Rou
Ranting. Raving. Screaming at the stars!
Jun/23
2005
2005
Quagmire
For what must be the millionth time, our beloved Defense Secretary has rejected the assertion that Iraq has become a quagmire. Personally I’m starting to become more and more confused about this.
Let’s look at the definition:
quag•mire
n.
1. Land with a soft muddy surface.
2. A difficult or precarious situation; a predicament.
Now, I would assume that anyone with any familiarity with the Middle East can easily recognize the entire region is a difficult or precarious situation, even before we decided that Iraq was a threat to our national security. And to be as kind as I can be, our actions in Iraq haven’t exactly made the entire place any less complicated in general. If I focus on Iraq specifically, I think it’s obvious to EVERYBODY that this is not just a minor problem we’re dealing with.
So this leads me to one of three conclusions. Either 1) Rumsfeld doesn’t know the definition of the word quagmire, but refuses to look it up and see its obvious application to the situation in Iraq or 2) he’s totally kept out of the loop on the situation, to the point where he doesn’t even turn on FOX News, or 3) he’s got the mental capacity of Terry Schiavo.
Sadly I’m not sure which of those is true. Nor am I entirely certain which one is worse.
Wake up and smell the shit you’re shoveling. It’s a fucking wreck over there, even by the best accounts. The people are better off, and in a few years the country may actually stabilize. But to insist that it’s not a quagmire now is incompetence of the worst sort. It’s an attempt to undermine the will of the people by feeding them bad information and refusing to admit the truth.
Don’t look now, but the emperor is naked.
3 comments
Comment from: Abba Zabba [Member] 
No, no, no. You've got it all wrong. See, the insurgency is in its last throes. The number of attacks is increasing, and they're becoming more sophisticated and deadly as well. That's clear evidence that the insurgency is almost over.
Really, we're in a great situation. If there are more attacks, that's evidence that the insurgents are becoming more desperate, and that the insurgency will soon end. But if the number of attacks drops, that's evidence that our troops are successful, and the insurgency will soon end. It's a win/win situation!
(NOTE: The Bush administration also said that the insurgency was in its desperate last throes when power was handed over to the Iraqi government, and again around the election. But this time, they mean it!)
Really, we're in a great situation. If there are more attacks, that's evidence that the insurgents are becoming more desperate, and that the insurgency will soon end. But if the number of attacks drops, that's evidence that our troops are successful, and the insurgency will soon end. It's a win/win situation!
(NOTE: The Bush administration also said that the insurgency was in its desperate last throes when power was handed over to the Iraqi government, and again around the election. But this time, they mean it!)
06/24/05 @ 09:26
Comment from: u235 [Member]
This administration has worked under the same premise from the very beginning, from the first campaign until today... quite simply if you can stick with the same lie then you don't need to justify your position. Even if the lie is so very blatant that it's staring you in the face.
This applies to all aspects, the war being the most obvious and most costly. Reason, logic and science have no place in our current inquisition-esque government. In fact it becomes so comical at times (the government position that abstinance is more effective than condoms in terms of preventing aids, that mercury has no real negative impact on children, that there is no need to pay attention to global warming, etc.) that you can only laugh.
At this point America has become a global embarassment. China is actually better repsected than we are in the international forms. But if you think about how and why he got elected (on the I'm stupid like you platform) it would be apparent that the Americans that elected him have no interest or desire for international acceptance, if anything we cultivate exactly the opposite - the international punk, bully, brat. And the more our President cultivates this image, the happier he is. "Fuck 'em" is our motto.
As depressing as this seems I'm certain that history will eventually reveal what a low point this is for our country. I can only hope that eventually the stupid people that elected him will realize that a stupid president isn't a benefit to anyone.
This applies to all aspects, the war being the most obvious and most costly. Reason, logic and science have no place in our current inquisition-esque government. In fact it becomes so comical at times (the government position that abstinance is more effective than condoms in terms of preventing aids, that mercury has no real negative impact on children, that there is no need to pay attention to global warming, etc.) that you can only laugh.
At this point America has become a global embarassment. China is actually better repsected than we are in the international forms. But if you think about how and why he got elected (on the I'm stupid like you platform) it would be apparent that the Americans that elected him have no interest or desire for international acceptance, if anything we cultivate exactly the opposite - the international punk, bully, brat. And the more our President cultivates this image, the happier he is. "Fuck 'em" is our motto.
As depressing as this seems I'm certain that history will eventually reveal what a low point this is for our country. I can only hope that eventually the stupid people that elected him will realize that a stupid president isn't a benefit to anyone.
06/24/05 @ 11:57
Comment from: strobe [Visitor]
By the time that happens, the people electing the stupid president will be too old and infirm to vote, and we'll have a whole new round of stupid people not learning from history...and thus electing their own stupid people.
Of course, that may be me, while my kids grow up wondering why I voted for some stupid idiot. :)
I can understand when people elect officials and they do something unexpected, or even accidental, to tarnish a reputation. Sadly, nothing Bush has done has been surprising...and when you have a youngin' like me able to have said 5 years ago that Bush's foreign relations experience is non-existent and will hurt him and the US...well, that's just plain obvious and stupid.
Of course, that may be me, while my kids grow up wondering why I voted for some stupid idiot. :)
I can understand when people elect officials and they do something unexpected, or even accidental, to tarnish a reputation. Sadly, nothing Bush has done has been surprising...and when you have a youngin' like me able to have said 5 years ago that Bush's foreign relations experience is non-existent and will hurt him and the US...well, that's just plain obvious and stupid.
06/25/05 @ 01:04
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