The world looks on the US with wonder
at the stupidity demonstrated by the Bush Admin in military, diplomatic,
science and economic affairs; seeing that it has essentially left the world
stage while China rises, Russian democracy is damaged, North Korea builds
bombs, Europe flounders, Africa bleeds, .......
So when Sullivan, McCain, Hagel, Biden, and all the others begin to question the current Admin and its ability to manage a corner store, not to mention rebuild a country where the idea of nationalism and "War" was first developed 5000 years ago....then I can only shake my head and wonder, "What did you expect?"
In years to come, historians will write volumes about the wounds perpetrated
by this Admin on the citizens of the United States.
Yours-
Ridge Cook