It was bound to happen [Archives:2005/896/Opinion]
The observer is certainly not surprised by the increasing heated debate about the Bush Administration's misadventure in Iraq in the United States. Surely the American political establishment is bound to see that the people of the United States need to have their feelings expressed more vocally. Yes, the American people have now expressed their discomfort about the war and most recent polls have reflected some of the dissatisfaction (in different levels) that many grassroots Americans are having about the war. The politicians have somehow seen this as a mandate that they also must no longer hide their true disposition. The War in Iraq is on the way to becoming a rejuvenation of vocal popular dissent against US Government policy, especially overseas, that has proven again that when the people say it is wrong, even politicians have to listen. Although much of the debate for or against George W. Bush's apparent misjudgment of even his own people's refusal to be misled and taken advantage of is still along partisan inclinations, there is no question that the American people are beginning to realize that the right is no longer “always right”. Politicians, who were known for their hawkish persuasion are also voicing grave concerns for the poor showing in the war effort and coming out with their turnaround view that the US effort in Iraq needs to be critically assessed and for all that matter ended.
One should take further note of this, as one notices that the terrorist attacks have surprisingly and somewhat coincidentally escalated, almost reflecting a certain synchronization of trends: when the Bush Administration seems to be getting the heat from public opinion or the political opposition, the terrorists attacks increase in frequency and goriness. Surely there is something to ponder about, especially when realizing that the attacks are not directed at the occupying forces or at the “enemies of Islam”, but rather large assemblies of civilian Moslems in Iraq and elsewhere – even by mosques. Surely such attacks as the recent one in eastern Iraq (100 dead) and I Amman would find little favor among the Iraqis or the rest of the Moslem World. So, how could insurgents or anti-occupation resistance fighters expect to advance their cause when the victims are supposedly the expected beneficiaries of their struggle? There is no doubt of something that needs further explanation beyond mere religious extremism and a little less than outright madness going on in Iraq and the rest of the world. Conspiracy theories set aside, we need to consider many possible explanations, including those that disassociate from logical cause and effect.
Is the Bush Administration feeling the heat? For now the response has been the usual efforts to project all opposition as tantamount to treason or failure to see the earnest efforts to proceed with the War on Terror. Needless to say that the WOT actually has given terrorism more juice than it ever had before and not shown any meaningful successes to speak of, whether in finding and apprehending or eliminating the big icons that the pro right media always flash out to the world public opinion. A war that has cost so many thousands of lives (maybe in the hundreds of thousands now), including at least over 2,000 Americans and well over US $ 200 Billion against an “enemy”, who is growing in ferocity and momentum and enjoying all the freedom of operations, the technology of the modern age and the attention of the whole world, without so much as giving a hint of any pain from this almost farcical match-up of the world superpower and reckless bands of bloodthirsty killers.
But the Americans at the grass roots level are now saying that there are apparently too many theatrics in this WOT and too much that does not make sense to them. With an unending stream of continuous lies that they are being exposed to, many Americans are now saying, enough is enough and it is time to bring the boys home and get America on a more sounder track.
Yet, the Bush Administration seeks to find newer grounds to unleash its itch for war as the only destiny that it can relate to, even though there are no gauges that can be found to measure any successes or victories. In fact, victory does not have a place in the wars that Mr. Bush has waged so far and one is somewhat confounded by the earnest attempt to convince the American constituency that perhaps taking the war to a different location will produce the light at the end of the tunnel. The Washington Post reports of large movement of war material to some of the neighboring states with Syria should not be viewed lightly. If Iraq was a lesson to be learned from, the Bush Administration might indeed rush into a new battleground before the opposition at home becomes too entrenched and become more organized leading to a repeat of the American scene during the Vietnam War, when out finally became the only logical path to take.
One hopes that the American administration will finally come to some realization that war is not always a viable cover for failure, especially if failure has become obvious in war itself as Afghanistan and Iraq have for all intents and purposes become no more than apparent failures in the only thing that Mr. Bush and his neo-con pals savor so much.
If Mr. Bush thinks that he can overcome the mounting opposition to the war and enjoy the comfort of not having to take his case to the people again for another election, one might expect that the recent vocal opposition voiced by the members of Congress will indicate that Americans can look for more effective measures to bring some sanity to American foreign policy.
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[archive-e:896-v:14-y:2005-d:2005-11-21-p:opinion]
