Have you ever been left so cold when it comes to the political wrangling by both parties when addressing an issue? As I was reading this Washington Post article concerning the war in Iraq, I see politicians trying to cover their political derrieres instead of putting an end to this abomination known as the Iraq War.
To be honest, we will not be leaving there anytime soon and any politician who tells you otherwise is pulling a fast one over you. We have or rather they have too much vested in our occupation of that sovereign country. Whether it’s the military bases we have built, the $592 million dollar American embassy built in Baghdad using slave labor which we will have to protect, to the much coveted oil in that country; dare I say we will be there for a long time?
The opening paragraph of this article infuriates me as so many have lost their lives in which Democrats are seeking “modest bipartisan measures” That is not what the American people elected you to do as we decided to change course last November.
When Sen. Jeff Sessions stated, "Americans, are worried about how things are going. They're hearing mixed results. They don't believe everything that comes out of the State Department or the Pentagon or the White House." Wow, he must be a smart man if he is only getting this now. Note to Sessions: I don't think Americans believe much of anything coming from any listed above and let us add Congress to that list.
If there were a believe-o-meter to register the American people’s reaction to this government, it would barely register.
There is absolutely nothing modest when it comes to the Iraqi casualty rate which has been ignored by the mainstream media. It has been reported by the alternative media that one million innocent Iraqis have died as a result. In fact, there is nothing modest as Robert Naiman wrote a blistering article, U.S. Media Ignores Estimate of 1 Million Iraqi Deaths. In this article he is frank at saying that the media has all but buried the Lancet study. He writes of the Lancet, “The Lancet study is the only existing study that uses the method accepted all over the world for estimating deaths due to large-scale violent conflict: a cluster survey.”Naiman cites the, “Lancet estimate of excess deaths due to violence.” He goes onto write, “we understate the death toll by ignoring, say, increased deaths due to cholera which could be attributed, at least in part, to the destruction resulting from the U.S. invasion and occupation.”The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) reports of cholera, “Approximately one in 20 infected persons has severe disease characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these persons, rapid loss of body fluids leads to dehydration and shock. Without treatment, death can occur within hours.”As Congress wrangles over Iraq in a partisan fashion, the CDC reports how one is infected with cholera, “A person may get cholera by drinking water or eating food contaminated with the cholera bacterium. In an epidemic, the source of the contamination is usually the feces of an infected person. The disease can spread rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water.”So, as Congress members especially those running for president attend one fund raiser after another in which they partake in any number of foods and beverages; they should think of these Iraqis who through no fault of their own are forced to drink water contaminated with this bacterium. Maybe, just maybe they would see it as a life and death issue. Then again, they are far too busy trying to raise funds or in some cases returning those tainted funds. As Iraqis are suffering, it blisters me knowing how much money is involved in these presidential campaigns. I found this sentiment expressed by Naiman to be one of the most riveting as Congress debates what to do with Iraq, “nowhere is this responsibility greater than in trying to understand the consequences of the actions of our government.” It seems to me and by many others that no one in Washington wants to take responsibility for the actions of this war through the finger pointing that has gone on.As reported in the Washington Post article, “MoveOn.org provided Republicans a life raft when it ran a full-page newspaper advertisement Monday taunting Petraeus as "General Betray Us." Being an army general, I am certain that Petraeus is used to being called names, but what gets me is that some are infuriated over this MoveOn.org ad as innocent Iraqis are dying each and everyday. Exactly, where is the outrage knowing that Iraqi children are being infected by this cholera bacterium and dying as a result? Let’s get real! Republicans see this MoveOn.org ad as their life raft as one million Iraqis were afforded none.In my emails, people have said that the Democrats should apologize only if the Republicans apologize for past attacks on them. I do think that human life trumps the assaults on anyone party.Some have clamored for an apology, but exactly where is any apology to the Iraqi people for causing such misery? If any Democrat apologizes we must hold them in contempt. It sickens me to hear this verbal diarrhea coming from Congress as innocent Iraqis afflicted with cholera are suffering actual diarrhea.As I am still trying to wrap my brain around one million Iraqis dead, it infuriates me as I read, “Democratic leaders are taking a pragmatic turn.” They are taking this pragmatic turn in order to get something to Bush’s desk. Who is to say if he will listen to them since his record proves otherwise? Bush has only had contempt for our Congress over the years. Either our Congress has been his rubberstamp or he has basically ignored the oversight of this elected body. Case in point is when the Senate defeated the failed immigration bill and Bush came back from the G-8 Summit and forced it back into debate. Thankfully it failed again. But, our sneaky little Congress is trying to sneak certain provisions right back in. That is something to address in a future column. As I have written before, this is an American made holocaust and yet this ineffectual Congress on both sides of the political aisle doesn’t have the stamina to stand up to this president and end it. Ron Paul has often spoke of the blow-back affect when it comes to our pathetic and deadly foreign policy and one does have to wonder just how this all will blow back in our faces considering the number of Iraqis dead and the millions that have been displaced. Should this blow back and only time will tell; our reaction will be one of shock as was our reaction to 9/11.As Congress continues to exhibit their verbal diarrhea deciding what to do about Iraq, each and every American should tell them, the time to leave Iraq is now. This was and still is an illegal occupation of a sovereign country and the sooner each and every one of us wraps our brain around that one, the longer this will drag out. What to do with Iraq? That question only shows our hubris.Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
