Clear, Hold, Build

Frontline: Bush's War Broadcast March 24th and 25th 2008 on PBS

While this is mostly a rehash of earlier Frontline reports, it is still important. I hope everyone gets to see it, especially those of us stuck in the miasma of our domestic media.

Some thoughts. First of all it is interesting to note that this was broadcast within the same week we reached our 4000th military death. I haven't thought of this before, but maybe that is what helped turn the tide in 2006. The amount of military deaths in the war on terrorism out grew the number of deaths in the actual terrorist attack. That is significant.

Also, how many Iraqis have been killed or are currently displaced? A poster at the Daily Kos says 37 to 300 for every one U.S. soldier. As our current military objective is to maintain security of the Iraqi people, isn't it important for the military to try to keep track of and maintain an accurate record of these numbers and make them public?

Talk radio has had a huge influence in selling and maintaining this war. Talking hawks like Mr. Limbaugh and Mr. Medved have been advocating strong action in the Middle east since before 9/11, and have taken advantage of that attack to lead the choir in this tragic mis-use of American foreign policy and military power.

It would be instructive to see what their policy suggestions have been throughout the war time line. I know it began with the fact that dissent and criticism should be shunned as we are at war. This tactic ended around the 2006 elections as it became increasingly clear how badly the management of the war had been bungled. I also remember how little discussion was allowed at the beginning when we were being sold the war. Did we ever think about we were going to deal with the power vacuum in the region, especially in regard to Iran?

The bungling of Iraq is not a series of honest mistakes. It is based on a systematic corruption of our government based on a political philosophy that basically does not believe in government. So many times during the Frontline narrative there are classic instances where policy initiatives take precedence over facts. The most frustrating of these is the diminution CIA and State Department, two organizations that are despised by many of the deepest believers in the conservative cause basically because of their institutional momentum which can be so difficult to change with the political whims of any one administration.

To call this Bush's war is inaccurate. It is really America's war. We all have the power to affect change and we have been largely mute. The question going forward is what do we do? Democrats have to be realistic about this. Currently, the talkers do have a point - complete removal of troops could be disastrous for the Iraqi people and the responsibility would have been ours. I hope we can be realistic and not be disillusioned by a continued occupation. Hopefully the presumably Democratic controlled occupation will be a great deal smaller and will include informed and intelligent regional diplomacy (for a change). The wounds created by the Bush administration are going to take some time to heal. And we do have to do what we can to fix the humanitarian disaster that we created, largely on a whim and a prayer, in the Middle East.