Friedman: Iraq is no Vietnam

[La_Serpiente]

Look what the dipshit came up with today.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/30/opinion/30FRIE.html


Since 9/11, we've seen so much depraved violence we don't notice anymore when we hit a new low. Monday's attacks in Baghdad were a new low. Just stop for one second and contemplate what happened: A suicide bomber, driving an ambulance loaded with explosives, crashed into the Red Cross office and blew himself up on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This suicide bomber was not restrained by either the sanctity of the Muslim holy day or the sanctity of the Red Cross. All civilizational norms were tossed aside. This is very unnerving. Because the message from these terrorists is: "There are no limits. We have created our own moral universe, where anything we do against Americans or Iraqis who cooperate with them is O.K."

What to do? The first thing is to understand who these people are. There is this notion being peddled by Europeans, the Arab press and the antiwar left that "Iraq" is just Arabic for Vietnam, and we should expect these kinds of attacks from Iraqis wanting to "liberate" their country from "U.S. occupation." These attackers are the Iraqi Vietcong.

[Brucey]

1. No, it's a guerilla war...

with no end. Even chimp and friends see that now. Their plan: Milk the situation for as much money as they can get for their friendly and supportive corporations, have their friends buy up all of Iraq's corporations and resources for low prices as fast as possible, set up a puppet government, declare the war over and the Iraqis liberated, then bring most of the troops home before the 2004 election. Victory parade with Bush on the back of a Cadillac convertible. Re-selection assured. Hero. Yes?

[ugarte]

2. The other day the idiot wrote

that Iraq and Egypt should join NATO. I think he's lost his bearings, totally.

[KG]

3. he just doesn't 'get it', does he?

willfully obtuse or brain dead?

[alcuno]

6. These people are not following the RULES!

I can hardly believe that the Friedman's of the world didn't realize who they were dealing with. He is supposed to be some Middle East expert.

[La_Serpiente]

4. He did have some choice words for Bush in the end

The latter has been my concern. Can this administration, whose national security team is so divided, effectively stay the course in Iraq? Has the president's audacity in waging such a revolutionary war outrun his ability to articulate what it's about and to summon Americans for the sacrifices victory will require? Can the president really be a successful radical liberal on Iraq, while being such a radical conservative everywhere else — refusing to dismiss one of his own generals who insults Islam, turning a deaf ear to hints of corruption infecting the new Baghdad government as it's showered with aid dollars, calling on reservists and their families to bear all the burdens of war while slashing taxes for the rich, and undertaking the world's biggest nation-building project with few real allies?

I don't know. But here's what I do know: If Mr. Bush doesn't treat the next year as his second term, when he must do all the right things in Iraq without regard to politics, it is the only second term he's going to see.

On Oct. 23, when I cited 900 wounded in action in Iraq, I was referring to the period since Mr. Bush declared major fighting over on May 1. I was still wrong. Pentagon data shows 1,059 U.S. soldiers wounded in action from May 1 to Oct. 22.

[IndianaGreen]

5. If we hadn't invaded Iraq, no one would have been killed

The UN inspectors would still be in Iraq, trying to find the non-existing WMD, and our troops would be home today. ALIVE!

Friedman was one of the cheerleaders for the invasion of Iraq. In addition to that, Friedman has shown a racist streak in the way he has written about Arabs and Muslims. Friedman should drop any pretense of fairness and write for one of Rupert Murdoch or Conrad Black's newspapers instead of the NY Times.

[La_Serpiente]

7. Totally

I remember one time that he wrote a column where he thought it was sick that they killed 3 Americans in Israel.

I don't mean to demean their lives of the three Americans that were killed, but Israel just blew up three apartment buildings that held 2000 people. Luckily, they were evacuated but they lost all of their possesions. That is just sick and inhumane.

[Cha]

8. Not Yet!