October Surprise: Iraq Declares Independence

I am so sure! On June 28, 2005, president Bush said, “Our strategy can be summed up this way: As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down." Since that moment, neither the Iraqi military nor the Iraqi government has shown the smallest aptitude for or ability to stand up on its own to defend and govern Iraq. And the American people have become increasingly convinced that Iraq will never be able to stand up on its own. One reason being, of course, that it’s clear the Bush administration does not want Iraq to be free and independent of the USA. If Iraq were free and independent, Iraq might choose to throw our military and our meddling officials out of Iraq. And that idea is anathema to the White House neocons, who want us to be fighting in Iraq until the next millennium. However, the worst possible thing has happened. The American public wants a timeline for getting our soldiers out of Iraq. The American public wants to know when Iraq will be able to govern itself. In fact, the American public is going to base its votes on November 7th 2006 and on November 4th 2008 on whether it can expect to be free of the Iraq albatross in months, not decades. So wonders of wonders, just before midterm elections, Iraq has suddenly declared its independence. The lead paragraph in a New York Times article this morning reports, “President Bush stepped into an increasingly fractious relationship with the Iraqi government in a videoconference with Baghdad on Saturday after days of angry comments by Iraqi leaders about what they see as American meddling.” The NYT went on to say, “(Press Secretary Tony) Snow said that Mr. Maliki made ‘no demands, and it was a very cordial discussion.’ But the prime minister, he said, made clear that he wanted to move quickly toward ‘an Iraqi assumption of command and control’ over forces operating in Baghdad and elsewhere.” Additionally, the NYT said, “The push for more Iraqi control comes just as American military commanders are saying the Iraqi Army needs more time to improve. America’s top military commander in Iraq, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., said this week that it would be another 12 to 18 months before Iraqi troops would be ready to take over.” As the Church Lady used to say, How convenient! And what bullshit! Maliki is a little toady who most Iraq-watchers termed a “minor” official before he was anointed prime minister. He doesn't do or say anything he is not told to do and say by the Bush administration. Just like George W. Bush does not do or say anything he is not told to do and say by his White House minders. If you believe that now, miraculously, nine days before midterm elections Iraq is capable of standing up on its own, which would signal that American soldiers can begin to be sent home, then you no doubt also believe George W. Bush never said, “Stay the course."