Ahmad Chalabi Comes to Town!

[Rodeo]

In yet another "Keystone Cops" move, the Bush/Cheney administration is bringing Ahmad Chalabi to town. You remember this guy, first he was our hero, preparing America for its Iraq invasion, then he was a wanted man, accused of double-crossing us in complicity with Iran. Of course, he's always been a convicted swindler, even when Mr. Cheney was relying on him for the straight scoop on Iraq.



Chalabi is the source of the most spectacular strategic blunder of my lifetime, this notion that we would be greeted as liberators. Cheney and Rumsfeld actually fell for Chalabi's prediction that after the government fell, we could install him and his cronies to run the country, and leave in three months. Yea, three months. Look it up.

It was this misconception, more than any other, that lulled us into not having enough troops to keep the peace immediately after Saddam fell. The result was widespread looting and stunning damage to infrastructure that has handicapped our efforts to secure Iraq ever since.

Chalabi should be arrested and put in jail for a long, long time. Instead, he's a guest of our government.

[bryanthompson]

from one of my slashdot friends:

Did you know that 47 countries have reestablished their embassies in Iraq?
Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people?
Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 schools are now under construction and 38 new schools have been built in Iraq?
Did you know that Iraq's higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, all currently operating?
Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in January 2005 for the re-established Fulbright program?
Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational?! They have 5- 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantry regiment.
Did you know that Iraq's Air Force consists of three operational squadrons, which includes 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transport aircraft (under Iraqi operational control) which operate day and night, and will soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and 4 Bell Jet Rangers?
Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando Battalion?
Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers?
Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produce over 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?
Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going on in Iraq? They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals, 83 railroad stations, 22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities and 69 electrical facilities.
Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?
Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary school by mid October?
Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq and phone use has gone up 158%?
Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consists of 75 radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations? Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004?
Did you know that 2 candidates in the Iraqi presidential election had a televised debate recently?
Of course we didn't know!
Why didn't we know? Our media wouldn't tell us!
Instead of reflecting our love for our country, we get photos of flag burning incidents at Abu Ghraib and people throwing snowballs at the presidential motorcades.
The lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq serves two purposes. It is intended to undermine the world's perception of the United States thus minimizing consequent support, and it is intended to discourage American citizens.

---- Above facts are verifiable on the Department of Defense web site.

[Rodeo]

Did you know that today, November 9, 2005, it's not safe to drive from the Baghdad airport to the city without heavily armed guards?

Did you know that the Bush/Cheney administration has done nothing but lie to us about the situation in Iraq?

[bryanthompson]

You are judging our success in Iraq by the number of insurgency alone? Isn't that unbelievably short-sighted?

[legion]

Isn't the annual murder rate in LA around 2,000?

That would make Iraq (1,000 a year) safer than LA.

I think we should pull out of California. It is a lost cause.

[creaturecat]

1000 a year??? The Iraqis that are being killed don't count? Thought so.

[Rodeo]

Originally posted by legion
Isn't the annual murder rate in LA around 2,000?

That would make Iraq (1,000 a year) safer than LA.

I don't know what to say. I really don't

[widebody911]

Originally posted by legion
Isn't the annual murder rate in LA around 2,000?

LA County had 392 murders in 2004, 360 so far for 2005

http://www.lacountymurders.com/