Re: Hurricane Ahmed -- Mark Steyn
- From: "The Chozen Few" <thechosenfew@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 18:32:01 -0700
"brickbat" <brickbat@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:brickbat-3B841D.18481403092005@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> 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?
Mostly Sunni or not, most of the rank and file obviously had little desire
to continue fighting for the Baathists, and it would've been much better to
have them still standing in those ranks and files (and helping put the
country back together much sooner) than standing in unemployment lines.
>> >> >> 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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