It Didn’t Work (Buckley declares Iraq a failure)

National Review Online ^ | 02/24/06 | William F Buckley Jr

[CometBaby]

"I can tell you the main reason behind all our woes — it is America." The New York Times reporter is quoting the complaint of a clothing merchant in a Sunni stronghold in Iraq. "Everything that is going on between Sunni and Shiites, the troublemaker in the middle is America."

One can't doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed. The same edition of the paper quotes a fellow of the American Enterprise Institute. Mr. Reuel Marc Gerecht backed the American intervention. He now speaks of the bombing of the especially sacred Shiite mosque in Samara and what that has precipitated in the way of revenge. He concludes that “The bombing has completely demolished” what was being attempted — to bring Sunnis into the defense and interior ministries.

Our mission has failed because Iraqi animosities have proved uncontainable by an invading army of 130,000 Americans. The great human reserves that call for civil life haven't proved strong enough. No doubt they are latently there, but they have not been able to contend against the ice men who move about in the shadows with bombs and grenades and pistols.

[kabar]

I disagree with Buckley here but think Iraq would be in better shape if it had been partitioned.

Easily said but totally wrong. How would you divide the country up? Who would decide what belongs to whom? How would the oil wealth be shared? Who would control the port facilites? What would Turkey and Iran do if a Kurdistan was formed on their borders? Who would be in charge of Baghdad?

Partition is the last thing we want. The Iraqi constitution allows for some federalism and local autonomy.

[WOSG]

"My gloomy assessment is that we are close to losing on the home front, just as we lost Viet Nam at home while Gen. Giap was in despair over the military hopenlessness of his situation."

This is no mere hypothetical ... AL QAEDA IS IN DEEP DOO-DOO IN IRAQ... MNF in Iraq captured AQ letter recently indicating how badly things are going for AQ, and an AQ leader was killed on 22nd.

[Fruitbat]

Well I see that you have a life. ; )

Frankly, not sure I've read much by McQueen.

Some threads are good debates. Others get invaded by "kiddies" and it becomes a romper room of sorts. I see that you're really hittin' the points of argumentation here. /s

[WOSG]

Buckley is one of my heros (see my profile)... but he is wrong here is all I'm saying.

Iraq is a violent messy place, but the sun will rise on Iraq tomorrow and each day is a chance to get better.

My take on Iraq events this week:
http://freedomstruth.blogspot.com/

[Old Professer]

The critic writes with rapier pen, dips it twice, and writes again.

[mancogasuki]

3 years after the war is JUST A BIT TOO EARLY to be making the "we lost" call, don't ya think Mr. Buckley?

Over? This war has barely begun unfortunately.

[SC33]

Yah, I see what you are saying. My post was directed at those who just dismiss him as a senial old man because he has written something they disagree with.

[Reagan Man]

>>>>It's going to be interesting to see how Rush Limbaugh reacts to this. Buckley is a huge hero of his.

No more imitations of WFBjr for Rush.

[Luke Skyfreeper]

"I can tell you the main reason behind all our woes — it is America."

Absolute bullshiite.

[mancogasuki]

There is no way we can lose militarily.

Seems you've seen more than 99% of us here. I agree that there is no way we can lose militarily. Do you mind me asking, do you think we can win? How would we do that? And do you think that if the current status quo continued for years (ie..we need to be there for the next decade) does that constitute success?

Tired of uniformed opinions (particularly my own) and you seem to have first hand experience that would lend weight to your answer in my book. Thanks for any insight.

[CyberAnt]

Obviously, he never read the letter from the Mayor of TalAfar who had nothing but praise to say for the young men and women of America.

Like most things .. if you look long enough you can find the answer you want.

[churchillbuff]

Opponents of the invasion warned in advance that there would be a civil war. Many freepers laughed or derided that warning. But the warning was based on a clear-eyed understanding that Iraq was an artificial construct of mutually-loathing populations. Saddam's brutality had kept them from warring with each other.

We've ousted Saddam, and a fundamentalist slate of pro-Iranian Shiites have replaced his government.

Was any of it -- the billion dollars a week of US tax money, the 2000-plus AMerican military deaths - necessary for the protection of American interests? No. Iraq didn't have WMDs, didn't have anything to do with 9-11, and with a 6th rate military, didn't pose a threat to the US.

What a waste. What a policy blunder. If we'd spent this kind of tax money on a dreamy domestic policy boondoggle, we'd all be calling it typical liberalism. That's what it is, actually, a big-government spending blunder.

[Torie]

What is your prescription now again? Maybe you can do better than Buckley, and lay out what should be done now, and what the end game of that will be.

[joseph20]

So where does this Mr. Buckley get off making such pronouncements?

[SC33]

The prospect I fear is this: It seems very clear that we cannot lose this war militarily, but it is beginning to look as if we cannot truly win this war militarily, either. I am not saying that our military is not capable of doing their job, because they are truly the greatest fighting force in the world, but this entire situation seems to have troubling complexities about it.

[Yaelle]

William (breath) F. (breath) Buckley, (loud breath) put down the bong and talk to more of the decent Iraqis who understand something about freedom and how it comes with some risks. Even the religious fighting does not compare with life under Saddam Hussein. We did a great thing. Ben Franklin said we have to "keep" our republic, and Iraqis also have that responsibility for theirs.

[BubbaTheRocketScientist]

So where does this Mr. Buckley get off making such pronouncements?

I'm not necessarily agreeing with him. I was just pointing out that we've been fighting in Iraq for almost three years, and the War on Terror will be five years old shortly.

Why is it taking so long for us to finish in Iraq, when sixty years ago we pretty much conquered half the planet in the same amount of time?

[churchillbuff]

I don't owe anyone a prescription. I confess I'm not brilliant enough to offer a fix for the mess that Bush and the neocons have gotten us into. I'm just saying I told you so, which I did.

[wildcatf4f3]

we can wipe their butts, dig their latrines, spoonfeed them their meals, and praise them daily with love and then take a bullet the minute we turn our backs. F Islam and the horse it rode in on.

[brazzaville]

Good evening.
"Of course age can be a factor and often suspect of senility, but I don't believe that Ronald Reagan, for example, ever penned a socialist view following his own clinical wasting of "brain-muscle" - neither in the form of Alzheimer's nor any general dementia expressed beforehand."

Buckley doesn't have to have senility or other physical problem. He was a towering intellect and probably still is, but he is old and he grew old in an ivory tower.

"This is a classic conundrum, recognizing the certainty of failure..."

There is no certainty of any outcome beyond the sad fact that people will still die. Other great intellects and people who know better say he is wrong.

"but wishing to respect the freedom and deserved opportunities of everyone to excel as individuals."

That's admirable of you.

Michael Frazier