The Right’s Iraq Panic
The Right’s Iraq Panic
The Wall Street Journal editorial page today lashed out at critics calling on the administration to fire Donald Rumsfeld and shift strategies in Iraq, saying they were suffering from “Iraq Panic.” Since the WSJ’s editors often forecast the message of the wider conservative movement, it’s telling that their latest administration apologetics are so transparent.
WSJ: “As for security, the daily violence is terrible and dispiriting, but it is not a sign of an expanding insurgency.”
FACT: Average Number of Insurgent Attacks per Day — May 2003: 10, June 2004: 52, May 2005: 70 [Brookings Institution, 6/3/05]
WSJ: “[The insurgent strategy of attacking 'soft' targets] drives up the casualty figures, especially against Iraqi civilians, but it does not win more political converts. Insurgencies that have prevailed in history — Algeria, China, Cuba — have all had a large base of popular support.”
FACT: “A recent internal poll conducted for the US-led coalition found that nearly 45 percent of the population supported the insurgent attacks, making accurate intelligence difficult to obtain. Only 15 percent of those polled said they strongly supported the US-led coalition.” [Boston Globe, 6/10/05]
WSJ: “That more of the bombers seem to be coming from outside Iraq is cause for worry, since it means there will be a continuing supply of suicide bombers. But it also means that the insurgency is becoming an invasion force against Iraq itself, which means it lacks the native roots to sustain it.”
FACT: “U.S. military estimates cited by security analysts put the number of active jihadists at about 1,000, or less than 10 percent of the number of fighters in a mostly Iraqi-dominated insurgency.” [Washington Post, 5/14/05]
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Does this really matter anymore? They’ve been lying for 2 years. Hasn’t made a difference.
June 27th, 2005 at 3:30 pmThis is why the Wall Street Journal is often referred to as the War Street Journal. Anyone having any illusions about the Wall Street Journal should realize the one thing the Journal and Wall street like is war – war means riches.
Don’t expect anything else from the War Street Journal.
June 27th, 2005 at 3:31 pmSouless bastards…
June 27th, 2005 at 3:32 pmSame ol’ same ol’…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4627923.stm
June 27th, 2005 at 3:50 pmWSJ often reports well, but then COMPLETELY contradicts themselves in their editorial pages.
Must be a Conservative specialty of some kind. Think one thing but say another. Lying has become the hallmark of Conservative culture.
People may someday realize that Truth has nothing to do with the Konservative Agenda. By that time I just hope its not too late.
June 27th, 2005 at 3:51 pmJC G of W
It’s already too late.
June 27th, 2005 at 4:11 pmThe frightening aspect for US, regardless of the numbers, the ethnic makeup or what “throes” the insurgency is in: every insurgent that gets out of Iraq alive has been well-trained by the United States of America.
I don’t know how well we’re doing with the Iraqi security training, but the insurgents are getting top rate equipment free, realistic settings in which to practice, and we even provide live targets. Life doesn’t get much better for Al Qaeda and friends.
And if that’s not enough, the current administration is busy making self-aggrandizing spiteful pronouncements around the world. For starters today, I see that:
We’re going to start processing uranium 238 again (for national security porposes of course).
We don’t support the Kyoto protocols and see no reason to acknowledge the rest of the world’s concern about global warming.
We won’t fund any international AIDS programs that mention family planning, distributing condoms (especially to sex workers), mention or use needle exchange programs, want to use locally produced generic retroviral drugs instead of “FDA-approved” big Pharma. And countries that condone or (gasp!) control sex workers must stop.
Any country not meeting our criteria isn’t even considered for funding. And if they don’t meet the AIDS test, they probably don’t get money for TB, malaria, etc.
But we are funding a lot of programs that will bring Jesus to the poor, hungry, orphaned and sick of the world.
So in the name of the United States of America, we will make sure those well-trained insurgents have a welcome place among some group who has excellent reasons to hate us.
Well done America!
June 27th, 2005 at 4:16 pmHappy 4th of July!
Fly your flag upside down on the 4th if you think we’re on the wrong track.
This administration has at least one newspaper that it controls…WSJ…and one TV network under its thumb Faux News…so what else can you expect?
June 27th, 2005 at 4:24 pmWho cares what the Wall Street Journal says.
June 27th, 2005 at 5:21 pmWe’re not blind, we will not change our position on the matter.
Just don’t by their raggy tabloid if they are unable to use logic when editorializing.
I find it unbelievable that the Wall Street Journal Editorial page can get away with misleading statements like this. Even more frightening is the thought that the people reading these so called “OPINIONS” actually believe it.
Person a) reads blatent falshood, false statement becomes false assumption, false assumption is passed onto peers, which multiples false assumption; multiply that by the thousands — broadcast comparable flashoods via conservative pundits via television and radio which multiplies suspect flashoods by the millions. So what you have is an entire segment of the population, with a system of beliefs completely disconnected from reality.
We live in scary times.
***
“WSJ: “That more of the bombers seem to be coming from outside Iraq is cause for worry, since it means there will be a continuing supply of suicide bombers. But it also means that the insurgency is becoming an invasion force against Iraq itself, which means it lacks the native roots to sustain it.â€?
FACT: “U.S. military estimates cited by security analysts put the number of active jihadists at about 1,000, or less than 10 percent of the number of fighters in a mostly Iraqi-dominated insurgency.â€? [Washington Post, 5/14/05] “
June 27th, 2005 at 9:07 pmThat’s the second time by comment has been deleted.
Is it something I’m saying (I’m in full agreement with most of the other comments made above btw; I’m not trolling)?
Or is it something technically related I’m doing wrong?
June 27th, 2005 at 9:29 pmIt’s even more dramatic than that. General Abizaid stated on Face the Nation that there are less than 20,000 insurgents in Iraq and about 1,000 foreign fighters inside Iraq. That’s less than FIVE PERCENT.
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/face_062605.pdf
June 27th, 2005 at 9:42 pmRight In Panic Over Iraq War
…
June 27th, 2005 at 10:14 pmObviously, we “morally superior” Americans somehow “cannot be trusted with the truth,” even with the RAHOWA in Iraq.
In contrast, the Germans probably had a better assessment of the Iraqi situation on the vidiot’s box recently.
June 28th, 2005 at 9:36 amcash money…
suggestion quarter improve channel brush,match!bustle mortgage http://mortgage.grab-mortgage.com/ …
January 19th, 2006 at 5:51 pm