Hoekstra: democracy cannot work in Iraq.
By on Aug 24th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Hoekstra: democracy cannot work in Iraq.
Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), ranking member on the House Select Committee on Intelligence, said that “he’s changed his original support for the Bush administration’s stated goal of molding a democratic Iraq as a means to stabilize the Middle East.” “You’ve got a culture where democracy is not part of, ‘Let’s go there,’” Hoekstra said. “It was a stretch.” Nevertheless, “Hoekstra said he opposes setting a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops.”
View Most Popular
Advertisement
What We're About
What We're Fighting For
What We're Fighting Against
Featured
Subscribe to the Progress Report
Topic CloudView topics sorted by popularity
Boehner
Bush
Cheney
Civil Rights
Congress
Corporate Ethics
DADT
Economy
Energy
Environment
Ethics
Fox News
Gingrich
Global Warming
Graham
Guantanamo
Hannity
Health Care
International Relations
Iran
Iraq
Justice
LGBT
Limbaugh
Liz Cheney
McCain
Media
Military
O'Reilly
Obama
Palin
Pelosi
Race
Radical Right
Religion
Rove
Sanford
Sotomayor
Steele
Supreme Court
Terrorism
ThinkProgress
Tiller
Torture
Women's Rights
Visit Our Affiliated Sites
Reports
In-depth studies on select topics
Got a hot tip?
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.
ArchivesBlog Roll
Before O. Bigfoot and the other trolls jump in, let me be proactive:
Dear Troll,
Log off now and go talk to your local Army Recruiter. Be the man you wish you were. The islamofacists are going to invade the Fatherland soon. Uncle Sam NEEDS YOU.
Hurry! The future of the USA depends on YOU.
Thanks,
August 24th, 2007 at 12:36 pmVet
Another cut and run republican. They pretend that this is the "war of wars" and we need to fight on no matter what, until they realize that they'll lose their seat in power, then they run away. Kind of makes you wonder if he had any convictions about the war to begin with...
August 24th, 2007 at 12:36 pmno WMD
no Saddam
No to democracy now
I really doubt that America is in Iraq to be helpful and supportive
Ok if you leave there will be less deaths than now BUT at least they will have water and electricty , food and medical supplies
STARVING IRAQ FOR ANOTHER 6 MONTHS IS A CRIME
August 24th, 2007 at 12:37 pmSee, I tell you the GOPrs are up to something. First Warner and his troop withdrawal program phased over 100 years and this clown. They are trying to get in the news, act like they are giving ground and then maintain their original stance.
The game is now openly psychological.
The DEMOCRATIC controlled Congress will probably fall for it again, watch.
August 24th, 2007 at 12:43 pmLeaving the troops in to die for that lost cause is also a crime. Hoekstra is a typical troop-hating repuke gnatbrain. Only the sickest and most antiAmerican voters will support this kind of treason. Let's bury the GOP forever.
August 24th, 2007 at 12:43 pmLOL lowering the bar in Iraq once again, what a surprise.
August 24th, 2007 at 12:43 pmSTARVING IRAQ OF ELECTRICITY, MEDICAL SUPPLIES, FOOD AND WATER FOR ANOTHER 6 MONTHS IS A CRIME
Bush is a B()astard much worse than Hitler
August 24th, 2007 at 12:44 pmThe DEMOCRATIC controlled Congress will probably fall for it again, watch.
Comment by L. Frederick Yonas — August 24, 2007 @ 12:43 pm
Unfortunately there are enough Dem turncots like Lieberman who have Republican morals (none) that the real patriots on the left can get nothing done. As we sweep the smashed shards of the gOP into the gutter, let's clean the liberal house out as well, and get rid of those corporate whores and opportunists who are Dems, and Americans, in name only. and we must smash the media empire as well. a foreign agent like Murdoch should be in prison, right now.
