How Can You Bomb Them Into Democracy?

The Rogue Review ^ | March 7, 2003 | Victor C. Welch

[vwelch]

Why are you going to bomb them? I mean, how do you bomb people back to democracy? This is a question of conquest. They didn't ask to be liberated by the United States. This is our self-imposed political solution for them. (Helen Thomas's question to White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, Office of the Press Secretary, February 26, 2003.)

I have a quick and ready answer for Ms. Thomas, the first woman White House Correspondent, who now has four decades reporting experience at the White House, and currently, at 82, covers the White House for UPI. That is, Ms. Thomas, the same way General William Tecumseh Sherman burned the Confederacy back to democracy! You see, the Confederate States did not ask to be liberated by the Union of United States. In fact, it was the Union's self-imposed political solution for them! And thank God!

[TADSLOS]

I mean, how do you bomb people back to democracy?

She should ask Germany and Japan. In any event, you can't bomb Iraq back to something it wasn't to begin with.

[craig_eddy]

how do you bomb people back to democracy? This is a question of conquest. They didn't ask to be liberated

1) We're not bombing them back to democracy, we're libearting the people from a dictator and liberating ourselves from that dictators threat to our lives and livelihoods.

2) They didn't ask because they CANNOT ask...that's what dictatorships are all about, numb-nuts. You wouldn't know because you've never been forced to LIVE under one.

[alloysteel]

Bombing does not make people adopt representative government (I hesitate to use the term "democracy", as that is such an elastic term as to be nearly meaningless). Total humiliation and defeat of the repressive government, and the need to fill the vacuum of leadership, makes the introduction of representative government possible, but by no means certain.

The present regime in Iraq is not by any definition a "democracy" in any case, and has, so far as may be determined, no redeeming social benefits at all. The 23.5 million subjects of the Ba'athist socialist governance are under continuous threat of capricious punishment, not tempered by mercy in any way, by the one person who has caused more deaths among Muslims than anyone since the invasion from the east by Ghengis Khan and his Golden Horde. Even during the Crusades, the Christian knights did not cause so many deaths among Muslims, as the reign of Saddam Hussein has over the past quarter century (a very bloody war with Iran, and the invasion of Kuwait, must be added to the numbers murdered, slain and 'disappeared' within Iraq).

Saddam Hussein is a prince among men, if his ruthless policies are any measure. Surely a most despotic prince.

[geedee]

How Can You Bomb Them Into Democracy?

That is, Ms. Thomas, the same way General William Tecumseh Sherman burned the Confederacy back to democracy!

You'd think she'd remember that. I've seen photos of her pestering Lincoln the same way she does GW.

She famously asked Abe how to spell Emancipation Proclamation. Then went on and asked how the "normal" American people were supposed to understand such flowery language.

Sheesh. You'd think she would remember such things. Most of us peons have to study history . . . she's witnessed most of it live.

[GodsLittleOne]

They have asked, didn't you see that interview on FOX with the young iraqi girl whose uncles were executed by Sadaam? She said that the Iraqi people pray day and night for us to go to war already and liberate them.

[Walkingfeather]

Like the old church camp song.... " It only takes a spark to get a fire going...."

[SwinneySwitch]

Who did Helen wake up hating today?

Hope she NEVER gets to ask another question at the White House!;^}

[marktwain]

Helen is not the reporter for UPI. When UPI changed hands, to become more objective instead of ultra-leftist, she resigned. I don't know who she represents now, or why she is still allowed in the White House pool of reporters. She is and always has been a disgrace to the profession, with her blatant partisanship.

[Interious]

"They didn't ask to be liberated by the United States"

According to the testimony of many Iraqis present after Gulf I, there was heartbreak upon the realization that the US had abandoned Iraq during the post war uprising against Saddam's regime.

My sense after reading a number of these accounts is that there is probably a majority of Iraqis praying for liberation--an action that will complete that which was left unfinished after Gulf I.

[PokeyJoe]

"How can you shoot them out of slavery?"

[boris]

I am reminded of the scene in Independence Day in which the President asks one of the evil aliens what they want of us.

"To die", it replies.

In this case we are the 'evil aliens' and all we want is for islamic extremists and their supporting states to die.

We are bombing them to kill them.

Period.

--Boris