Re: Hurricane Ahmed -- Mark Steyn

In article <rEnSe.158597$E95.133583@fed1read01>,
"The Chozen Few" <thechosenfew@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> "Bob Cooper" <rcooper1@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:S_ERe.7863$dm.687@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >
> > "The Chozen Few" <thechosenfew@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> > news:Y8pRe.154287$E95.52107@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >>
> >> "Bob Cooper" <rcooper1@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
> >> news:d8mRe.7765$dm.7116@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >> >
> >> > "The Chozen Few" <thechosenfew@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> >> > news:DuaRe.150760$E95.136036@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >> >>
> >> >> "Bob Cooper" <rcooper1@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
> >> >> news:iW8Re.7734$dm.307@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >> >> > Okay, folks. You've read the gloom and doom in the NYT and
> >> >> > the Washington Post, not to mention the Guardian. Now -- as
> >> >> > they used to say on Monty Python -- for something completely
> >> >> > different :>)
> >> >> >
> >> >> > ========================================================
> >> >> > http://www.suntimes.com/output/steyn/cst-edt-steyn28.html
> >> >> >
> >> >> > New constitution has something for everyone
> >> >> > August 28, 2005
> >> >> > BY MARK STEYN SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
> >> >> >
> >> >> > The constitutional wrangling in Baghdad is par for the course in
> >> >> > Iraq's
> >> >> > nation-building -- at least as filtered through the Western media.
> >> >> > As
> >> >> > the
> >> >> > deadline approaches, we read that the whole magilla's about to go
> >> >> > belly up, there's no agreement on the way forward, Washington's
> >> >> > going
> >> >> > to have to admit it called things disastrously wrong and step in to
> >> >> > salvage what it can by postponing the handover to an Iraqi
> >> >> > administration/the first free elections/the draft
> >> >> > constitution/whatever.
> >> >> >
> >> >
> >> > <snip>
> >> >
> >> >>
> >> >> > To be sure, we shouldda done this, and we shouldda done that. Yet
> >> >> > nonetheless Iraq advances day by day. The real quagmire is at home,
> >> >> > where the kinkily gleeful relish of defeatism manifested by Cindy
> >> >> > Sheehan,
> >> >> > Joan Baez, Ted Kennedy et al. bears less and less relationship to
> >> >> > anything happening over there. Iraq's future is a matter for the
> >> >> > Iraqis
> >> >> > now
> >> >> > -- which, given the U.S. media, Democrat blowhards like Joe Biden
> >> >> > and
> >> >> > Republican squishes like Chuck Hagel, is just as well.
> >> >> > ========================================================
> >> >> >
> >> >> > "We shouldda done this, and we shouldda done that." As
> >> >> > everyone with 20/20 hindsight can clearly see. And, there's
> >> >> > never any shortage of folks so equipped. LOL.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> I think that even 20/200 hindsight would be clear enough for some of
> >> >> the
> >> >> things "we shouldda done" (or not done) in Iraq since the invasion,
> >> >
> >> > True. But, 20/200 hindsight is still hindsight.
> >>
> >>
> >> Some of the mistakes were clearly mistakes even at the time they were
> >> being
> >> made -- clearly, that is, to almost everyone but the people immediately
> >> involved in making them. For instance, when Bremer put the entire Iraqi
> >> military on the unemployment line (I keep coming back to that one) soon
> >> after his arrival in Iraq, he reportedly did so against the advice of
> >> most
> >> of his in-country staff.
> >
> > I'll agree that, in retrospect, that seems to have been a mistake.
> > I say "seems", rather than "clearly seems", because my level of
> > confidence, I believe, is somewhat less than yours. But, perhaps
> > your hindsight is somewhat better than mine :>)
>
>
> I thought firing the entire Iraqi military was a monumental blunder as soon
> as I read about it. Didn't you?
>
On the other hand, having a standing army of mostly Sunni troops would
have added a rather interesting dynamic, don't you think?

>
> >> >> but Steyn makes some excellent points as usual.
> >> >
> >> > He writes extremely well, has a biting -- perhaps a bit dark --
> >> > sense of humor that appeals to me, and certainly offers a
> >> > unique perspective. He may be dead wrong about some
> >> > things, but he's rarely boring :>)
> >>
> >>
> >> Agreed.
.

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