"Shocking and awful" (recalls when Churchill became "fed up" with Iraq occupation)

US News ^ | 5/17/04 | Kevin Whitelaw

[churchillbuff]

Shocking and awful A series of horrific images and a big American black eye By Kevin Whitelaw

Eight decades ago, British commanders called in punishing airstrikes to put down a fierce insurrection in one of its most unruly colonies. After pumping money into Iraq to support a deeply unpopular occupation, Colonial Secretary Winston Churchill was fed up. "We are paying 8 millions a year," he fumed, "for the privilege of living on an ungrateful volcano, out of which we are in no circumstances to get anything worth having."

America now finds itself struggling to control the same volcano, a nation of 25 million still deeply ambivalent about the U.S. role in its "liberation." Coming off the deadliest month yet for U.S. soldiers, the Bush administration is combating two smoldering insurgencies with the same tactics--a combination of overwhelming force and millions of dollars--yet Iraqis seem only to grow more angry at the occupation with each passing week. America, it turns out, is not very good at occupation. This one has been troubled from the start, when the administration followed up its "shock and awe" military strategy by failing to deploy enough troops to control Iraq in the aftermath and without much of a plan to plant the seeds of democracy in such infertile soil.

Last week, once again, America's troubles were of its own making. This time, it was a barrage of filthy pictures, depicting a group of U.S. soldiers inflicting on Iraqi prisoners a range of humiliations worthy of a two-bit porn purveyor. In one photo that Arabs found particularly humiliating, Pfc. Lynndie England, a baby-faced Army reservist, holds a leash attached to a naked Iraqi man lying on the floor of Abu Ghraib, the same prison Saddam Hussein used to torture and murder enemies real and perceived. The episode--apparently the product of inadequate training and oversight and a fundamental breakdown of leadership--highlighted yet again the haphazard planning and paucity of manpower that have hampered the entire occupation (related story).

As the images blanketed American and Arab media, the Bush administration faced a dual crisis. In Baghdad, the promises of the American-led occupiers to bring democracy to Iraq sounded more hollow than ever to increasingly cynical Iraqis. "It goes beyond convincing those against us that we are everything they feared towards dashing the hopes of people who looked up to us," says a senior State Department official. In Washington, President Bush made a rare apology amid calls for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, even as the White House was forced to admit that the occupation would require more troops than planned and at least an additional $25 billion heading into next year.

"Sick to our stomachs." The administration was slow to grasp the full extent of the damage from the widening scandal. Days after the first photos surfaced, Bush was still boasting in campaign speeches that the "torture chambers in Iraq are closed," a claim belied by the image of hooded men forced to simulate oral sex on each other. After a public rebuke from Bush, Rumsfeld was forced to apologize in two highly charged congressional hearings at week's end as he defended the Pentagon's handling of the mess. Bush's own apology was strongly worded, but it came a day after he missed a chance to express contrition during interviews on two Arab news channels. "Americans like me didn't appreciate what we saw, and it made us sick to our stomachs," he said, even as he continued to stand by Rumsfeld.

[churchillbuff]

ping

[CWOJackson]

"There will be no war in our time."

Poor Winston, being used like this.

[Southack]

That's such rubbish.

25 million people in Iraq are right now going about their daily lives normally, peacefully. Fewer than 4,000 in that country are still resorting to violent means against us.

Try to graph 4,000 versus 25 million in a little pie chart.

In our worst month there, we lost 130 Americans. Over here in the U.S., we lose more than 3,000 per month killed on our highways. Does 3,000 killed per month mean that the U.S. is doomed?!

Iraqi electricity is served to more people today than back before our war. Iraqi hospitals are better staffed and equipped today than before the war. More schools for Iraqi children are open today than before the war. Even Iraq's oil exports today exceed their pre-war levels.

Yet knee-jerk-reaction liberals are quick to claim that Iraq is "hopeless" and "doomed" as if 1979 Iranian anti-Shah levels of unrest were present in neighboring Iraq.

Calmer heads and more rational adults, however, clearly see through such nonsense.

[Stentor]

ZZZZZZZZZ.

