I heard Jimmy Carter being interviewed by Tim Russert today. The interview was based primarily on a new book Carter has published (2005) titled " Our Endangered Values" which takes issue with the negative fundamentalist influences we are experiencing throughout the country. I am definitely in agreement with the basic premise of the book but totally against some of Carter's take on the Iraq war. Although Carter speaks out in the interview against the Bush decision to go to war, he did an about face and surprised the hell out of me, when he said he was convinced that the Bush forces are in the process of setting up permanent military bases in Iraq and plan to never leave the place.
Carter believes this information should be shared with the public and Iraqis not to cause them to get us out but instead to help placate the Iraqis and convince them they will have us backing them up basically forever and therefore, according to his convictions, there would be less violence among the various factions, and although the insurgency would not end, this would go a long way toward the stabilization of Iraqi society. Carter's explanation does clarify the reason why so many mainstream Democrats i.e. Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, John Kerry and others seem to support the troops staying put, albeit with Iraqis being in the front lines eventually. No one mentions how many US forces would have to stay in the long run.
The pundits probably have no idea how many US forces would be needed. It is clear the killing would go on ad infinitum. This idea also assumes the American presence would be invincible and long lasting. Remember Lebanon. One more Lebanon and we would be out in a jiffy, right? It is really hard to digest how intelligent minds like Carter's can come up with this kind of brutal colonial thinking and all in the name of democracy. I don't get it and hope I am simply misunderstanding Carter, winner of the Nobel Peace prize, and that I am not comprehending our former President's true purpose and strategy in laying all this out. I do admit I have not read Carter's new book yet and take what I know from the Russert interview.
Given the majority of the American pubiic appears now, and belatedly so, against the Bush policy that allowed the U.S. to go to war in Iraq in the first place, this afterthe fact Democratic hawkish thinking creates a hell of a situation for those of us looking for leaders who can speak out and get the US and the troops out of harms way. It seems clear those of us who have always voted for the lesser evil cannot afford to wait around for the more thoughtful Dems to come around. I guess if we have no leaders to lead us, we have to invent new ones.
Sunday evening Postscript: After rereading other anti-war comments that Carter has made on Iraq I have come to the conclusion that Carter was only trying to explain Bush's hidden agenda on the war and trying to elucidate Bush and his handler's committment to staying in Iraq for as long as they can, making a permanent base there to control the oil interests and direct the course of Iraq to their own narrow interests. Carter wants the public to know what is going on which is a good thing. Carter does, however, believe we should not leave now as the anti war movement demands and I know that Carter would like to have multinational forces in place there not just US troops, which I see as an unrealistic position as no one wants to be there facing the insurgents and terrorists. If I misinterpreted Carter's remarks to make them seem the same as Bush's hidden agenda, I apologize but I think we should begin to pull the troops out now and too many Dems including Carter seem to take too conservative a position on pulling the troops out of this failed war. We should listen to what the public in the USA wants and what the public wants is us out of Iraq. If we begin now, then it will happen sooner rather than later. But, of couse, that will not happen with Bush in office and it is hard to imagine it happening with the Dems who might take office in 3 years either. The Dems seem to want to redo the Republicans on the issue of military might. Where is there backbone or do they really disagree? Just bringing Bush down for the sake of it and then not accomplishing anything different would be a real irony.
I would love to hear comments on this one.
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3 comments:
Carter is the man primarily responsible for the situation we're in today. He refused to back the Shah of Iran when fundamentalist students rebelled and took American hostages. His timid response allowed radical Islam to get a foothold in the Middle East and is responsible for Iran becoming the world's leading sponsor of terrorism.
As for Americans being put in harm's way, I am always amazed at how the left in this country can turn a blind eye to human suffering. The mass graves are no longer being filled. The children have been released from prisons. The torture chambers and rape rooms are shut down. People no longer live in fear of saying the wrong thing or even looking at someone in the wrong way. And so far, the American death toll in Iraq hasn't even reached the level of California's annual homocide rate. The Democrats' phony concern for our troops is disgusting. If the Dems want to save American lives, have them tackle crime at home and leave our troops to do what they are trained -- and what they volunteered -- to do.
Having said that, the mission to bring Democracy to Iraq is hopeless. When we finally do pull out, Iraq will be less barbaric than it was, but it will quickly succumb to massive corruption, repression and mismanagement, just as all other Islamic countries have. Democracy cannot survive in a culture that is stuck in the 7th century. Still, not trying would be a crime against humanity. What other country on the globe has the courage, the wealth and the will to try to make the world a better place?
I agree with you. How can we defend a country stuck in the 7th century as you say, although before we went to war, many experts said Iraq was a modern country so which is it? I think you are contradicting yourself. Maybe we are all confused about this war.
leftturnonrights
laurenk. Thanks for your helpful comments and your support.
Sharon
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