Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community

Confused

by Muons
Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 12:09:44 PM EST

Is anyone else as confused as I am about who Bush is supporting in Iraq: Sunni or Shia? Let's see: US support for Maliki's Shia government is OK, but Iran's support for Shias isn't. The Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who is least likely to be aligned with Iran, is our enemy. But the most likely Shia cleric to be aligned with Iran, al-Hakim, is our friend. Chalabi, who's a discredited friend of Iran, remains our friend. But it's the foreign jihadists operating under bin Laden's direction in Iraq who are our real enemies--so things are becoming clearer. Even though there were even fewer of them in Iraq before we invaded. But we killed Zarqawi, who was a Salifist and not really a true blue al Qaeda, so things got better until they got worse. And Bush thinks Muqtada al-Sadr will attack Detroit any minute, even though he's not al Qaeda, which is predominately Sunni. The Saudi Wahabists are still our friends even though they're [unofficially] supplying Iraq's Sunni militias, who are killing US troops.

I'm sooooo confused.
Leslie

Confused | 18 comments (18 topical, 0 editorial, 1 hidden)

Re: Confused (4.00 / 7)

You may title the piece "confused," but your post belies a lot of knowledge of what's going on.

Say, what's Chalabi doing these days? Still hanging around the Oil Ministry?

Hickok: "You know the sound of thunder. Can you imagine that sound if I ask you to? Ma'am, listen to the thunder."

by susanhu (susanhuatearthlinkdotnet) on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 12:34:36 PM EST

Re: Confused (4.00 / 8)

Hi Hickok,
Would you believe Chalabi is still in charge of the de-Baathification program.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/01/14/chalabi-still-in-charge-of-de-baathification-in-iraq/

by Muons on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 12:42:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Confused (4.00 / 6)

Whoops, hi Sue! Thought Hickok was your signature.

by Muons on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 12:43:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Confused (4.00 / 5)

true that. The diarist has the people right.

by BooMan on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 12:45:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Confused (4.00 / 5)

So today I saw something about the Saudis preparing to possibly send in troops of their own to protect the Sunnis that are supposed to be our enemies. So, are we going to fight our "friends" the Saudis? Or would that just be "friendly fire."

You're right, it's very confusing.

by RandyH on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 01:40:08 PM EST

Re: Confused (4.00 / 3)

...just imagine if you didn't speak the language and couldn't tell any of them apart. Now that's confusing.

by RandyH on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 01:43:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Confused (4.00 / 3)

What is happening in Iraq is not a civil war. It's a holy war, and it's been going on for 1,375 years. Equally confusing is how a self-professed "evangelical Christian" with an occupying army thinks he can bring about an end to such an old conflict. Didn't work the other times.

Sir Cumspect

by Sir Cumspect on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 02:21:34 PM EST

Re: Confused (4.00 / 3)

Hi Leslie. Good to see you over here posting your great words. You and all of us are somewhat confused as to what is really going on. I simply do not think this government of ours knows what really is going on either!

by BrendaStewart (stormyweather1@hotmail.com) on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 02:24:24 PM EST

Re: Confused (4.00 / 4)

Hi Brenda,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. No, Bush has been in Iraq for most of his time in office and he still doesn't have a clue. Yet he wants to expand the war into neighboring Iran and Syria. Frightening as hell.

by Muons on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 02:33:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Confused (4.00 / 3)

Leslie, what do you think he will do? Will he or won't he done the unthinkable? What do you predict that America will do then?...to their fearless leader.

I am solidally behind any one who thinks they have the answer to put a solid stop to this action we see before our very own eyes.

by BrendaStewart (stormyweather1@hotmail.com) on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 02:52:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Confused (4.00 / 3)

Brenda,
McClatchy's Joseph Galloway has an article up at Common Dreams about some of the things that are likely to happen if Bush does expand the war into Iran. And Bush is pushing for war. The unthinkable is possible.

I believe that the only thing stopping Bush is you and I. We've got to speak out, write, call, email our representatives and demand they stop the war in Iraq and prevent any expansion of war with Iran and Syria.

by Muons on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 03:19:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Confused (none / 1)

I'm all for that, but you and I and Brenda have a long way to go before Bush see's us as a threat. I think the only thing that will stop him is the military and economic defeat of America.

"green grass and high tides forever"

by supersoling (colorsplash62@optonline.net) on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 10:16:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Confused (none / 1)

...or a self inflicted gunshot as he sits in his bunker.

"green grass and high tides forever"

by supersoling (colorsplash62@optonline.net) on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 10:18:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Confused (4.00 / 3)

Dazed and confused.

Just read what the neocons are saying: bomb Iran. They have GWB's and Cheney's ear.

by Frank Cocozzelli on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 03:21:08 PM EST

Re: Confused (4.00 / 4)

Hi Frank,
Wouldn't it be great if the Constitution allowed Congress to remove Bush and Cheney through a "no confidence" vote?

by Muons on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 03:46:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Confused (4.00 / 5)

I'm afraid it's even more confusing than that.

Bush is for democracy and a unified Iraq, but against Sadr, one of the few nationalist leaders. Bush is for unification but supports the two Kurdish leaders who want to ethnically cleanse the north and keep the oil for themselves. Bush is for the Kurds but against them when they launch attacks over the border in Turkey but is for them when they launch missions in Syria and Iran.

Bush is anti terrorism but is for anti-Iranian terrorists (MEK) but he's against the Sunnis except for when the Saudis fund and support them. Bush is anti-Shi'ite except for when he's pro-Hakim and SCIRI but he's also anti-Iran except for when he's pro-SCIRI.

Bush is also against Shi'ites when they're Syrian except for when he sends innocent Canadians (Maher Arar) to be tortured for him. Bush is also anti-Syrian except for when Syria allows some 200k Iraqis to live as refugees and also Bush wants the Syrian Shi'ite elite to control its Sunnis and especially the border with Iraq but Bush meanwhile is sandbagging peace talks between Syria and Israel.

Bush is against crime except when he's putting a known terrorist (Allawi) and his first cousin (Chalabi), also a convicted criminal, into positions of power. Bush is against having former Ba'athist officials holding positions of power except when he asks Chalabi to support it.

Bush is also against permanent military bases in Iraq except for when he's building them. And Bush is also for Iraq to sell more of its own oil except for when they might sell it to China or Russia.

Bush is also against weapons of mass destruction and crimes against humanity if Saddam does them but is for them if it happens in Fallujah or other cities when the Americans do them.

Bush is also for families sacrificing their children for the "noble cause" in Iraq except for when his own adult children are graduted from college.

Etc, etc., etc.

Night and day you can find me Flogging the Simian

by soj on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 03:58:08 PM EST

Re: Confused (4.00 / 6)

Oh, this could be a long list:

Bush is against selling arms to Iran, except when the Pentagon sells them.

Bush is against nuclear proliferation [in Iran, North Korea], but for it when we're talking about developing and testing new nukes and nuclear deals with India.

Bush is against bombing North Korea because they have nukes, but for bombing Iran because they want them.

by Muons on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 04:07:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Confused | 18 comments (18 topical, 0 editorial, 1 hidden)

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