Arguing about the war in Iraq

http://julescrittenden.blogspot.com/2007/01/bad-news.html

salvage said...

16,273 Iraqi civilians, soldiers and police died violent deaths in 2006,The point you miss (deliberately? Clueless? I have no idea) is that the Lancet study looks at the overall death rate, that is deaths from just living life in Iraq. That would be the Iraq with the crumbling infrastructure, the overwhelmed hospitals and other problems thanks to the invasion. Have ya noticed the stories about the overflowing morgues in Iraq? Have ya noticed that there is at least a half dozen terrorist attacks everyday there? Have ya noticed that the government isn’t it charge? Have ya noticed that there is a stew of terrorists, insurgents, criminals and maniacs that are running rampant over there? Of course if you have your fevered ego won’t let you acknowledge it. Keep digging Sparky because these words of yours will be in cyber space forever and as Iraq continues to quagmire you and your warflogging Dear Leader lovin’ buddies are going to look stupider and stupider. Future generations will still be laughing at how wrong you got it long after we’re gone.
Jan 2, 2007 10:31:00 AM

This is a standard left-wing analysis and judgement about the Iraq situation. Unquestionbly parts of Iraqs infrastructure are crumbling; the hospitals are bad and getting worse as doctors leave the country for safer places to work; there are half-a-dozen terrorist attacks a day; the government is pretty much in charge of the Shia populace, but not really the Sunni areas; there are undoubtedly many terrorist, insurgents, criminals and blood-thirsty maniacs in Iraq- without actually getting anything significantly wrong in terms of facts, 'salvage' manages to ignore all the big picture questions. Why is the US coalition currently in Iraq? What is their mission? How easy will the mission be, and how long will it probably take? What kind of country has Iraq been? Is there a credible hope for achieving something much better for Iraq?

The crucial point of salvages analysis is why salvage makes the analysis in the first place. His motivation is writ large as soon as he gets done with the last question.

'Of course if you have your fevered ego won’t let you acknowledge it. Keep digging Sparky because these words of yours will be in cyber space forever and as Iraq continues to quagmire you and your warflogging Dear Leader lovin’ buddies are going to look stupider and stupider. Future generations will still be laughing at how wrong you got it long after we’re gone.'

And how about the people of Iraq? Will they be laughing? If their attempt to shake off their history of imperial oppression and post-imperial thugocracy is a failure, and Iraq dissolves into warring factions, or splits along ethnic and religious fault-lines, despite all attempts by the US and Britain to birth a viable secular Iraqi democracy, will anyone in the world who genuinely cares about people of other nations be laughing? Perhaps salvage and his friends will. But only them.