Promises, promises. Iraqi readers, ask the Native Americans about “broken treaties and unfulfilled promises.”
Factor in this report from Left Coaster (via Memeorandum):
… The Washington Post reports today that the administration won’t ask for any more reconstruction funds for Iraq, telling the Iraqis they’re on their own now, and that others can clean up George’s mess, and step forward to finish the job that we started.
I’m sure this will go over well in Iraq and will do a lot to convince others in the Arab world of our good intentions. It sure will make Karen Hughes’ job more interesting, huh? In reality, Bush doesn’t have the political support here at home anymore to throw billions at Iraq when our own country is crumbling all around us. But he and the GOP will still want to declare victory next November anyway. (Emphases mine.)
… with these bright bits of news from Juan Cole:
Dec. 30: Iraq Petroleum Production “Suffocating”: Bahr al-Ulum
An informed observer writes: Reuters reports that“average exports in November fell to 1.21 million barrels a day – the
lowest level since at least November 2003 – and down from 1.24 million
barrels per day last month,” indicating that something may be seriously
wrong. … read all
Jan. 2, 2006: Guerrillas Target Police all over Iraq
with 13 Car Bombs on New Year’s Day
Over 2 Dozen Casualties … A major refinery went back online, but a pipeline was bombed early Sunday. … read all
And we get this?
P.S. We won’t save any money though. The billions going to Iraq will shift to fat-cat contracts for Louisiana and Mississippi. (Got any other ideas? I’m just guessin’.) And the everyday Iraqis? Their oil production is down. So the money to rebuild will come from where? (Iran, Russia, China, says sjct) Hey, that’s their problem (Mahmoud “Call Me Crazy” Ahmadinejad). Our corporations made out like bandits … amusing phrase, that.
(Andrew Sullivan writes that “THE ABANDONMENT BEGINS …” and SimianBrain Blog high-fives him with “Principled Iraq war supporter Andrew Sullivan says the abandonment has begun, responding to this Washington Post piece …” And the Heretik pens “From the People Who Brought You the Slam Dunk in Iraq …” It’s the darndest thing though: Michelle Malkin and her minions haven’t piped up.)
Thanks to Other Lisa for sending the cartoon by the Seattle PI’s David Horsey.
The elections didn’t turn out the way the Neocons wanted so this may be a ploy to pressure the newly elected Iraqis to bend over and be more accomodating. But, I wonder if Iran or Russian or China might be willing to loan money to Iraq in exchange for oil rights. Bushco really fucked up if we’re not even getting oil out of this lousy war. Maybe they’ve been telling the truth all along — it wasn’t about the oil; it was about profits for Haliburton and the Carlye Group.
Well, par for the course. Everything that dubya touches turns to feces. Always has and always will. It is his carma or whatever. He is just one damn cowboy..all hat and no cattle. he has always depended on others to bail him out. Why would this be any different? I will never be so glad to get rid of him once and for all.
Oh yes, I am very sure China and Russia will be greatly happy to help them out…maybe even I ran will be helpful in all this feces. George has always been the biggest f**k up. He will never change.
I ran + Iran…
These antagonistic poicies are deliberate, not the result of incompetence.
I think you are right on, on that one. I just get so damn angry with him and his methods. He is truly evil…
I’ve been hammering away at the same theme since Bushco first launched their attacks in the Middle East.
Peace and stability and security are not the goals of Bush and the Neocons in Iraq.
They want instability an conflict until the entire region is destabilized in order that they may then find a way to seize control of all the energy reserves there.
Everytime there’s even a hint that something might be improving, Bushco sets about to inflame new outrage with some other egeregious act. This fuel price hike is just one such example. They have to make sure the Iraqi public remains volatile, and this will surely accomplish that.
They’ve been using this tactic since the very beginning and there’s absolutely no reason to think they’re going to change.
Security and stability are the enemy of the Bush agenda.
You got that one right!!!!!!!
Whenever people suggest these wild-eyed ideas it should benoted that they don’t know. They’re guessing, you’re guessing. In a democracy, free society with a free press you shouldn’t have to guess what the goals of the government are. This is the case now however because everything is being thrown under the big umbrella of National Security.
