Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Showing Original Post only (View all)from the New Yorker - "The Iraq Mess: Place Blame Where It Is Deserved" [View all]
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2014/06/the-iraq-mess-place-the-blame-where-it-is-deserved.html
June 13, 2014
The Iraq Mess: Place Blame Where It Is Deserved
Posted by John Cassidy
With Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, firmly under the control of a jihadi group so extreme that it was denounced by Al Qaeda; with government forces battling for Tikrit, the birthplace of Saddam Hussein; and with the religious leader of Iraqs Shiites issuing a call to arms at Fridays prayers, we have reached the moment that skeptics of the 2003 United States invasion warned about all along: the implosion of the country, and, possibly, the entire region. The state of Iraq is in imminent collapse, Faisal Istrabadi, formerly a senior Iraqi diplomat, said on Thursday.
<snip>
Elsewhere in Washington, the blame game has already begun. This is the education of Barack Obama, but its coming at a very high cost to the Syrian people to the Iraqi people, to the American national interest, Doug Feith, the Under-secretary of Defense for Policy from 2001 to 2005, told Politico. The President didnt take seriously the warnings of what would happen if we withdrew and he liked the political benefits of being able to say that were completely out. Senator John McCain, whom the President telephoned on Friday, has called on Obama to fire his entire national-security team, claiming, Could all of this have been avoided? The answer is absolutely yes.
McCain is right; it could have been avoided. If, in the aftermath of 9/11, President George W. Bush had treated the arguments of Feith, McCain, and other advocates of the Iraq War with the disdain they deserved, we (and the Iraqis) wouldnt be where we are today.
<snip>
The Iraq invasion and occupation was ill-conceived, ill-executed, and ill-fated. It had terrible consequences not just for Iraq but for many other countries. It illustrated the limits of American military powerthe opposite of what it was intended to doand it helped accomplish what Osama bin Laden could never have achieved on his own: drawing the United States and its allies into an open-ended global battle with militant Islam. When you hear Feith and other architects of the Iraq invasion criticizing Obama for cutting and running, it is well to remember that.
June 13, 2014
The Iraq Mess: Place Blame Where It Is Deserved
Posted by John Cassidy
With Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, firmly under the control of a jihadi group so extreme that it was denounced by Al Qaeda; with government forces battling for Tikrit, the birthplace of Saddam Hussein; and with the religious leader of Iraqs Shiites issuing a call to arms at Fridays prayers, we have reached the moment that skeptics of the 2003 United States invasion warned about all along: the implosion of the country, and, possibly, the entire region. The state of Iraq is in imminent collapse, Faisal Istrabadi, formerly a senior Iraqi diplomat, said on Thursday.
<snip>
Elsewhere in Washington, the blame game has already begun. This is the education of Barack Obama, but its coming at a very high cost to the Syrian people to the Iraqi people, to the American national interest, Doug Feith, the Under-secretary of Defense for Policy from 2001 to 2005, told Politico. The President didnt take seriously the warnings of what would happen if we withdrew and he liked the political benefits of being able to say that were completely out. Senator John McCain, whom the President telephoned on Friday, has called on Obama to fire his entire national-security team, claiming, Could all of this have been avoided? The answer is absolutely yes.
McCain is right; it could have been avoided. If, in the aftermath of 9/11, President George W. Bush had treated the arguments of Feith, McCain, and other advocates of the Iraq War with the disdain they deserved, we (and the Iraqis) wouldnt be where we are today.
<snip>
The Iraq invasion and occupation was ill-conceived, ill-executed, and ill-fated. It had terrible consequences not just for Iraq but for many other countries. It illustrated the limits of American military powerthe opposite of what it was intended to doand it helped accomplish what Osama bin Laden could never have achieved on his own: drawing the United States and its allies into an open-ended global battle with militant Islam. When you hear Feith and other architects of the Iraq invasion criticizing Obama for cutting and running, it is well to remember that.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
31 replies, 2661 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (60)
ReplyReply to this post
31 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
from the New Yorker - "The Iraq Mess: Place Blame Where It Is Deserved" [View all]
scarletwoman
Jun 2014
OP
Iraq was the key stone of the bridge and once the key stone was removed the whole
Thinkingabout
Jun 2014
#4
Oil plus billions of dollars in cash that was turned over to Iraqis no questions asked.
Iliyah
Jun 2014
#8
Thank you! I do hope at least some people will read the whole article at the link.
scarletwoman
Jun 2014
#10
I believe it touched all the bases, scarletwoman, with the only thing lacking
Uncle Joe
Jun 2014
#11
Don't like the blame game? Tell it to McCain & his ilk who are happy to point their fingers at Obama
scarletwoman
Jun 2014
#19
To remind him that it was chimpy who signed the legal withdrawal papers, and...
Amonester
Jun 2014
#24