Talking about next to nothing

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6695005.stm

'Chancellor Gordon Brown has admitted the government has made mistakes over its handling of the situation in Iraq. Speaking at a Labour Party hustings meeting in Bristol, Mr Brown said it was a divisive issue for the nation. He said the government and others had fallen short when it came to rebuilding the country's economy after the war. Mr Brown, who becomes PM on June 27, said economic activity, employment and security were key to achieving peace.'

I sympathise with Gordon Brown. What do you say when you can't really say anything? He can't really talk to a Labour audience about any of the realities of the Iraq situation. Because of the entrenched stupidity, ignorance and vapidity of his audience, there's nothing to talk about but the least relevant aspect of events since 2003. Just because the Iraqis showed a staggering capacity for shitting on their own doorsteps, does that mean Britain, America and all the other countries who have built brand new infrastructure in Iraq only to see it blown up, sabotaged, stolen or otherwise wasted are culpable of 'falling short'? Hmmmph. I don't think so.

What Gordon Brown should be talking about is the vision of an Iraqi future where the long-standing bad habits of a brutal and sadistic nation are overcome at long last with the help of free nations. A vision of a country that combines diverse peoples successfully, has real law enforcement, a real economy, real wealth, strong institutions, real freedom and the capacity to live peacefully with its neighbors. Thats the vision that Tony Blair and George Bush have been pursuing in the teeth of opposition from virtually every point of the compass.

Of course, Gordon Brown can't mention that because his cynical audience would screech and boo and laugh. They don't believe that nations like ours can help other nations achieve what we have. They see us as a fascistic-imperialist monster devouring its hapless prey. I pity them.