Do you think it’s a “wild-eyed guess” that BushCo is behaving in a way that seems to deliberately undermine any opportunities for improved relations in the Middle East that might lead to more co-operative efforts toward the common good?
Can you cite even one verifiable action or policy this administration has implemented vis a vis Iraq or the broader Middle East in general that has had a net positive effect?
Can you name a single improvement that has taken place in Iraq that has made life better for anyone overall?
I may be guessing, but I think I’m engaging in informed speculation based on verifiable information. I am always looking for someone to show me some fact-based information that refutes my perspective, and I’m still waiting.
I realize the absence of exculpatory info doesn’t automatically make my views accurate, but don’t we all have the ability to analyze events around us in order to determine what is likely to be true or not, rather than just throwing up our arms and lamenting that things aren’t the way they “should be”?
I’ll make another wild guess. We don’t have a free press or a functioning democracy or a free society.
I agree with what you are saying. My point was the fact that what you see as being the policy of this administration, the United States of America, is NOT the stated policy of the administration and so you are forced to research, dig, speculate and conclude as to what the real policies are. That doesn’t seem like the trait of a free and open society with a free press.
If the highest powers in the land say, “our goal is to spread democracy” then that should be the goal. The populus shouldn’t have to parse those words (which should be straight foward) to know the truth or to come to a reasonable conclusion of the true goal of the government.
I’ll make another wild guess. We don’t have a free press or a functioning democracy or a free society.
I think you get it
I’m appreciative of your clarifying what you meant.
And you are right of course. If we had a government that understood it’s only legitimate reason for existence was to serve the people it governed, we wouldn’t have to deconstruct their lies to arrive at the truth.
Sadly, I doubt there’s ever been a government so puire in the history of the planet. By their nature governments inevitably are corrupted by the power they weild, and this iswhy revolution is a cyclical necessity in the evolution of humankind.
so, when do we declare victory and bring the troops home? I’ve been overseas for 3 weeks sans regular net acess please help me out here, Whatever happened to the “we’re staying the course” movie?
2006 should be very interesting, especially the 1st quarter.
Oh that movie. Well, it got cancelled and we are now to review a new one! Dont know the name of it just yet, but I am very sure it wont be long till we find out.
The next movie will be named Syria or Iran, or it might be a double feature. At least this is what the neocons want anyway, though I believe they’ll not be able to prevail over the resurgent influence of the Carlyle group crowd and their rationalist allies in big business and politics.
The neocon agenda is now turning out to be bad for the oil business and bad for big business, and so I think they’re going to find it much more difficult to expand their war than they think.
Syria or Iran? Say it ain’t so.
In the dark of night Syria is a rendition friend but in daylight well, er it’s a whole nudder story.
As for Iran, now I’m no general but air power, if that’s what we’re betting the farm on, didn’t do much good in that other place called I-rak. I’d be concerned about those Persian trojan horses waiting to settle a certain score from the 80s.
The idea for attacking syria or Iran has nothing todo with such attacks being “successful” as far as achieving some sort of victory is concerned. the goal of such attacks is simply to further stir things up and further enrage the indigenous populations, spurring them on to violence.
More conflict is the goal, not less.
that’s our president!
Been there. Seen that. Vietnam again.
If we had ever accepted that we had lost in Vietnam and analysed why we had lost, we would probably never have gone into Iraq in the first place. I wonder but severely doubt if we will accept that we lost and analyse why in Iraq. I just await the next naive military adventure destined to utter failure.
.
SusanHu your Juan Cole links do not work …
Note that the 20-30,000 employees of South Oil felt impelled to start a web site and write letters opposing privatization. Three southern Provinces have opposed and apparently have refused to implement the Gasoline Price Program forced on Jaafari by the IMF.
“Any extra barrel for this country, I encourage it, providing the interests of the Iraqis are kept,” said Jabbar A. H. al-Ueibi, director general of the government-owned South Oil Company. “We should work day and night to increase our production.”
An official of the Oil Ministry in Baghdad told ISN Security Watch, on condition of anonymity:
“We do not know the exact quantity of oil we are exporting, we do not exactly know the prices we are selling it for, and we do not know where the oil revenue is going to.”
● Top Dog Wolfowitz – President of the World Bank
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
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