What is it good for? Absolutely nothing! (cont.)
By Thoreau
Greenwald reminds us that those who rationalize the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them. When Leon Panetta says that the cost of the Iraq War was “worth it”, he’s saying that a six digit civilian body count is acceptable to the United States. And yet we dare to tell ourselves that it’s the Arabs who have a strange savage culture that does not value human life? Look in the mirror, Leon. Every Arab out there right now is justified in asking “Where are the moderate Americans who condemn this violence?” (Answer.)
So, they gave us blood, blood, gallons of the stuff, and what did they get exactly? Well, they got a country in which an arrest warrant has been issued for one of the Vice Presidents (fortunately they have 2 VPs, just in case), either because he’s a terrorist (bad, bad news) or because the guy in charge is planning to consolidate power by locking up rivals (bad, bad news). They got a country that is even less safe and less stable than the one they had prior to the war. They got a country in which millions have been displaced, some internally and some externally. They also got themselves the largest US Embassy in the world, with a massive mercenary army that will probably find itself doing something or other besides guarding the perimeter. So, um, yeah, worth it? WTF?
If we can tell ourselves that this atrocity, this unforgivable crime, is somehow “worth it”, then we can do it again. And we will. I don’t know where, but we will.
Comment by Keith Beacham —
December 19, 2011 @ 11:16 am
I assume that there is considerable distance between what Mr. Panettta believes and what comes out of his mouth. As fun as it may be to imagine ( a Def. Sec. giving a realistic assessment of a costly and unsuccessful military campaign) the political fallout is not likely to produce an outcome you would be satisfied with.
Comment by Barry —
December 19, 2011 @ 11:34 am
““Where are the moderate Americans who condemn this violence?” ”
But did you:
denounce it enough times?
Loudly?
In great detail?
Unapologetically?
Did you k*ss Likud’s *ss while doing so?
yadda yadda neocon yadda:)
Comment by Uncle Kvetch —
December 19, 2011 @ 11:54 am
So I guess part of the “price” that was “worth it” was whatever residual credibility the US foreign policy apparatus might have had before its own people and before the world. To Panetta and all those who agree with him, it’s “worth” dragging the country into a war of choice on blatantly false pretenses if the People Who Know Best say it’s worth it.
In another 2 or 3 or 5 years when all Washington is abuzz about the imminent threat posed by the crazy mullahs, there will still be a few of us who will remember the massive public relations machine that brought the world Operation Suck On This. Probably too few, I fear.
Comment by Happy Jack —
December 19, 2011 @ 12:26 pm
I like to comfort myself by thinking of the millions who were saved from the gruesome death of being stuffed into a plastic shredder.
Shouldn’t forget those who got their hands on those pallets stacked with cash, either. I’d think they would say it was net worth it.
Comment by Kolohe —
December 19, 2011 @ 1:58 pm
“a Def. Sec. giving a realistic assessment of a costly and unsuccessful military campaign”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/world/26gates.html
Comment by Keith Beacham —
December 19, 2011 @ 2:20 pm
Parting shots excepted.
Comment by Kolohe —
December 19, 2011 @ 4:31 pm
Fair point.
Comment by The Truffle —
December 21, 2011 @ 9:45 am
Operation We’re Doing the Bidding of Project for a New American Century triggered my inner BS detector from the very start. As in: “Since when is Bin Laden in Afghanistan, anyhow?”
Keith, I’m hoping you’re correct and this is just Panetta being diplomatic and playing politics. Given the fallout when Harry Reid said the Iraq War was lost, who could blame him? I mean, Reid inspired Malkin to play cheerleader. Who wants THAT again?