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New GOP Talking Points

by BooMan
Sun Jul 8th, 2007 at 01:35:25 PM EST

Funny. The new right-wing argument for staying in Iraq is that it is the only compassionate thing to do. Jules Crittenden calls it Genocide Prefered...as in, the New York Times would prefer genocide to what we have now.

Dan Surber puts it this way:

The New York Times today called for U.S. troops to surrender Iraq to the insurgents and al-Qaida in an editorial, “The Road Home,” that was long on words, short on logic, and absent of heart.
In calling for abandoning Iraq, the Times has abandoned the underpinnings of liberal principles: that the government exists to protect the poor, the elderly, the infirm and women.
While I believe that government exists to protect the rights of its citizenry, I respect that contrarian position...
...Africa burns while UN blue helmets look askance and indulge themselves in child porn and petty theft. That is the Times prescription for Iraq.
The chaos would result in zero civil liberties for 25 million Iraqis. The Times clamored for extraconstitutional rights for 500 or so jihadists at Gitmo — men captured on the battlefield. Now the Times is willing to forfeit any civil justice system at all in Iraq.
What the Times proposes may be over-the-top, but it should be remembered for the Times has abandoned its principles.

The earlier talking points were focused on the incarnate evil of Muslims and how they must be killed. Now they criticize us for our lack of compassion.

When there is money to be made, Republicans will say anything.

New GOP Talking Points | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Protect women ay? (none / 0)

Interesting comment in light of the Missouri legislation Steven D. comments on below...

by northcountry on Sun Jul 8th, 2007 at 02:22:37 PM EST

Re: Protect women ay? (none / 0)

I'm not indifferent to suffering of the Iraqi people but I know we cannot sustain this effort. So we better get to facing up to the consequences of our actions.

The NYT's piece hits the correct points. Things could and probably will get much worse for Iraqis after we leave. And in the last link above you'll see a discussion of how our departure from Vietnam led to a lot of bloodshed and spilled over into a genocide in Cambodia. It's possible that we could have done some things to minimize that outcome, but staying in Vietnam was not a viable way of doing that.

And, yes, their concern for women's rights rings a little hollow.

by BooMan on Sun Jul 8th, 2007 at 02:31:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Yup, it's the hypocrisy I'm pointing too... (none / 0)

I believe withdrawal is our only option. I think it's very clear that we're heading towards another Saigon if we don't focus on developing a planned orderly withdrawal. We can't control Iraq with the troops we have now and there's no way we'll be able to control Iran, even if the plan is to just focus on the oil fields and strategic comm and transportaion points.

The other option of course is total war and a universal draft combined with nukes. We're ratcheting up pressure on China (linking Chinese arms to the Iraq insurgency through Iran & the proposed currency interventions that Clinton & Obama are proposing) at the same time we're pushing Iran to the brink.

It's the end of the world as we know it...and I don't feel fine...

by northcountry on Sun Jul 8th, 2007 at 02:58:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Protect women ay? (none / 1)

You're one of few to recognize both that the occupation isn't sustainable and that US rollback is likely to have nasty repercussions on the ground. So how about this proposal: upon withdrawing, the US admits 500,000-1m Iraqi refugees, drawn chiefly from Iraq and partly from Jordan? These should be granted residence for the duration of the civil war.

I know it won't happen, but it's valuable to identify what ought to happen even when it won't.

The world's northernmost desert wind.

by Sirocco (sirocco2005 - AT - gmail.com) on Sun Jul 8th, 2007 at 04:56:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Great Idea (none / 0)

by northcountry on Sun Jul 8th, 2007 at 05:32:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: New GOP Talking Points (none / 1)

First, Surber wouldn't know a liberal principle if it were standing beside him at the keyboard. And I certainly reject his characterization of those principles.

I remember Vietnam. No matter what happened there, victory was just around the corner to the Surbers of the time. Left to them, American troops would still be in the jungles of Southeast Asia, fighting.

It's the same for Iraq. Facts mean nothing to them, and since they are paying the butchers bill, they are willing to let other Americans die for another 10 years, in the pursuit of "victory" and a good judicial system for Iraq.

Everyone who still supports this debacle should be over there, either in uniform or as a civilian contractor of some sort. There's room for all, they need laundry clerks, dishwashers and truck drivers, not just fighters.

That these guys are still here Stateside tells the true story.

by zak822 on Tue Jul 10th, 2007 at 02:53:49 PM EST

New GOP Talking Points | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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