Cheers to WFB!!

[Arkaign]

An insightful and provocative piece of work, by the esteemed William F. Buckley. It's inspiring and promising to see such an icon of American conservatism be so honest and pragmatic regarding the Iraq situation. No jingoistic BS, no pointless right vs left tripe, just straight-up observation, practicalities, and original conservative thought.

Conservative > NeoCon pretenders

http://www.nationalreview.com/buckley/buckley200602241451.asp

 

[imported_Equinox]

Did you notice that was published in Feb 2006? They weren't listening then, why would they listen now? It surely hasn't gotten any better. The voice of reason has called from every single corner and they have been either unwilling or unable to hear it. When the politics get tossed out, and it is reduced to simple reason vs. stupidity, it's pretty easy to see the problem, isn't it?

 

[Moonbeam]

The Iraq war is all about Bush and his ego. His is large enough to allow others who serve to die in a service, when it was his turn to perform, he turned out to be AWOL.

 

[Fern]

He say that the "postulates" were incorrectly applied here, they do work.

One of these postulates, from the beginning, was that the Iraqi people, whatever their tribal differences, would suspend internal divisions in order to get on with life in a political structure that guaranteed them religious freedom

The accompanying postulate was that the invading American army would succeed in training Iraqi soldiers and policymkers to cope with insurgents bent on violence.

AND

And the administration has, now, to cope with failure. It can defend itself historically, standing by the inherent reasonableness of the postulates

So, the way I read him - The failure is due to some "problem" with the Iraqis themselves; and

The GWB admin can historically defend itself for its assumptions. Since the article is dated, I would assume WFB would chastise the GWB admin for not recognizing the above "postulates" do not apply to Iraqis, and changing course accordingly (has not recognized defeat, a necessary prerequisit to change plans).

However, I do not see any suggestion from him about what should be done.

The latter being the important question of the day.

I feel like we, as a nation, are involved in some sort of senario or "game" one might see in the movei "Saw". Like standing in the middle of a completely dark room. You can hear the poison gas hissing out of the vent; you can hear the rattlesnakes shaking their tails. Can you get out of the room before you're killed by the gas AND avoid getting snake bit?

Everone's afraid to move (inaction by polititions)

Fern

 

[Arkaign]

The solution, quite clear, is to let the Iraqi's have, and complete, their civil war, to themselves. Our involvement has zero value, other than inflating the accounts of war profiteers. The entire endeavor is a failure of legendary proportions.

 

[Arkaign]

Ah, and a more up-to-date WFB statement on the Iraqi debacle :

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YT...E3ODg4NGE1MjhlNjQ1YTllYWFmMjc4OGFlZmE=

"A geographical division of Iraq is inevitable. The major players are obvious. It isn't plain how America, as an outside party, could play an effective role, let alone one that was decisive, in that national redefinition. And America would do well to encourage non-American agents to act as brokers ? people with names like Ban Ki-moon."

 

[Lemon law]

Once again---the super intelligent voice of conservatism, William F. Buckley manages to delude himself---and has been on a weekly basis since God only knows when-----and once that feat is accomplished, its time to inform the world that black is really white, war is really peace, and that if we wait long enough, GWB&co will prevail in Iraq.

And if everyone in the world just saw things like Willie F does---what a wonderful world it would be.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Lemon law
Once again---the super intelligent voice of conservatism, William F. Buckley manages to delude himself---and has been on a weekly basis since God only knows when-----and once that feat is accomplished, its time to inform the world that black is really white, war is really peace, and that if we wait long enough, GWB&co will prevail in Iraq.

And if everyone in the world just saw things like Willie F does---what a wonderful world it would be.

If you read his writing, it's pretty clear that :

(A)- He thinks the Iraq mission is a failure in both mission and execution

(B)- He doesn't think GWB&co will ever 'prevail' in Iraq. Hence :

"America would do well to encourage non-American agents to act as brokers"

"On the basis of this analysis I will vote against supplementary American involvement in Iraq."

"Americans feel that the Iraqis' sacrifice is disproportionately low, and the single reason for this is that it is also Iraqis who are causing the tribulation in which American soldiers are being wounded and killed. And there is no strategic plan, issuing from the White House, that apportions the sacrifice being made to goals being accomplished. There is no sense of the sun rising every day on freshly liberated soil."

"We have faced, for several years, a wretched factor, identified as such by Donald Rumsfeld: The supply of insurgents is apparently self-generating. You kill one, and a replacement appears. For that reason Mr. Bush is without hard good news in his pocket, of the kind that would win political campaigns, let alone land wars."

Hardly sounds like a warmongering blind Bush cheerleader to me

 

[Lemon law]

As arkaign points out---Hardly sounds like a warmongering blind Bush cheerleader to me

Well pardon me---just wait until next week or go back to last week---and you will discover that like the weather--it changes in Wille Fville.

Right now GWB&co. are damaged goods---to blame for the bad implementation of a Willie F. idea---and in a few weeks Willie F. will refight and win the VietNam war.