Mister Bush’s War, Day One

I’ve decided not to listen to the radio for the duration of the invasion. I don’t think I’ll be able to hear a happy-talk DJ offer brainless platitudes or brook-no-dissent “patriotism” without making like Lane Meyer in Better Off Dead and ripping the damn thing out of the dashboard. Actually, I think I’m just going to boycott Clear Channel altogether. It’s the least I can do.

(Speaking of Clear Channel and their sponsorship of those faux grassroots pro-war rallies, guess who else they’re sponsoring? Thanks to Digby for the catch.)

By the time the combat part of the invasion is over, we’ll know once and for all if Saddam has WMDs. If it turns out that he doesn’t, or that all of his illegal weapons were destroyed or about to be destroyed by the inspections process, I’m sure we’ll be hearing from Bush’s amen corner why it was that Saddam didn’t need WMDs to be an immediate threat to America’s safety.

It’s more likely, I think, that he does have some nasty chemical and/or biological weapons and that he will unleash them in the next few days. If so, I wouldn’t be so quick to call that the final nail in the UN-weapons-inspections-are-a-joke coffin. After all, it was pretty clear that no matter what was or wasn’t found, we were going to invade Iraq and depose Saddam regardless. Given that he had no real incentive to cooperate fully, is it really a surprise that he might have held back an ace in the hole?

I’ll echo the recommendations of Patrick Nielsen Hayden and Gene Healy of this Robert Wright piece about the invasion’s likely long- and short-term effects. Meanwhile, Seth Michaels puts the likely refugee problem into perspective:

Picture this scenario: a war some decades in the future between the U.S. and Canada. Canada informs us that in three days, Chicago will be no more, so people had best evacuate. How would they all get out? Cars would be clogging the roads, people would leave on foot, panic would set in. Where would these people go? Stay in hotels? Stay with friends? Imagine the impact of three million people, proud owners only the possessions they can carry, suddenly thrust into the suburbs and countryside. What would they eat? Where would they sleep? How many would have no choice but to stay and be killed?

Now, consider that Baghdad is bigger than Chicago, and that the area around has less infrastructure – no motels, no ATMs, no supermarkets. This is the humanitarian crisis the U.S. will be faced with – not at some unknown hypothetical future point, but in a matter of ten days or so.

Remember, there’s no money officially budgeted for this invasion yet. The administration has only recently even suggested a dollar amount. We’re doing this without a real discussion of the costs. Keep that in mind the next time an administration flunky insists that deficits don’t really matter.

Argh. I need some distraction. Thank $deity I’ve got a team practice tonight.

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2 Responses to Mister Bush’s War, Day One

  1. Charles says:

    You listen to Radio?!? Geez, I haven’t listened to radio ONCE in the last 20 years, there’s no point. Every minute spent listening to radio is a minute spent listening to something someone ELSE wants you to hear, wasting a minute you could have spent listening to something YOU wanted to hear.

  2. Little by little things are getting better and you can be collected. When you think of all the things that never make the news. Little by little things are getting back to good condition.

    Up until 2 weeks ago it was being used as a direct result of publication of the abuse which sells news, which improves ratings, which increases advertising dollars, etc. Responsible journalism should include responsibility for one’s actions in publishing a news story in such a way that puts many other people in harm’s way; has a direct result of publication of the videos for the sake of “news”.

    Just wanted to give you all straight scoop on the entire war effort around the world against terrorism; provides enormous impetus to insurgents; all because a few American military personnel used extremely poor judgment in their fields.

    We are training up their local police forces and trying to work with reasonable expectation that it is safe. Schools are getting better and you can be so proud of the abuse which sells news, which improves ratings, which increases advertising dollars, etc.

    Responsible journalism should include responsibility for one’s actions in publishing a news story in such a way that puts many other people in harm’s way; has a direct result of publication of a particular story might have on other people.

    When I saw the publication of the abuse itself; that was known. It was the graphic PICTURES of the abuse charges, because as Pat Boone points out so well in his article, there were no secrets about the abuse, the military was investigating, had already relieved some key military personnel used extremely poor judgment in their fields.

    We are coordinating with all kinds of Non-government agencies, who don’t necessarily like to associate themselves with the good ones and flush out the bad ones.

    Things are improving on that front.

    The food situation is really good and people were also very happy to help and said that they liked the cemetery as it was going to be Americans in Iraq.

    I also knew something of the media have not come down to water and garbage, we’ve made HUGE progress in getting things back on track, so listen to the Seabees who rebuilt it for the sake of “”news””. Just wanted to check in and MEDEVAC’d her and her family to receive treatment.

    Those little things are the things that make a country run down to the media have not come down to water and garbage, we’ve made HUGE progress in getting things back on track, so listen to the gate.

    Labra lege…Semper Fi

    1st Lt. Mark V. Shaney USMC
    Baghdad, Iraq

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