The famed historian has created a list that features observations that both Bush fans and Bush critics will find points of agreement with. Taken as a whole they remind us just how difficult things will be there, both for Iraqis and for American interests, for many, many years to come, regardless of what course of action the US takes in the immediate future.
Posted by armand at December 27, 2005 03:12 PM | TrackBack | Posted to Iraqhttp://www.logictimes.com/flowchart.htm
I suggest checking out this link also. Puts things into perspective for those who aren't blinded with bias.
Posted by: big country at December 29, 2005 12:36 AM | PERMALINKAre you suggesting that Juan Cole is blinded by bias?
Posted by: binky at December 29, 2005 10:31 AM | PERMALINKSo Big Country - are there any of Cole's "myths" you actually disagree with?
Some of the Logic Times measures strike me as absolutely absurd - for example, what exactly does the 0 US civilian casualties have to do with how the Iraq war is going? That number was 0 in 2002 and 2001 as well. The casualty counts don't take into account the considerable changes in medicine since the 19th century.
But more than that - why compare this war to previous wars? I don't see what that proves. To me the proper comparison is to what else we'd be doing with our military and our money, now, if we weren't there any more. Comparing data to 1898 doesn't strike me as a particularly informative enterprise in determing what is, or is not, in the national interest.
Was turnout in the Iraqi elections high? Sure. So what? Turnout is high in the elections of a lot of authoritarian states too. And just holding elections doesn't mean you're even remotely democratic. Lots of communist states had them, Iran has them, Egypt has them, etc. etc. etc.
And test #10 is just about the most pathetic excuse I continue to repeatedly hear. Even the administration's critics will acknowledge that Bush, Bremer and Rumsfeld have made a host of mistakes that have made things much much worse than they might otherwise be. Just b/c the world hasn't come to a complete halt doesn't mean that they are performing well. That's a bigotry of the absolute lowest of expectations. It's also a pathetic and shameful failure of government (since lots of people in our government knew what was going to happen - it's just most of that knowledge wasn't put to good use by people in power with other priorities).
Posted by: Armand at December 29, 2005 11:32 AM | PERMALINK