Hardly a day goes by when you don’t hear yet another Republican claiming that the “surge” is working in Iraq. [1] And see here [2]and here [3].
If the surge is really working, let’s see daily videotape showing Western reporters strolling freely through Baghdad’s neighborhoods, outside of the Green Zone, chatting with Iraqis. Better yet, let’s celebrate the “surge” by having a parade in downtown Baghdad. [4] Perhaps George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Condi Rice and John McCain can lead the parade. Let’s count the number of McDonald’s in Iraq. Let’s consider the number of Westerners going to Iraq for vacations. Consider, also, that strong-arming the Iraqi government to build 58 permanent military bases in Iraq. [5] That’s our long term “solution.” Isn’t that like saying domestic violence is a “solution” in an abusive relationship?
More important, let’s count the number of Iraqis who have been permanently displaced. If the surge is working, why are so many Iraqis still living in places like Syria? Consider this report from DemocracyNow: [6]
Refugees International estimates that up to five million Iraqis have been displaced since 2003. That’s one-in-five Iraqis who have had to flee their homes since the US-led invasion of their country. Two-and-a-half million Iraqis have been internally displaced, and an equal number have managed to leave the country to Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, the Gulf States and, most of all, Syria, which hosts 1.5 million Iraqis.
Consider, too, how the “surge” is working. [7] You won’t see this in the American corporate press. You’ll hear a host of lies, including lies from the mouth of John McCain. [3]
American citizens are now being conned about the “surge” just like they were conned about WMD. Here’s the truth about the “surge.” If we dared to freely publish photos from Iraq for only one week, [8]that “war” would be over and the American soldiers would be on their way home.
Print this post [9]
[10]