Republicans & Conservatives: Archives

Yeah, but who are we to be foisting our corrupt culture on them?

Is this part of our oppression and exploitation?

I’m reading through this ‘so called constitution’ to see where it says we get all the oil…

Seriously though, Vivek, you’re absolutely right. Iraq is better off now than under Saddam and the future looks to be even better.

Our founding fathers said it so well:

“Free government is founded in jealousy, not confidence. It is jealousy and not confidence which prescribes limited constitutions, to bind those we are obliged to trust with power…. In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in men, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” -Thomas Jefferson, 1799

It reminds us that our very own constitution and freedoms aren’t guaranteed. The Iraqi’s have had this lesson in spades. I am praying for their future, that they would come into every blessing of liberty. God knows they have payed enough for it.

Ben Franklin, after the constitutional convention, was asked whether they had forged a monarchy or a republic.

His reply? “A republic, if you can keep it.”

It is only 200 years of continued American history, and fading public memory of the Civil War and other threats to our republic that allow us the illusion of democracy’s stability.

Few people realize just how difficult setting up our country was. We should not be cavalier about trying to set them up elsewhere. We must make sure that when it is put upon us to do this kind of thing that we should be careful to let no group become the arbitrary rulers of all others. Our government functions because the politicians know their fates rest in other’s hands. Hands that can dash their fortunes should they err too gravely.

I really do hope Iraq becomes a democratic republic. I really do hope that it’s people come to enjoy the same freedom we do. If they do, it will be the one golden thing to come from all the dross of the Bush Administration’s mistakes in this campaign.

I just hope our mistakes don’t blow it for these people. Some might say alls well that ends well, but the trouble with history is that nothing really stays ended. I think Iraq should stand as warning to the Neo-Conservatives of the realities of trying to reshape the world in our own image. If Iraq does settle down, we should count ourselves lucky.

Why? Because a few accidents of history made the price we paid to invade and keep Iraq much lower. Had more of Saddam’s troops been emboldened to stay at their post, six weeks would have turned into six months. We will probably not be so lucky next time. Iran and Syria have not been ground down under years of sanctions, and they did not experience America’s military power firsthand, like many of those Iraqi soldiers. The next time, it may be thousands instead of hundreds dead.

That is not to say we can’t take, that is to say we’d better have a damn good reason to take it. If the Irani government sponsors a mass casualty terrorist attack that kills Americans or our allies, and they harbored them, I’d say lets see how Irani tanks stand up to an Abrams. Same thing for Syria. State-sponsored terrorism should no longer be tolerated.

My worry is that the abuses of the intelligence community and the defense establishment will once again occur, and once more we will send Americans into battle in a way that both puts them unnecessarily into harms way, and does so for dishonest reasons that mock their sacrifice.

I want our president to be able to go to the widows of those who die, and say, your son died for the right cause, and have their be no truths out there that contradict that statement.

We are safer when we apply our finite resources to the right places, against the real threats that truly endanger us. The more efficient we are at targeting the real dangers to our national security, the less we will frustrate and tire ourselves out, and the easier it will be to remain vigilant.

So, congratulations to the Iraqis. Lets hope their future history can transcend their nations troubled rebirth.

many critics of the administration’s policy in Iraq fail to see the forest for the trees when concrete steps like this that improve the people’s quality of life

Concrete steps? It’s currently just a piece of paper. I’ll see the forest when the trees are a bit past the acorn stage.

I congratulate the Iraqis on their new constitution, and I sincerely hope this means a turnaround for their country, a step towards democracy. I’ll wait and see before passing judgement on that journey, though.

Concrete steps? It’s currently just a piece of paper.

Well, so was the American constitution when it was written. In fact, it still is just a piece of paper. The big step was that it was conceived, and codified, and ratified.

I’ll wait and see before passing judgement on that journey, though.

Beats me why the left is always willing to reserve judgment on Bush until some irrational standard of “success” is achieved, while not applying the same standard to the policies they’re proposing.

Taliban routed. Look at all the warlords and lawlessness. We’ll wait to Afghanistan becomes “truly” liberated.

Iraq captured without military resistance. Got lucky. Look at the day-to-day security problems.

Saddam captured. Didn’t make us any safer.

Constitution. Never mind. I’ll wait till they’re really “free”. (And not selling us oil)

There’s just no way to win.

In my opinion, there really is something wrong if someone can’t acknowledge the real, measurable, objective progress made in Afghanistan and Iraq, in just two years. History shows us that usually such changes take decades, if they ever happen.

This is just as an important step for the U.S. as it is for Iraq.

Promoting freedom democracy in the Middle East is one of the long-term goals of the war against terrorism. President Bush set forth this strategy very eloquently in the Advance of Freedom speech he gave at the National Endowment for Democracy and the Three Pillars speech he gave at Whitehall Palace.

If this strategy is to have a chance to succeed, we must ensure that governmental structures are in place that will give freedom a chance. Iraq’s interim constitution seems to lay the groundwork to do just that. Under the interim constitution Iraq will be republican, federal, democratic, and pluralistic. Federalism will be based on geography, history, and the separation of powers and not on ethnicity or sect.

The interim constitution, while not perfect, is unprecedented in the Middle East with regard to the protections of individual freedoms.

The Iraqi constitution provides reason to be optimistic that we may be able to prevail in the war against terrorism. We will only succeed by bringing freedom and democracy to the long oppressed peoples of the Middle East and Central Asia.

Dan, congratulate yourself when Iraq is working again, when its on its feet. Before that, all these wonderful words are only cause for tentative celebration, hope.

If we had been better prepared, and sent in more soldiers, Iraq would have been easier. But all that said, the question is, will this good deed go unpunished? No. We’ve already suffered great losses on many fronts for this, losses that do not make America safer.

The Irony is, Bush sacrificed alliances, subverted international law for a threat that didn’t exist, and in doing so, put us at a distance from those countries most like ours in this fight, and interfered with the very obligations and standards that would have made dealing with terrorist supporting nations easier. Bush may be able to boast that he doesn’t need a permission slip to protect America, but he cannot boast that he’s made it easier for America to throw its weight around. In Iraq alone, his cavalier attitude cost us an approach from the North. What other geographical restrictions will Bush’s policy create? What other countries will we be barred from overflight of, or hindered in our land approaches by?

Bush doesn’t realize that Diplomacy is like that line from the Rolling Stones song: You can’t always get what you want, but if you try real hard, you’ll get what you need.

In the real world, an unbalanced system that favors one nation above all others is unsustainable. The better approach is what one might call the Market of International Policy. You get as you give. If America is less arrogant about imposing its policies, it will reap the benefits in the reduction of economic and political friction- people will not see it in their interest to shut us out.

Like with any market, there’s always a risk, and there’s never a such thing as a free lunch. We are a part of this market, whether we like it or not, and as usual, Bush has run up a big bill on our line of credit. Unfortunately, he thinks we won’t have to pay it back. Truth is, we’ll be paying it back for quite some time to come. If any of you don’t think that’s the case, ask yourself what the price will be that the UN will ask for putting itself into Iraq, which Bush will eventually ask them to do.

Nows the time to get real: The use of power has its price.