[churchillbuff]

I'm all for a REAL war on Terror. That would mean:

1. FINISH THE JOB IN AFGHANISTAN - - get Bin Laden and his cronies. THEY'RE the 9-11 culprits, damnit! 2. CLOSE OUR BORDERS TO ILLEGALS!

Unfortunately, Bush hasn't done #1, and he's doing the opposite on #2 - - he's talking about amnesty plans that merely lure more illegals here.

[CWOJackson]

"I'm all for a REAL war on Terror."

Wow, a sudden conversion?

No you're not...and as I said, it's a shame poor Winston has to have his honorable named sullied by you.

[CWOJackson]

He can't help himself...it's in his contract.

[tbpiper]

1. FINISH THE JOB IN AFGHANISTAN - - get Bin Laden and his cronies.

You've got the armchair, now you got a plan to go with it?

[CWOJackson]

Careful. I believe he/she/it is a graduate of France's War College; he will either try to surrender to you or bore you to death.

[BlueAngel]

Thanks. I always enjoy reading your commonsense posts.

[DoctorMichael]

Coincidentally, a month or so ago I pulled THE RISE AND FALL OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE by Lawrence James from my bookshelf and reread those chapters that tangentially dealt with this subject. I was seeking knowledge from historical fact. I closed the book depressed.

There's no doubt, Iraq has been an unruly country in the past. It remains that way now. However, that unruliness in a larger world was much easier to retreat from. Today, with the world a MUCH smaller place, and the ability of the Middle Eastern Cavemen to export their ignorance and brutality to all the corners of the Earth, there is no retreat.

I just pray we have the stomach to do what must be done to drag these Neaderthals into the 21st Century. And those that wish remain should be eliminated. Otherwise, the only other solution is to put a fence around the place to keep them in.

[bilhosty]

Oh I think there are more than 4,000 going against us. I also think as time goes on there will be more against us. And after that we have the whole Arab street to contend with. We have done much in Iraq, we have liberated te people most of whom are glad we came and most will be glad to see us gone. We have eliminated weapons laboratories that would be eventually used to make wmd. I am sure we will find in the near future what happened to the WMD's. We have shown the Arab world that we do take seriously WMD's in there part of the world and they surely know now what would happen to them if they were used against us by terrorists. WE have caused khadfy to even act sane. Thanks to same Libyan nut we have uncovered Dr kahn as the chief proliferator to rogue nations. We have scared Saudi Arabia into cooperating more fully. Any way you want to look at it, it is quite a victory. But, can we actually turn this brutal society into a democratic people absolutely not. Time to really look at the cost of continually staying and unless it looks different to them then it looks too me. Time to get out and call it a win as it is. We will prove to the nutcases that we cannot be pulled into a mess and stay locked in. best wishes all, Bill

[Southack]

I see no reason to run from a few thousand poorly trained amatuers with RPG's and AK-47's.

Too many Europeans have your attitude, though. Pity Spain. It was once a great power.

[crusty codger]

Disjointed though your post was I sort of agree with you. But we cannot falter, we cannot evade, We Must Endure.

[jolie560]

Winston Churchill's comments are from Eight decades ago.

The same Muslim behavior prevails today. Today, Muslims live in countries all around the world. Islam requires Muslims to strike out against 'kafirs' (non-believers) wherever they find them.

Be careful, y'all--the Islamic mandates have not changed in the 80 years since Churchill wrote that. No PC philosophy can change that mandate. Islam is committed to killing us.

[gogipper]

Ooooohh, the Arab street. What nonsense. How much have you heard from Sadr lately?

[cwb]

"America, it turns out, is not very good at occupation."

Yeah...a shame that we just don't have as much experience as our European brethren.

[bilhosty]

We would not be running. We have already won and done what we set out to do. They are a tribal revenge society and our retaliation against the town that killed and hacked apart those contractors was more then enough. But, there is nothing too gain from staying. They cannot be dragged into the 21st century against their will, that is what the late Shah of Iran tried to do. We have done what we needed to do and there is no reason to stay. The Arabs are a passionate people who are good at propaganda and nothing else. By,staying for no good reason at all we can only inflame passions further and prove that we can get drawn into unnecessary conflict for no good reason at all. When we are out some of those passions will undoubtedly drain.

[Trust but Verify]

You and Bill Clinton are singing the same tune. What fine comapny you keep. Congratulations!