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December 23, 2004

It's all Europe's fault

Or so Tom Friedman would have us believe.

In what can only be described as a convoluted mess, Friedman tries his best to twist and turn the escalating problems in Iraq to Europe not coming to the rescue:

We may lose because most Europeans, having been made stupid by their own weakness, would rather see America fail in Iraq than lift a finger for free and fair elections there.

As is so often the case, the statesman who framed the stakes best is the British prime minister, Tony Blair. Count me a "Blair Democrat." Mr. Blair, who was in Iraq this week, said: "Whatever people's feelings or beliefs about the removal of Saddam Hussein and the wisdom of that, there surely is only one side to be on in what is now very clearly a battle between democracy and terror. On the one side you have people who desperately want to make the democratic process work, and want to have the same type of democratic freedoms other parts of the world enjoy, and on the other side people who are killing and intimidating and trying to destroy a better future for Iraq."

What an unadulterated pile of bovine droppings.

If this is really about a significant Iraqi majority that wants to work for and fight for democratic freedoms, why are the Iraqi police/security/soldiers dropping their weapons and running when the fighting becomes intense? Why are they turning over weapons to the insurgency? Why aren't there Iraqis turning in their countrymen insurgents by the hundreds to US authorities in an effort to get security in check?

We shouldn't have invaded Iraq in the first place. Many European nations were against it and warned Bush extensively that it was a very bad idea. Then after Bush chose to ignore the warnings, disparaging our European bretheren at length for not climbing on board, Bush completely botched the occupation and rebuilding (despite lengthy and various reports explaining to him exactly what the obstacles in Iraq would be).

And now Europe is supposed to swoop in and clean up the mess. Further this swooping is supposed to take place with no apology from Bush for his actions...and a promise to "stay the course" that gave us this mess in the first place.

Bush was reelected, Tom. Europe isn't going to come in and bail him out. And I don't blame them. There's no reason for them to come in under the banner of Bush after having been trashed by him at length...only to have him continue his arrogant and inept course.

Europeans aren't the stupid ones.

Posted by Carla at December 23, 2004 12:04 PM