August 24th, 2007 at 12:45 pmFrom the linked article:
In other words, let's get back to the original plan and install a pro-American dictator. The neocons knew all along that "democracy" was a sham and had intended to pop in, kill Saddam and insert Chalabi as the new "president", without significantly disrupting the Baathist power structure. Have a great victory, get the oil flowing, and move on to Syria and Iran.
Unfortunately, their political theories are so detached from reality that nothing has worked as planned, nor ever will. This will not cause them to rethink their theories, of course, merely to find scapegoats to blame for the failure to carry out their plans.
August 24th, 2007 at 12:51 pmThis guy's an idiot for even thinking that democracy can work in the midst of a civil war which has been raging for decades!
August 24th, 2007 at 12:52 pmThis country needs to realize that the oil they planned on capturing is gone as is the pipe dream of installing a democracy or even being involved in something which is not theirs to be involved in.
The natural resources of any country belong to the people of that country. End of discussion.
How would we like some foreign country coming over here and setting up shop to take our drinking water?
August 24th, 2007 at 12:53 pmComment by ronjazz — August 24, 2007 @ 12:45 pm
Then I suggest starting with Reid. Remember he was originally a GOPr himself. I used to like him but saw a completely diff person right after the all-night session.
Heard tell Isaakson of Georgia sent him some Vidalia onions. The moron not only ate it but talked about it on the Senate floor too!
After Reid, then Diane Feinstein, her voting has beem turning out quite weird lately. Probably making deals with the devil to rally GOP votes for her California AGJOBS blll. Then every DEM Senator who voted 'Aye' on the forced and hijacked FISA renewal.
We got a lot of house cleaning to do. Start recruiting REAL DEMOCRATS instead of the make-believe ones we have now.
August 24th, 2007 at 12:54 pmBush Regime = An Exercise in Total Delusion
August 24th, 2007 at 12:54 pmWith friends like the GOP "supporting" the troops, we don't need Al Qaeda!
August 24th, 2007 at 12:54 pmSo lemme get this straight. Hoekstra believes the objective (establishing democracy in Iraq) is unattainable, but doesn't support withdrawal. So he must support beating the dead horse for...how long?
August 24th, 2007 at 12:54 pmComment by ronjazz — August 24, 2007 @ 12:45 pm
Then I suggest starting with Reid. Remember he was originally a GOPr himself. I used to like him but saw a completely diff person right after the all-night session.
Heard tell Isaakson of Georgia sent him some Vidalia onions. The moron not only ate it but talked aboout it on the Senate floor too!
After Reid, then Diane Feinstein, her voting has beem turning out quite weird lately. Probably making deals with the devil to rally GOP votes for her California AGJOBS blll. Then every DEM Senator who voted 'Aye' on the forced and hijacked FISA renewal.
We got a lot of house cleaning to do. Start recruiter REAL DEMOCRATS instead of the make-believe ones we have now.
August 24th, 2007 at 12:55 pmPay very close attention here folks. The same fiercely partisan people who would, while in the majority, defended Dear Leader at all costs. So now they're sticking to his tar and I guess their little party loyalty thing is just yesterday's political kneepad fashion. They are not on our side now. They can repeat all the things the Dem.'s front runners say about Iraq, but they should pay for their loyalty to failure. Disarm them, elect someone else. They have to be punished for their slavish loyalty to Dear Leader and their perverse indifference to the rule of law.
August 24th, 2007 at 12:57 pmUhm looks like we are going to have to rename the operation Iraqi Freedom... to uhm... operation Iraqi Dictatorship?... Bigtwat, lets get your input on this? what do you suggest renaming Iraqi Freedom, since we arent really bringing them freedom anymore? What name has a nice ring to it, one you'd want to send you kids to die for?
August 24th, 2007 at 1:00 pmComment by the fly-man — August 24, 2007 @ 12:57 pm
Here, Here!
August 24th, 2007 at 1:01 pmgummitch above nails it.
The point is to prepare the way for an overhaul of the Iraqi government and the installation of a US-friendly strongman, i.e., Allawi.
