Byrd in WP: "Unprepared for Peace in Iraq"

[Newsjock]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45132-2003Aug25.html

Unprepared for Peace in Iraq
By Robert C. Byrd
Tuesday, August 26, 2003; Page A13

... What has become tragically clear is that the United States has no strong plan for turning Iraq over to the Iraqi people and is quickly losing even its ability to maintain order. The administration is stumbling through the dark, hoping by luck to find the lighted path to peace and stability.

Despite the best hopes for an Iraqi democracy, the Iraqi people and the world see only the worst fears of occupation. Instead of inspiring steps toward self-government, we witness hit-and-run murders of U.S. soldiers, terrorist attacks and sabotage. Our military action in Iraq has forged a caldron of contempt for America, a dangerous brew that may poison the efforts of peace throughout the Middle East and result in the rapid invigoration of worldwide terrorism.

The president's stubborn insistence that much of the world be shut out of real participation in the rebuilding effort in Iraq is obviously costing lives. In addition, it is costing the United States credibility in Iraq and around the globe. We promised to improve the quality of life, yet so far we have failed to deliver. As a result, increasing numbers of Iraqis see the United States only as occupier, not liberator.

... A hallmark of true leadership is the ability to admit when one is wrong and to learn from errors. Candidate George W. Bush spoke about the need for humility from a great and powerful nation. He said, "Let us reject the blinders of isolationism, just as we refuse the crown of empire. Let us not dominate others with our power -- or betray them with our indifference. And let us have an American foreign policy that reflects American character. The modesty of true strength. The humility of real greatness." It is time for the Bush administration to swallow its false pride and return to that philosophy of humility before it is too late.

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[indepat]

1. "Let us not dominate others with our power - - or betray them with

our indifference." This Administration most often does exactly the opposite of what it says. It offers some idealized puffery, then ruthlessly implements its hard-right agenda, its PNAC vision. If the poeple of this nation would only bother to compare what is said with what is done, only the hard-core believers would still support the man and his dream.

[sujan]

2. here's another

"War has proved far easier than peace. We had the weapons to win the war, but not the wisdom to secure the peace."