There are numerous scandals plaguing the Bush administration. For instance:
–The Downing Street Minutes reveal an administration plan to fix the facts around the administration ideology.
–Both the 2000 and 2004 elections have been questioned due to irregularities.
–There is a massive conflict of interest in the government’s awarding of numerous contracts to Halliburton, including most recently, the $30 million deal to expand the prisons at Guantanamo, when Vice President Dick Cheney was the former CEO of Halliburton and still collects benefits.
The Iraqi government has obviously fed off the modeling that the administration has provided. A report by a commission set up by the Provisional Authority has found 814 cases of corruption triggering 399 investigations and 44 arrests.
Some examples:
–Garbage-hauling contracts that were five times as expensive as the previous contracts.
–Contracts for phantom building projects.
–Kickbacks for illegaly steering public contracts to private management.
–Overpricing on ambulances purchased from Canada.
Just another example of your taxpayer dollars going down the drain.
In other news:
Is Syria next? White House accuses Syria of stoking violence in Lebanon.
UN requests visits for prisoners in Guantanamo.
General Abazid contradicts Rumsfeld; even Lieberman admits public opinion tipping away from war.
Jaafari insists progress being made in face of mounting attacks.
Newsday feature article on Downing Street Minutes.
Experts: Bush will have difficulty regaining support for War in Iraq.
More analysis of growing insurgent weapons sophistication.
As Americans, we have little history, and in some places, nothing is older than 5 years. Also, we haven’t yet had an official aristocracy (though we are getting close). Iraq was a cradle of civilization: Ur, Nineveh, Babylon, Akkad. Its not as if everything was going swimmingly and out of nowhere Saddam came in and ruined everything. He was psychologically no different than any other despot they have had there since Gilgamesh! The only new wrinkle he brought to the table was a nominal socialism and a penchant for Joe Stalin and the Godfather.
The middle east is like a neighbor hood that has been taken over by crime and drug use. Nothing good can grow there unless you are willing to wipe the slate clean. As with Christianity in Europe, Islam must decline in the Middle East before they can modernize. If you think its bad in small town Kansas, or small town Alabama, Iraq is much, much worse. Gay rights? You’d be killed by your own family. Women’s rights? You have the right to remain silent and illiterate! Freedom of religion? Let’s be serious. Iraq is a hellhole, not because of Saddam or Bush or anyone in particular. It is hell because of its people and its necrotic culture.
All this is a great case for pulling out, by the way. Even under the rosiest scenario, Iraq will not modernize for generations. Did the American people sign up to babysit Iraqis for the next 50 years? Are the people willing to pay the price in lives and money? No. For the love of all that is good, let us pull out.
I would highly recommend Riverbend Blog, A Family in Baghdad (Faiza), and Dahr Jamal. But I agree that they should solve their own problems and not depend on us. Barbara Boxer made the point that if we didn’t develop an exit plan, the Iraqi government would depend on us for security and never develop a plan to provide for their own security.