August 24th, 2007 at 1:01 pmI think this is a glimpse in the new '08 Republican strategy. Support the president's policy, while making token critical remarks. If this is indeed the tactic used by those running for election, then the Democrats need to find a way to highlight and expose this approach, and use it to make the point that Republicans are waffling.
And make the point that: if you have critical viewpoints on our Iraqi policy, then you are therefore insinuating that withdrawal needs to be considered. Because the opposite is; I don't support withdrawal, therefore the policy is working fine.
August 24th, 2007 at 1:08 pmIn defense of Mr. Hoekstra, Republicans have never really been big fans of democracy, no matter what the country.
August 24th, 2007 at 1:08 pmBigtwat's logic : Supporting your leaders = supporting your troops= supporting your country = supporting your Constitution.
There is no distinction in his mind. Mindsets like these are the type that led to things like the holocaust... the king can do no wrong..
August 24th, 2007 at 1:09 pm>Republicans have never really been big fans of democracy
that made my mouth and nose chuckle..
August 24th, 2007 at 1:10 pmComment by Chris — August 24, 2007 @ 1:08 pm
Now if we can get some DEM strategists to get their heads out of the sand and listen with open ears, maybe we can maintain our majority and rekindle the dignity we lost with the FISA vote.
August 24th, 2007 at 1:14 pmYou’ve got a culture where democracy is not part of, ‘Let’s go there,’†Hoekstra said.
August 24th, 2007 at 1:19 pmRight.
“Hoekstra said he opposes setting a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops.â€
Wrong.
What was this war all about again? WMD? Then WMD "programs"? When those didn't fly it became bringing democracy to Iraq (remember the blue fingers being waved by Republicans at Bush's SOTU speech)? What?
August 24th, 2007 at 1:20 pmOh, so they had a different culture four years ago? What an ass. If it won't work now why did they think it would work then? The jackass must be up for re-election.
August 24th, 2007 at 1:32 pmConcise Hoekstra: "Time to blame the victim everyone!"
August 24th, 2007 at 1:32 pm...Hoekstra ...
...and the lot of conned'selfserving anti-American, troop-hating terrorists...
...should be hung...
...for mass murder...
August 24th, 2007 at 1:34 pmHey Pete - there's still one part of the Coulter Plan left to try: "Invade their countries, kill their leaders, convert them to Christianity".
If democracy isn't the answer, what about the Lord Jesus of Suburbia?
August 24th, 2007 at 1:36 pm“Invade their countries, kill their leaders, convert them to Christianityâ€.
I thought that was the plan for Iraq from day one. The last step is "steal their oil".
August 24th, 2007 at 1:39 pmActually we could merge Terry and Dave's comments into:
Invade their countries, kill their leaders, steal their oil, and kill them if they don't convert to Christianity.
Just like the crusades, with the addition of stealing their oil!
August 24th, 2007 at 1:48 pmThey've also morphed "kill their leaders" into just "kill everyone". It makes the Christianity step unnecessary and the Oil step much easier.
August 24th, 2007 at 1:50 pm“You’ve got a culture where democracy is not part of, " - this Republican could be describing the Bush gangsters, the neo-cons and the oil-nazis currently holed up the White House.
Is Diebolding our elections with electronic vote "counting" by Republican corporations in secret with proprietary software "part of democracy?"
And now, ta-dah, Bush and his fellow gangsters are now looking around for a "strongman" to run Iraq? Gee, did we come into the middle of this movie picture? Seems like Iraq was a quiet, brutal dictatorship under Saddam: the people had food, water, electricity and jobs. Then the supreme idiot Bush decided that he just had to invade a sovereign nation that posed no threat to its neighbors (Iran, Syria, Jordan or Turkey), but yet somehow posed a threat to our Royal Bunnypants President... and then turn Iraq into a total hellhole
The mind boggles with the arrogance and stupidity of the gangsters now criminally occupying our White House... Impeach, Try, Convict, Remove from Office.
