Monday, October 31, 2005

Why Does the Right Wing Have So Much Confidence in Liberals Like Me?

A tactic I have encountered multiple times in the last several months in debate about the war in Iraq is to shift the attention to "Okay, what do we do now?" A fine example came to me in an email from a St. Louis lawyer today:
I am more than a little puzzled by all of this discussion over something that is a moot point. There are many things that we as a nation can do but there are certain things that we simply cannot accomplish and going back in time and revisiting the decision to go to war is one of those. Whether or not we should have gone to war in Iraq, we are there now, and unless we want to turn tail and run, leaving these people to the whims of terrorist factions, leading to the next Afghanistan then we need to focus on what can be done currently to get these people closer to governing and protecting themselves.
In other words, so what if we were lied to and misled into war? Let's not talk about the past - what now?

First off, I frankly do want to talk about how we got into this mess, because there are still people who believe that what the Bush administration did is all just fine. If everyone is in total agreement that Bush's adventure in Iraq was misguided policy from the get-go, then, okay, there's no point in talking about that anymore. Give me a written apology and a few more resignations, and I'll be ready to move on. But, while people are still spreading misinformation and half-truths, the topic is alive and in play.

Secondly, why is it that now the right wing wants me to come up with a geopolitical, military and moral solution for the problem that Bush created? How did that become my job? Why does the country have to turn to Gonemild for a solution - don't we pay a lot of people big dollars to think this sort of thing through - ideally before getting into the mess in the first place?

But, since they've asked, I suppose I'll bail them out this one time - but don't expect this generosity every time Bush screws up, because I have a real job to do, too - one that pays me money.

First off, I would deliver Bush bound and gagged to whatever international court wants to try him for war crimes. Let's see how that process plays out. Personally, I have a little bit of sympathy for the coke-addled, spoiled brat who talked himself into a job he is incompetent to handle, so I'm cheering for him. Not betting on him, but cheering for him.

Then, clear Halliburton and Blackwater out of Iraq, and as many of the private companies as possible over there making zillions of dollars by behaving like testosterone-soaked high school football players. Let the military run the show.

Then, and this one won't be near as popular as the other two - start pumping money into their infrastructure, using their companies and our military (at least until theirs is ready to take over), so we fix as much as possible of what we broke. We'll probably have to increase our taxes by a large multiple to pay for this massive undertaking, but we elected the SOB (well, not really, but that's another issue), so we have to pay for our mess. If we can come up with a way of only taxing the idiots who voted for Bush, so be it, but, probably, we're all going to have to pay.

In conjunction with that effort, we need to learn how to coexist with Islam. Unlike a lot of my right-wing brethren, whose spellcheckers automatically add "ofascist" to the word Islam, I don't believe that we are destined to have an apocalyptic showdown between our respective religious fundamentalists. The vast majority of people know that the fundamentalists of their own faiths are just as wacky as the fundamentalists of the other faiths. Respectable people need to regain power in all countries, and we can work from there. I'm sure that a massive rebuilding effort undertaken in good faith by good people will help start the understanding.

I know this isn't a total solution, and there are going to be a few bumps along the way. But we have a lot of eggs to unscramble, thanks to the current administration, and it's not always going to be pretty.

And thanks for asking, right-wingers. If you have any other problems you need solved, feel free to ask nicely. It's good to see that you're finally realizing you'd be better off asking me, a humble middle-aged guy in Kansas City, than relying on the people who have botched their jobs in Washington so badly.

8 Comments:

Blogger Brian Stayton said...

Let me point out a few other corollary points to your right-wing readers:

As loyal opponents, there is no rule or rationale that limits our opposition to fixing problems created by the other side. It's a fair point to ask, How in the heck did we get into this mess in the first place?

Placing blame on Dubya for his War of Choice is not a mere academic exercise in geopolitics; it's politics itself. We get to castigate Dubya for his war crimes, whether prosecuted or not, because it's a political issue.

The same or similar issue could present itself again. Much like Dubya could be enticed by an overweight intern's thong, Dubya could also be enticed by the next terrorist attack to invade some other country that had absolutely nothing to do with the offense. All intelligent people need to know whether or not they trust the moron that sits in the Oval Office to make the right decision, next time.

Remember how Dubya ran on the platform of restoring honor and integrity to the White House? (Hey, how's that working out so far?) We get to run on the platform of restoring honor, integrity, logic, and reason to the State Department, the CIA, and the White House insiders.

Deal with it.

10/31/2005 7:51 PM  
Blogger Dan said...

Wow, AM, that is probably the least insightful thing I've ever read about Islam. The competition is tough, but you manage to win the award by pointing out that in 1940 or so, you would have been arguing that we can't get along with Germans. Think hard now. Think about the guy named Schmidt in your office. Think about the tour groups coming back from Oktoberfest. Now, give it some thought - do you really think we can't get along with Germans? Come on, take a little extra time if you need it.

Yes, we absolutely have problems with elements within Islam. They have problems with elements within Christianity, too.

If you want, I could probably find you lots of roadmaps by idiots of every religion that would scare you.

I had no idea you were so deluded, AM, as to believe the apocalyptic bullshit that the right wing morons who can't type Islam without "ofascist" are spreading.

We can do this, as long as we don't follow people like you or SH.

10/31/2005 9:55 PM  
Blogger FletcherDodge said...

I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you need to put a little more thought into you "solutions" and the ramifications of the steps you propose. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who look at the world in these kind of simplistic terms.

11/01/2005 11:23 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

humble? ha.

11/01/2005 3:32 PM  
Blogger antimedia said...

Now, Dan, you're engaging in hyperbole. You know full well I was referring to the Zarqawis of this world, not all of Islam.

What I want to know is, do you seriously think you could "get along" with Zarqawi, for example?

BTW, I found that picture of the "Shoot Your Officers" banner that was carried by lefties in Sanfran. Just so you know I wasn't makin' it up.

11/01/2005 11:16 PM  
Blogger Nölff said...

Dude, thereare some whacked out people out there. I've come to that conclusion.

11/02/2005 8:51 AM  
Blogger Dan said...

Thanks, AM, for proving my point about the sign. In the article, he makes clear that he believes the democrats should be afraid of him as well as the republicans, and that he is an anarchist. So he's not ours, and he's not yours, and you're spreading lies when you try to tie him to the left.

11/02/2005 7:23 PM  
Blogger Dan said...

AM - no, that's not hyperbole. I pointed out that people all over the world need to rescue their countries from the right-wing religious fanatics. You indicted the whole religion, and carried the point forward to complain about those dirty germans.

I have plenty of problems with Zarqawi (and others). That's who I want to oppose. Those of you that want to oppose Islam are blurring the important distinction.

11/04/2005 7:34 AM  

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