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Who Are You Going To Believe?
by James Glaser
"The American people are not getting the full picture of what's happening here. They're not getting the full picture of the drop in murders, the establishment of security outposts throughout the city, the situation in Anbar province, the deployment of additional Iraqi brigades which are performing well, and other signs of progress having been made." Those are the words of Senator John McCain. Along with the White House, McCain and most of the Republicans in Congress would have us believe that things are so much better now in Iraq. In fact, John McCain would have us believe that American generals are now able to drive around Baghdad in unarmored Humvees. Of course the generals there have no idea of where the Senator got that idea, and their staff tells us that the least they would have is an up-armored Humvee in which to travel to travel. In March another eighty some American Soldiers and Marines were killed and today, the first day of April, seven more were killed. Here is a headline that says it all as far as the level of violence in Iraq goes. Sunday: 7 GIs, 1 Briton, 50 Iraqis Killed; 34 Iraqis Wounded, 19 kidnapped The 19 people kidnapped were taken at a fake checkpoint north of Baghdad. That's right, the insurgents or one side or the other in Iraq's on-going civil war are able to set up fake check points to take people from the other side. Almost every day American and Iraqi forces are finding dead bodies, and many of these bodies show signs of torture. This from the Associated Press: BAGHDAD — The U.S. military death toll in March, the first full month of the security crackdown, was nearly twice that of the Iraqi army, which American and Iraqi officials say is taking the leading role in the latest attempt to curb violence in the capital, surrounding cities and Anbar province, according to figures compiled on Saturday. All we hear lately is how the "new" Iraqi Army is taking charge, and that our American forces are in a back-up role. Well, 81 Americans died in that back-up role in the month of March, while only 44 Iraqi army troops were killed in their position out in front. You really have to ask yourself if anyone in the White House or from the Republican Congress is still capable of telling us the truth. I wouldn't be surprised if in these final months of this war, the people who have started all of this bloodshed don't start talking about weapons of mass destruction and mushroom shaped clouds over American cities again. Here is what I think is really going on. Every week George Bush, John McCain, and the rest of their crew can keep war going, the American defense contractors can make several billion more dollars. Like all wars, this war in Iraq is not about freedom, liberty, or democracy. Like all wars, it is about MONEY!. . . . MONEY! . . . .and more MONEY! |
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