August 24th, 2007 at 1:58 pmThe original rationales for invading and occupying Iraq are very quickly being forgotten: WMDs, ties to AlQaeda, threat to its neighbors and the world, "beacon of democracy", bettering Iraqis' lives, etc.
What is left, really? "Fight them over there"? Who will believe that claptrap anymore?
Oh, I forgot. The cultists, that's who. My bad.
August 24th, 2007 at 2:00 pmBringing on the Rapture is hard work.
August 24th, 2007 at 2:01 pmgummitch above nails it.
The point is to prepare the way for an overhaul of the Iraqi government and the installation of a US-friendly strongman, i.e., Allawi.
Comment by JM — August 24, 2007 @ 1:01 pm
And if you look at Allawi's history, we will have just installed Saddam #2. Guess the definition of despot depends on which side of the bread your oil is coming from.
August 24th, 2007 at 2:03 pmIt's a do-over. This time they promise not to arm the dictator and look the other way while he gases the Kurds.
August 24th, 2007 at 2:04 pm"Uhm looks like we are going to have to rename the operation Iraqi Freedom… to uhm… operation Iraqi Dictatorship?… Bigtwat, lets get your input on this? what do you suggest renaming Iraqi Freedom, since we arent really bringing them freedom anymore? What name has a nice ring to it, one you’d want to send you kids to die for?
Comment by The High Road into the Null Anus of God"
How about "Operation Iraqi Friedman" cuz it will just take 6 more months, in 6 month increments, forever.
August 24th, 2007 at 2:40 pmJUST MORE OF THE SAME
POLITICAL SWINDLERS, PARASITES, LEECHES
THEY GET TO SMOOZE AND SCRATCH ONE ANOTHER
AND WE THE PEOPLE GET THE FRIGGIN GREASE DUMP
GREASE DUMP WITH POLITICAL CORRUPTION OOZING OVER THE
SIDES OF THIS GREASE DUMP
ALL A BUNCH OF POLITICAL SWINDLERS
ALL THESE WONDERFUL SERVICES WE GET... UNFORTUNATELY WE CAN'T FRIGGIN GET THEM BECAUSE
WE CANNOT
SCRATCH THEM SO THEY'LL SCRATCH YOU
I'LL SMOOZE WITH YOU IF YOU SMOOZE WITH ME
A NICE FAT PORK STUFFED SWINDLE/BRIBE
FRIGGIN CROOKS I SAY..... ALL OF THEM SHOULD BE THROWN
IN THE FRIGGIN SLAMMER :)
August 24th, 2007 at 2:44 pmFIX YOUR EFFING SITE TP!
August 24th, 2007 at 2:44 pmLISTEN DUDE
DEMOCRACY CANNOT WORK IN IRAQ
BECAUSE THE US HAS NO BUSINESS IN GETTING IN THEIR BUSINESS
WE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT NEED SERVICE
NOT
A BUNCH OF POLITICAL PARASITES SWINDLING US
DUDE :)
August 24th, 2007 at 2:46 pm>How about “Operation Iraqi Friedmanâ€
I like that alot.
Heck, do we really even care about Iraqis?
August 24th, 2007 at 2:57 pmHow about "Operation Infinite Friedman" ? (O.I.F )
What do you expect from an idiot who was a furniture salesman before being elected Congress from arguably the safest GOP seat in the nation.
August 24th, 2007 at 3:08 pmPete Hoxta should just state that their intentions were not democracy at all, but an experiment in pure republican capitalism. All for the few and nothing for everyone else.
August 24th, 2007 at 3:39 pmHi Jimbo, welcome back.
August 24th, 2007 at 4:06 pmHere's a tip. If you're using IE, go to the View Menu, click on the text size menu, then select largest.
It'll make your caps take up the whole page.
Neat.
Christ, democracy isn't working here with this government, why should it work there?
August 24th, 2007 at 8:13 pmRUCerious- put down the bong, take off the headset....
#45- um, underpricing and free delivery?
August 24th, 2007 at 8:15 pm