Kagan: de-Baathification law = ‘civil rights legislation.’
In an interview on the Hugh Hewitt radio show, AEI’s Fred Kagan, an architect of President Bush’s “surge” strategy, said the new de-Baathification law is the beginning of a new era of “civil rights legislation” in Iraq:
Well, it’s important, and it really is quite an accomplishment. … [I]t requires the Shia to accept having former Baathists in the government. It requires the Sunni to accept that some Sunni Baathists are not going to be in the government. This was a really, this was sort of their, the beginning of their civil rights legislation. And there’s a long way to go, and the implication of this is going to be very important, but it’s really quite significant.
The deeply-flawed and divisive legislation was also trumpeted today by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Gen. Petraeus, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker.
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30 Responses to “Kagan: de-Baathification law = ‘civil rights legislation.’”
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Waterboard this fat fu(ker, too.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:16 pmWaterboard every one of these goddamned traitors.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:17 pmWhat a putz. Everything this guy comes up with is pulled straight out of his butt.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:17 pmI think this man is a complete moron. How can a political affiliation be granted civil rights? Just saying its pretty obvious he does not know what he is talking about….at all. (please no comments on him being a fat white guy repug with no brains)
January 15th, 2008 at 7:18 pmI am just sick and tired of these unabashed liars and deceivers getting a platform for their pseudo fascist propaganda!
Its the 1920s and 30s in Germany right here in the US of A.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:18 pmI don’t understand this. When L. Paul Bremer was the Grand High Bushie in Iraq wasn’t he the one who got rid of the Baathists in the Iraqi government? Supposedly it was to purge all of Sadaam’s people from the bureaucracy. So, now, the same Bushie government is applauding a move to bring the Baathists back into the government bureaucracy.
Am I missing something here? Does it seem we just took 5 years to go around in a big cluster and get back to the same spot?
January 15th, 2008 at 7:19 pmAnd Hugh Hewitt is supposed to be a good “conservative”, whatever that is! I’m beginning to believe that there aren’t any “good” conservatives standing. They are now either neocons or hiding under some bush somewhere, nowhere to be seen.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:22 pmAm I missing something here? Does it seem we just took 5 years to go around in a big cluster and get back to the same spot?
Comment by Helen Rainier
And that, in a nutshell, is Mr. Bush’s administration. ‘Round and ‘Round he goes, where he stops - even barney doesn’t know.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:26 pmComment by Helen Rainier — January 15, 2008 @ 7:19 pm
Helen, reason and logic do not apply here. This is “the ends justifies the means” way of dictatorship in the works. Machiavelli, taught through Strauss in the 60s, and brought into practice by BushCo, backed by the rich and powerful corporations. It is what ever lies and deceptions they need at the time.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:28 pmKagan is class A scum. Even though I am against capital punishment, this administration and its enablers and lackeys give me pause. Ridding the earth of their kind is so appealing right now!
January 15th, 2008 at 7:32 pmThe deeply-flawed and divisive legislation was also trumpeted today by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Gen. Petraeus, and Ambassador Ryan Crocker.
‘nuf said.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:33 pm#6 Helen Rainier
Am I missing something here? Does it seem we just took 5 years to go around in a big cluster and get back to the same spot?
No, you’ve got it right. In fact, Jay Garner was arguing that we should leave the Baathists in place, as well as the Iraqi army. Rumsfeld yanked him out of Iraq right away and replaced him with Bremer.
It only took five years for them to figure it out. Way to go!
January 15th, 2008 at 7:34 pmCaption:
“I’m so full of sh!t, it’s starting to back up behind my teeth!”
January 15th, 2008 at 7:38 pmFrom what I understand, from reading people who actually know something about the region, this is comparable what the Civil Rights Act would have looked like if it had been written by Dixiecrats, and minority and pro-civil rights legislators had boycotted the vote.
Even Condi Rice, no firm ally of truth or reality (”the August 6th PDB was historical in nature…. there was a connection betweeen Saddam and 9/11….birth pangs of democracy….. do you have these in a–Katrina who?–size 6?), was down-playing the significance of this bill.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:48 pmTo equate de-Baathification laws with the civil rights movement on Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday takes a wildly heightened sense of chutzpah and is singularly offensive.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:48 pm“I’m so full of sh!t, it’s starting to back up behind my teeth!â€
Comment by Nevar — January 15, 2008 @ 7:38 pm
Oh barf….
January 15th, 2008 at 7:49 pmSorry, Zooey….
January 15th, 2008 at 7:51 pm“This was a really, this was sort of their, the beginning of their civil rights legislation.”
WTF?
January 15th, 2008 at 7:55 pmThis guy is just nucking futz.
Wow.
Sorry, Zooey….
Comment by Nevar — January 15, 2008 @ 7:51 pm
Well, it needed saying. It’s obviously true…. ;)
January 15th, 2008 at 7:57 pmThis half-witted muppet is the man behind the Petraeus strategy in Iraq.
Jeebus.
-GSD
January 15th, 2008 at 8:00 pmComment by GSD — January 15, 2008 @ 8:00 pm
You must mean Betrayus the sock puppet, eh?
January 15th, 2008 at 8:03 pmThe passage of the new law will be hailed by the War party as a major achievement. But as usual they will misread what really happened.
Just thought I’d point out that from Juan Cole in case any of you missed it.
January 15th, 2008 at 8:17 pmRight, and Sadaam was Martin Luther King’s identical evil twin brother too.
January 15th, 2008 at 8:27 pmMy civil rights were just violated having to look at Kagan’s 3-4 chins.
January 15th, 2008 at 8:58 pmSo when the repubs say they are in favor of civil rights legislation, do we now know that the legislation is for providing sheets and pointy hats ?
January 15th, 2008 at 9:16 pmWow, he is one doughy chickenhawk.
January 15th, 2008 at 11:20 pmThe fact that both General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker have applauded the legislation, speaks volumes of being a great achievement, considering the circumstances. As neither of them could be so stupid as to jeopardize their great success in winning the war against the insurgents and al Qaeda, by picking a “political loser” i.e., the de-Baathification legislation.
I challenge all the critics of the legislation above, to answer by dispassionate reasoning, not by partisan fulminations, why Petraeus and Crocker should back a legislation that is a failure and risk vitiating their glorious success on the battlefront.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:19 amLooking at Kagan’s photo above, why is it that so many of these GOP pundits and think tank types have a soft, pudgy, raped-in-prison, opposite-of-a-Navy-SEAL look about ‘em? Either that or a friggin’ trimmed beard, Grover Norquist style.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:30 am#8, 9, and 12 — I appreciate your responses to my questions. I didn’t think I was losing my mind, but you never know. I am getting older and am now a “senior citizen” who chooses to be “in training” for the rest of my life. My mind is not quite as sharp as it used to be. For the love of me, I sure still can’t quite figure out why ANYONE would think Bushie is a man of vision or of peace.
Let’s all join hands now and sing Kumbayah. :-)
January 16th, 2008 at 8:49 amKagan’s just being silly - when can any nation legislate acceptance? -Kevo
January 16th, 2008 at 9:15 am