Comments on Informed Comment: 18 Dead in Baquba Battle; Rice Urges Iraq to be m...

In a follow-up to what our friend, eatbees said ab...

2006-11-19T22:26:00.000-05:00

In a follow-up to what our friend, eatbees said about Iraq emulating Vietnam, I thought it instructive to take another Henry-come-lately regurgitation of discredited conventional wisdom -- by the influence-peddling Dr. Strangelove Kissinger -- and reinterpret it through a Vietnamese perspective.

From a recent BBC interview by Andrew Marr on 11/19/2006.

HENRY KISSINGER: "If you mean by clear military victory an Iraqi government that can be established and whose writ runs across the whole country, that gets the civil war under control and sectarian violence under control in a time period that the political processes of the democracies will support, I don't believe that is possible."

Now, as I presume the Vietnamese victors of their First (against the French) and Second (against the Americans) Indochina Wars would paraphrase and correct Dr. Strangelove's arrogant presumptions for the encouragement of any Iraqi patriots who might wish to emulate them:

"We mean by 'military victory,' an Iraqi government that Iraqis can establish; whose writ runs across the whole country; that gets the civil war under control and sectarian violence under control in a time period that has absolutely nothing to do with the irrelevant political processes of "the democracies" and what they will or will not support. Believe us Vietnamese, such a victory over American colonial imperialism is not only entirely possible, but a virtual certainty."

Although both President Bush and Secretary of State Rice have not the wit to see it, their obtuse remarks on the subjects of Vietnam and Iraq do indeed imply the victorious Vietnamese -- and not the corrupt Kissingerian -- version of historical lessons learned.

The Iraqis would do very well indeed to emulate the Vietnamese: namely, defeat the Americans first and win independence; then make up with America when another failed President has to escape his own enraged citizenry by making meaningless photo-op pilgrimages abroad to distract domestic attention from his historic bungling.

"Rice, a Ph.D. and former Provost of Stanford Univ...

2006-11-19T12:08:00.000-05:00

"Rice, a Ph.D. and former Provost of Stanford University, shouldn't be saying silly things like that Iraq should emulate Vietnam."

Iraq should be emulating Vietnam! What's strange is hearing Bush and Rice say it. I'm not sure they follow their own logic far enough to realize that what they are arguing for is American military defeat, as a precondition for reconstruction and future rapprochement.

I guess this is what failed leadership looks like. And these guys have two more years to twist in the wind.

(1) No one thinks the Army of Islam is Baathist or...

2006-11-19T11:12:00.000-05:00

(1) No one thinks the Army of Islam is Baathist or neo-Baathist. Unless you are accidentally toeing the US government line that any group opposing the regime is "Baathist or takfiiri" by definition.

(2) The government says this was an investigation subpoena, not an arrest warrant, so al-Dhari does not "stand accused" of anything. Except in the ludicrous New York Times hit piece this morning. More background here.

Be fair: uniting Iraqis in their hatred of America...

2006-11-19T09:31:00.000-05:00

Be fair: uniting Iraqis in their hatred of America has been W's plan all along.

Maybe rice is just referring to how the Vietnamese...

2006-11-19T08:28:00.000-05:00

Maybe rice is just referring to how the Vietnamese are working with the Americans after they destroyed their country and she wants the Iraqi's to do the same i.e. forgive them and not target America's interests in the region after the Americans leave. Bearing in mind any act of violence against America or its subordinates in the future after this war settles down would be a political embarrassment for the Americans, Iraq isn't Vietnam and Iraq is in a more strategic position both geographically and financially (oil) to hit back after the American withdrawal.

Vietnam's national unity after the Americans left ...

2006-11-19T08:02:00.000-05:00

Vietnam's national unity after the Americans left was also helped along by a border war with China.

Perhaps Secretary Rice will next suggest that Iraq engage in a splendid little war with, let's say, Israel?

...Sorry if I sent this through twice...I found Bl...

2006-11-19T05:15:00.000-05:00

...Sorry if I sent this through twice...I found Blair's follow up to be quite revealing:

"Mr Blair said: "It has, but you see, what I say to people is, 'why is it difficult in Iraq?' It's not difficult because of some accident in planning, it's difficult because there's a deliberate strategy - al-Qaida with Sunni insurgents on one hand, Iranian-backed elements with Shia militias on the other - to create a situation in which the will of the majority for peace is displaced by the will of the minority for war."

Substitute a few key words and he speaks the truth about the run up to the invasion:

...It's not difficult because of some accident in planning, it's difficult because there was a deliberate strategy - American and British Governments on one hand, Israel-backing Neo Cons with Iraqi expatriots on the other - to create a situation in which the will of the majority for peace was displaced by the will of the minority for war."

Even the bit about an "accident in planning" not being at fault is accurate. There is a lot of criticism about the lack of post invasion planning and poor execution which, while true, incorrectly (in my view) assumes that an illegal war of agression can turn out a-ok if only it's done "right."
Despite electoral defeats for the Republicans I'm not confidant that the Democratic leadership is willing to admit that the war was wrong and that it needs to be ended ASAP. By "ended" I mean that the removal of the U.S. and British military presence should begin immediately.
Whether one prefers an immediate or phased withdrawal, I feel that it is our duty to hold the Democrats accountable if they stall and stay with "W" in Bizarro World where Vietnamization worked and throwing divisions into the cauldron won Stalingrad for Hitler and Hanoi for Westmoreland, McNamara, Kissenger, et. al. ...or would have if only they hadn't been quitters.
We have to stop funding this atrocity. We need legislators who will refuse to approve this insane subsidising of the Military Industrial Axis of Rapaciousness even though it and the Enforcement and Imprisonment Industry are the only things propping up our economy.

Despite Ms Rice's silly link to Vietnam's unity, h...

2006-11-19T03:36:00.000-05:00

Despite Ms Rice's silly link to Vietnam's unity, her remark is quite significant.

The US statements before and after the invasion paid lip service to Iraq's "territorial integrity." Their main allies, and the Americans in Baghdad put enormous effort to do the exact opposite, but to have the statelets, as Talabani once said in public, "indepent except for the sign on the door."

That policy was quietly reversed few week ago as the USA realized that the people who were supposed to give them Iraq on a plate could not deliver, and worse still their ambitions, paid for by American lives and treasure, will cause the whole region to burst into flames. At the same time, the neocons/ Likud, the architects of dividing Iraq, are losing power in the USA.

America has big leverage on Hakim and the Kurdish warlords, the only people in Iraq pushing for the statelets system, and they have just started to use it. Ms Rice's remark is a shot in that direction.

There is another interesting parallel between Viet...

2006-11-19T03:06:00.000-05:00

There is another interesting parallel between Vietnam and Iraq. Up to the time US decided to normalize its relationship with Vietnam, the US politicians favorite issue was the MIA/KIA issues with Vietnam. All of sudden the issue died even though no prisoners ever returned from Vietnam.