Harry, I'm not sure that I will give you that in that this could have been anticipated as a wise step under almost any scenario. If we had simply continued to pay Iraqi police and military salaries, we would have seen much less resistance. Even John McCain agrees [:>)}.
Bill On Fri, 7 Nov 2003 15:59:33 -0800 "Harry Pollard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Bill, > > This is "initially". > > Harry > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, November 07, 2003 7:46 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [Futurework] Bush's preliminary step to withdrawal? > > Keith, > > On this, I think that Bush is in for the long haul. He is making > very unpopular moves in the US by calling up more military > reserves. It appears that he intends to reduce the size of the > troops and bring Iraqis on board in large numbers. This is what > he should have done initially. > > Bill > > On Fri, 07 Nov 2003 15:14:26 +0000 Keith Hudson > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > writes: > > One can't help feeling intensely suspicious of the apparent > change of > > heart of Bush when he announces that he wants to bring > democracy to > > the Middle East and that this was what his invasion of Iraq was > all > > about. > > This, > > despite the US being close allies of dictatorships in Saudi > Arabia for > > 50 years and even with Saddam Hussein himself for 15 when > encouraging > > him to wage years of warfare on Iran. No longer, it would seem, > did > > Bush invade Iraq because of international terrorism, nor > because of > > Weapons of Mass destruction. (The Special Task Force of 2,000 > American > > troops which have apparently been searching for WMDs for months > have > > not turned up anything yet. WMDs were never there in the first > place, > > as the UN Inspectors > > > > believed, and as further recent evidence suggests -- see the > article > > below.) > > > > The US death toll reported in today's Independent article below > > (142) has > > already been augmented this morning by another four soldiers > killed in > > a downed helicopter and possibly two more in other incidents on > the > > roads. > > For electoral reasons a year from now, Bush may now already be > > deciding to leave well before next summer. One or two > particularly > > dramatic terrorist attacks could cause the American electorate > to > > swing ferociously against Bush at almost any time from now > onwards. > > > > Of course, some believe, including the present writer, that > Bush > > invaded Iraq in order to ensure that US and UK oil corporations > would > > be able to develop the immense northern oilfields from which > Saddam > > had mischievously excluded them. But, in the biggest mistake > that Bush > > (or, probably, > > Cheney) > > made, these corporations refuse to be involved until there's a > > legitimate Iraqi government in place and not the > American-imposed > > Coalition Provisional Authority. > > > > Two or three more speeches along the lines that Bush has just > made > > would allow him to segue right out of Iraq -- throwing it a > > constitution and holding an election along the way which will > ensure a > > Shia majority. > > If he > > makes sure that the Shias have sufficient well-armed forces at > their > > > > disposal, this ought to ensure that the previous oppressors, > the > > Sunnis, will be subjugated (or chased into Syria) and, if and > when > > Saddam emerges from hiding, he will be quickly caught and > executed. > > > > This scenario may seem unlikely -- even absurd at the moment -- > but I > > don't see any other way out of Bush's predicament and possible > > humiliating defeat next November. He's not gained what went to > Iraq > > for -- WMDs or oil > > -- so > > he might as well leave now as craftily as he can. He's been > able to > > con most of the American electorate so far, so he ought to be > able to > > swing this new strategy across them as a piece of international > > > statesmanship in the name of bringing democracy to one more > country. > > > > Just one postscript for non-UK readers: there are likely to be > large > > > > demonstrations against Bush when he arrives. The usual state > > procession down the Mall has already been cancelled and it's > > exceedingly unlikely that Bush will be able to show his face in > public > > in the usual way. > > > > Keith Hudson > > > > <<<< > > BUSH CALLS IRAQ MISSION 'WATERSHED FOR GLOBAL DEMOCRACY' > > > > Rupert Cornwell > > > > Washington -- Less than two weeks before what may be a stormy > state > > visit to London, President George Bush yesterday cast himself > as a new > > Ronald Reagan, vowing to bring freedom and democracy to the > Middle > > East and beyond > > -- just as Mr Reagan did with the Soviet Union, in his "evil > empire" > > > > address to the British Parliament 21 years ago. > > > > Speaking on the day he signed into law the Bill authorising $87 > > > billion of extra funding for Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr Bush set > out his > > vision of a modernised and democratic Iraq serving as example > > throughout the region. > > > > Separately, administration officials confirmed that they had > received > > a behind-the-scenes proposal, supposedly from Saddam Hussein, > offering > > a deal last March to stave off the looming war. But the contact > was > > rebuffed by the CIA. > > > > Though experts said the move may have been of little > significance, > > critics presented the episode as further proof that Mr Bush > would let > > nothing interfere with his determination to go to war. > > > > In his speech yesterday Mr Bush once again made no reference to > > > mounting US casualties in Iraq, including two more fatal > attacks > > yesterday, bringing to > > 142 the death toll since he declared the end of major combat > > operations. > > Nor did he refer to the strains on the military, and > yesterday's > > Pentagon announcement that 132,000 troops and reservists will > be sent > > to relieve units who have been in the region for a year. > Instead he > > stressed that failure in Iraq would embolden terrorists around > the > > world, but "the > > > > establishment of a free Iraq will be a watershed event in the > global > > > > democratic revolution." > > > > That, clearly, is the message he will deliver during his > address to an > > audience of dignitaries in London on 19 November, the > centrepiece of > > his state visit. And his references to the dismissive reaction > to Mr > > Reagan's speech in Westminster Hall left no doubt that he is > expecting > > more of the same for himself. "It seems hard to be a > sophisticated > > European and also an admirer of Ronald Reagan," Mr Bush > yesterday > > quoted from a newspaper > > > > editorial of the time, recalling how some observers had > pronounced the > > "evil empire" speech to be "simplistic and naive, and even > dangerous". > > In fact the current unpopularity of Mr Bush and his > administration -- > > widely perceived in Europe as high-handed, arrogant and > ignorant -- > > eclipses that of Mr Reagan in 1982, at the height of the Cold > War. But > > Mr Bush stressed he would not be deterred. > > > > Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the > lack of > > freedom in the Middle East had done nothing to make the world > safer, > > the President told the National Endowment for Democracy here. > "It > > would be reckless to accept the status quo," he declared, > defending > > his doctrine of preemptive action as "a forward strategy of > freedom". > > He attacked the "outposts of oppression" in Cuba, Zimbabwe, > North > > Korea and Burma, but praised Morocco and other Arab states such > as > > Yemen, Bahrain and Jordan, who are gingerly taking steps > towards > > democracy. He called on Egypt and Saudi Arabia to move faster > along > > the path of reform, and delivered > > > > familiar tirades against leaders in Iran and Palestine who were > > > blocking their peoples' aspirations to freedom. > > > > The Independent -- 7 November 2003 > > >>>> > > > > > > Keith Hudson, Bath, England, <www.evolutionary-economics.org>, > > <www.handlo.com>, <www.property-portraits.co.uk> > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Futurework mailing list > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________ > The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! > Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! > Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! 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