Crashing the Plane of State into Iraq

TomDispatch - Tomgram: Crashing the Plane of State into Iraq

Let's take a look at the update.

"Five years later, according to Emily Gosden and David Randall of the British newspaper, the Independent, the Bush administration's Global War on Terror has resulted in, at a minimum, 20 times the deaths of 9/11; at a maximum, 60 times. It has 'directly killed a minimum of 62,006 people, created 4.5 million refugees and cost the US more than the sum needed to pay off the debts of every poor nation on earth. If estimates of other, unquantified, deaths -- of insurgents, the Iraq military during the 2003 invasion, those not recorded individually by Western media, and those dying from wounds -- are included, then the toll could reach as high as 180,000.' According to Australian journalist Paul McGeough, Iraqi officials (and others) estimate that that country's death toll since 2003 'stands at 50,000 or more -- the proportional equivalent of about 570,000 Americans.' "

And the White House perspective.

"The president did not want to try to turn this into a Democrats-versus-the-Republicans thing, but you cannot talk about the war on terror without talking about Iraq," White House press secretary Tony Snow said yesterday.

"And furthermore, you can't talk about September 11th, especially when Osama bin Laden himself says Iraq is at the center of all this, without mentioning it."

[full story]

So is it wrong to point out the fact that Osama Bin Laden even still talking is a total and abject failure in the War on Overwhelming Fear?

Is it wrong to point out that Iraq is a total and abject failure in the War on Overwhelming Fear?

I guess so.

On Capitol Hill, Mr. Bush's speech stiffened the spines of Republicans who have grown weary of defending an unpopular war heading into a tight election season. Yesterday, they were back to skewering Democrats as harshly as ever.

"I listen to my Democrat friends, and I wonder if they are more interested in protecting the terrorists than protecting the American people," House Majority Leader John A. Boehner said yesterday.

Actually, asshat, they are more interested in protecting the Constitution....and our sense of decency...and our moral standing...and our country's future...and, sadly, our very sanity, which has been in short supply as of late.