"All empires develop systems that put the blame for disasters on subject peoples". *
Now what could he be thinking of? Could he be thinking of Iraq and the "dysfunctional" government of Maliki? Clearly, it is wholly the fault of the Iraqis if they don’t embrace Western democracy. It couldn’t possibly be the destabilization caused by the presence of foreign troops. Having decided that the government is useless and corrupt and the people "traumatized" by Saddam Hussein, it now becomes the U.S to stay put until the trauma is over and the government meets our high standards.
In order to achieve this end you obviously need the huge Balad Air Base with 30,000 troops in it ( and "conveniences suitable to a Florida gated community"), and Asad Base, with 17,000 men (Camp Cupcake, so comfortable no one ever wants to return to his wife in West Virginia). These bases are clearly permanent , as is the biggest embassy in the world, and no President is going to be allowed by the military establishment to scrap them. Oh, there are several other well-appointed bases as well. Damn the views of ordinary Iraqis – – we are here to promote liberty!
The cooperative right-wing media (that is, 90% of the media) , more interested in flag pins, never queries or investigates any of this. If they get to Baghdad they nestle up to a bar in the Green Zone.
Who are the true patriots here?
* David Bromwich, London Review of Books , 10 April 2008
Last night on public TV they showed a film called “My Boy Jack”, that dealt with the ra-ra imperialist Rudyard Kipling and the death of his only son, John, in the early battle of Loos in the First World War. It shows Kipling extolling the glory of war and the necessity for all young Englishmen to defend the history and the honor of the “Greatest Empire in the history of the world” (sound familiar?). Off went John as an 18 year old 2nd Lieutenant with the Irish Guards, to be slaughtered in his very first engagement. Kipling was very famous and well-connected. Despite his son’s chronic myopia he used his influence to get him to the front, when he could have got him a more suitable job in the War Office. He effectively got the lad killed, and knew it
The American ra-ra war party has addressed this problem. No neo-conservative or right-wing columnist has his son or daughter anywhere near danger in Iraq or Afghanistan. They are no doubt wearing flag pins and sporting yellow “Support our Troops” signs on their cars, but none have volunteered. The idea of service to your country among this gang of cowards is confined to dissing politicians like Kerry, who actually fought for his country,
Despicable, but people still vote for them.
According to “American Libertarian” 13 Congressmen have sons (no daughters) serving in some capacity in the armed forces. Great proportion!
(To be fair Bomber McCain has a serving son in Iraq. At least he has some credibility)
From the blog “Political Fallout”:
“Yet when I asked these College Republicans why they were not participating in this historical cause, they immediately went into contortions. Asthma. Bad knees from playing catcher in high school. “Medical reasons.” “It’s not for me.” These were some of the excuses College Republicans offered for why they could not fight them “over there.” Like the current Republican leaders who skipped out on Vietnam, the GOP’s next generation would rather cheerlead from the sidelines for the war in Iraq while other, less privileged young men and women fight and die.”