Gee, Imagine That

Imagine, for instance, that the South Koreans timed the announcement of the withdrawal of the first of their troops from (Kurdish) northern Iraq for the moment the president arrived in their country.

Imagine that Tony Blair's people are now said to be perfecting total withdrawal plans for next year, and that the president recently may have had to slap down the top American general in Iraq for suggesting withdrawal (or at least draw down) plans of his own.

Imagine that various European nations are now investigating (or in the case of an Italian court charging) American agents in the "war on terror" with crimes.

Imagine that the president, who often insisted Saddam had been overthrown to rid Iraq of its torture chambers ("the torture chambers and the secret police are gone forever") and to end the reign of a "murderous tyrant who ... used chemical weapons to kill thousands of people", now faces a "tip-of-the-iceberg" torture scandal in Iraq involving the people we've brought to power and another spreading scandal about the American use of a chemical-like weapon, white phosphorous, on civilians in the city of Fallujah.

Imagine that we proved less capable than Saddam of delivering basics like electricity and potable water to the people of Iraq, that we squandered billions of taxpayer dollars in "reconstruction" funds there, and that we face an insurgency that continues to grow and spread in opposition to a shabby elected government all but in league with the Iranians.

Imagine that the president's Iraq war is now devouring his presidency and that it can only get worse.

Tom Engelhardt
How the Bush administration got spooked
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GK22Ak01.html