[Peace-discuss] Who's against this war? (II)

[C. G. Estabrook]

[From "The Dreyfuss Report" <www.tompaine.com>.  The reference to Kerry at
the end reminds me that Kerry was on C-Span for a long time last night,
testifying to his deep devotion to Israel.  --CGE]

Nothing 'Neo' About It

As resistance to the American occupation of Iraq surges, support for it is
crumbling at homeâ-- and support for an international takeover of Bush's
fiasco in Iraq is growing. On the home front, most interesting is George
F. Will, the bow-tied conservative pundit who most resembles the kid who
always got his lunch money stolen. In a Washington Post column entitled
"Time for Bush to See the Realities of Iraq," Will accuses President Bush
of "smear[ing]" those who oppose his ill-starred democracy fantasy in Iraq
and attacks "neoconservative nation-builders," adding:

    "This administration cannot be trusted to govern if it cannot be
trusted to think. . . Traditional conservative. Nothing 'neo' about it.
This administration needs a dose of conservatism without the prefix."

  It's not clear what Will would do, exactly, but it is clear he's lost
all faith in the idea that the United States can bring democracy to Iraq.
Next door on the Post op-ed page, Richard Cohen says:

    "We will stay in Iraq for the same reason we stayed in Vietnam: We
cannot figure out how to leave."

[...]

Pressure is building, in London and Washington, to cut and run, and it's
the right thing to do. Are you listening, John Kerry?

    Last week, conservative General William Odomâ-- former head of the
supersecret National Security Agencyâ-- became the first important former
top military man to endorse the idea that the United States has bungled
Iraq and needs to get out. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal,
Odom said: "We have failed." He urged that U.S. forces be pulled out "from
that shattered country as rapidly as possible ... The issue is how high a
price we're going to payâ-- less by getting out sooner, or more by getting
out later."

    Former U.S. intelligence officials and ex-ambassadors who I've been in
touch with are abuzz with Odom's remarks, and they are likely to follow in
the footsteps of 52 British diplomats and others who rebuked hapless Tony
Blair last week, called the Anglo-American policy in Iraq "doomed to
failure."

    Reports Arnaud de Borchgrave in today's Washington Times:

    "A company-size bevy of retired U.S. generals and admirals were in
constant touch this week with a volunteer drafter putting the final
touches to a 'tough condemnation' of Bush administration Middle Eastern
policy.

    "The Council of Foreign Relations organized a conference call-in for
its members with Gen. Odom. A score of former U.S. ambassadors who had
served in the Middle East were also discussing how to join their voices to
Britain's 52 former ambassadors, high commissioners and governors who
wrote to Tony Blair to accuse him of scuttling peace efforts between
Israel and Palestinians. The British diplomats also took Mr. Blair to task
for policies "doomed to failure" in Iraq.

    "One British co-signer was Paul Bergne, who until recently was the
prime minister's personal envoy to Afghanistan.

    "It was the first time in living memory so many former envoys to the
Middle East had acted as a group to denounce the government's foreign
policy. They said they spoke for many serving diplomats, as well.

    "The retired U.S. ambassadors were as one in warning President Bush
that discarding the Middle East road map to peace and substituting a plan
that leaves Palestinians no hope for a viable state is tantamount to
declaring war on moderationâ-- and jeopardizing U.S. interests all over
the region."

Pity that John Kerry is, so far blind to the catastrophe in Iraq. His
speeches and wishy-washy policy on Iraq have left him totally unable to
capture America's anger over Iraq. Since calling for the UN to take over
for the United States in Iraq, Kerry has tacked this way and that, calling
for more U.S. troops and pledging to stand firm, whatever that means. It's
clear that Kerry doesn't have the backbone to stand up to President Bush
on Iraq, the single biggest issue of 2004. Will he get a spine transplant
anytime soon? I doubt it. Ralph Nader is campaigning hard for the anti-war
vote. He may get mine.


  May 03, 2004 | 11:45AM