dr. elsewhere here
...and a pocket comb.
W's cluelessness continues to boggle the mind; the gift that keeps on taking away, our soldiers, our money, our integrity.
His claims that Dems have no alternative plans are just so ridiculous. Doe he not even guess how ridiculous he is??
Months ago, before life sort of swooped me along like a frail autumn leaf, I ran across a real plan.
This plan is so well-considered, so thoroughly thought-through (now that's an odd-looking phrase), and so profound in its fundamental premise, it takes the breath away.
I ran across this plan in Harper's last October, and honestly (I swear, really) had begun a post that would outline in some detail for all of you the various aspects of it. It's such a thing of beauty.
This is the plan that McGovern & Polk have laid out in Out of Iraq, and they shared a synopsis of it in the Harper's article. Many have written about why it won't work (just google it; tons), but if you look it over, I think you'll be impressed with the care that was taken to consider most angles.
The first thing that impressed me was that they recognize the need for the American government to cop to the errors and even the illegality of what has happened. That being the case, we are then responsible for doing the right thing on so many levels.
We pull out, gradually, and only after another regional peace-keeping force is in place. And we fund it. We fund the mission and the reconstruction. And they estimate the costs of every piece of it, and in total, the cost of this plan is far cheaper than what we're forking out for this godforsaken nightmare.
McGovern was on with Keith tonight, and Keith asked him a bit about the plan. He also has a great piece in The Nation (his address to the National Press Club) that amounts to an interrogation of Bush. It's pretty amusing and extremely satisfying.
In any case, having seen the Senator tonight, I was reminded of my intent to share that article with readers all those many weeks ago now, so there it is. So whenever anyone tries to tell you there are no plans but Bush's, you can smirk and say "Voila."
With a French accent, of course.
6 comments:
The McGovern/Polk plan requires association with nations such as Syria. Realistically, soldiers from Iran would have to enter to counterbalance the personnel from Sunni countries. That situation would be fine by me -- but might it not set the stage for region-wide conflict?
At any rate, I certainly agree that what is needed is humility. A far deeper show of humility than this administration can dare allow. Bush thinks that humbleness equals weakness in Arab eyes. At this point, though, only humility can overcome the perceptions of arrogance and ignorance.
What is really needed is a Gandhi. A King. An Anug San Su Chi. Someone who can command that sort of moral authority. Someone who can command respect. Someone who can demonstrate that peace does not mean the compromise of principle.
And we just don't have a player like that in this game.
They don't make statesmen like George McGovern anymore. In his prime he was worth a dozen of today's Democrats, and a hundred of today's Republicans.
way back, way before this forsaken war, there was a General with a plan. He got canned by Brainiac Bush. Bring that General back. He is the only man ever with a plan.
anon, any general with a plan when this started still could not have averted what is happening now. this was inevitable by our very hubris in taking on the 'preventive' action.
joseph, i honestly don't agree that having iran and syria, and saudi arabia for that matter, involved would necessarily lead to regional warfare. these guys have been in discussions, and they have a highly vested interest in keeping the region sage, ESPECIALLY TO KEEP US OUT OF THERE. that agenda would unite these folks like nothing else, especially if there is a reasonable and fair solution to oil revenues distribution, which the mcgovern includes. as for humility, well yeah. sometimes it seems so obvious, but then reality reminds you....
and unirealist, absolutely; mcgovern is a mold breaker. he's such a fine man.
Well, Saudi Arabia did want us out of there. Now they want us to stay, or at least not to leave quickly. Saudi Arabia does not want to have to place its own soldiers in Iraq.
It's odd, isn't it? When we Americans think of Arab culture, we think of men on mounts carrying rifles and swords, exemplifying the military virtues. That's the image we get from movies. And yet -- how often do nations in that region fight?
Sigh!
I could write pages, explain the culture, the history, the obstacles, the political realities, the economic issues that favor and put restraints on the region.....(as an immigrant from ME with a bit more info if not knowledge)
but I could not make more sense to this audience than Tom Englehardt did in his recent article called "George Bush's crusading Scorecard" at TomDispatch.com
He nails it...really...
I'd like to hear opinions!
Post a Comment