Barnes: War in Iraq is ’so much more important’ than war in the ‘middle of nowhere’ Afghanistan.
Filed Under: Iraq
By on Jul 6th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Barnes: War in Iraq is ’so much more important’ than war in the ‘middle of nowhere’ Afghanistan.
On Fox News Sunday, Fred Barnes argued that war in Iraq is “so much more important” than the war in Afghanistan. Iraq is a “country in the heart of the Middle East, one of the most important countries there, an oil-producing country.” He added, “Compare that with there’s a Taliban offensive in southeastern Afghanistan. You talk about the middle of nowhere!” Watch it:
Barnes also inadvertently endorsed a “permanent” occupation in Iraq, but then quickly corrected himself to say “small American contingent.”
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At least Barnes acknowledged that Iraq is all about the oil.
I wonder what Barnes would say about this. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ wp-dyn/ content/ article/ 2007/ 10/ 12/ AR2007101202485.html?hpid=topnews
July 6th, 2008 at 1:00 pmHe’s so right!
I mean, Iraq is actually sitting on top of the oil. Afghanistan’s just the place for UNOCAL to run the pipeline from Kazakhstan to Pakistan.
July 6th, 2008 at 1:02 pmWhat? Is Billy Kristol on vacation? Barnes gets the Putz of the Week award.
July 6th, 2008 at 1:02 pmI wouldn’t call Iraq the “heart” of the Middle East. It’s really kinda the eastern edge. After that you’re in Central Asia.
July 6th, 2008 at 1:03 pmWhere does Fox find these ignorant dipwaddles? This guy is too dumb to ever get on the turnip truck.
July 6th, 2008 at 1:04 pmToasterhead - Of course THAT was the plan years ago.
July 6th, 2008 at 1:04 pmBarnes also inadvertently endorsed a “permanent” occupation in Iraq, but then quickly corrected himself to say “small American contingent.”
_____
Manning all those small permanent military bases, no doubt.
July 6th, 2008 at 1:10 pmOnce the neocons got their dream war in Iraq, chasing OBL suddenly was no longer on their radar. w’s “dead or alive” talk changed to “I don’t even think about him.” Afghanistan was originally the “Middle of Everywhere” in this “war.” It was actually no more than the pump primer to get the US on a war footing. Once that happened, it wasn’t too hard to move to Iraq. It will be much harder, but not impossible, to move to Iran.
July 6th, 2008 at 1:14 pmIsn’t it funny that the ones who always find wars most “important” and “necessary” always make excuses to never show up for them? Always find ways to keep their loved ones from never showing up for them?
Actually, not funny at all. Sickening is more accurate.
July 6th, 2008 at 1:20 pmThat wasn’t the reason for attacking Iraq? That there didn’t exist “good targets” in Afghanistan?
July 6th, 2008 at 1:21 pmAlways find ways to keep their loved ones from never showing up for them?
Strike “never”. Used a wingnut home schooling grammar book.
Sorry.
July 6th, 2008 at 1:22 pmLet us see, a small group allowed to go along its merry way in Afghanistan was able to put together the planning, personnel, training and equipment to strike the heart of the United States. But that really is not important. Afghanistan is only in the middle of nowhere.
Iraq is in the middle east. We attack it. Blunt our military and squander our treasure because it is in the heart of the middle east. By that logic, we should have attacked France. They are in the heart Europe. Why not Canada? They are in the heart of North America? (They also have oil and pipelines.)
Yes, so much for looking at the actual threat to the United States. I guess avenging that attack and bringing Bin Laden to justice just is not that important. I guess we should not be worried that AQ is back to its pre 9/11 strength because they are now in Pakistan, another country in the middle of nowhere.
July 6th, 2008 at 1:30 pmYeah, Fred, If we didn’t maintain bases all around the world everyone would be attacking each other. That’s why we’re so loved everywhere,’cause we’re always protecting everybody.
July 6th, 2008 at 1:30 pmA “small American contingent” in Iraq will not work (unless the US has a huge amount of off the books private contractors).
It’s either all in at over 150,000 troops or you need to get out all together.
Even if all the US just wants to do is guard it’s Embassy, it would take that total amount to support that.
¶ AIO
July 6th, 2008 at 1:30 pmHe added, “Compare that with there’s a Taliban offensive in southeastern Afghanistan. You talk about the middle of nowhere!”
Does Barnes realize the plan for 9/11, and those that did the planning and gave the orders did it from “nowhere”? That they were (and continue to be) given safe harbor in “nowhere”?
Not that we needed it, but it’s just further proof that to the chickenhawk neocons, 9/11 was but a gift from UBL and those that died that day died only to serve the criminal Bush administration’s partisan $political$ purposes.
Why do their gutless supporters hate America so?
July 6th, 2008 at 1:32 pmI believe that the Wingnut Welfare Department has opened up a job placement center for underemployed pundits. All Faux News has to do is place a call.
July 6th, 2008 at 1:32 pm“an oil-producing country” - ah, yes, the reason Repubs love to bomb & kill other people.
July 6th, 2008 at 1:36 pmI sure wish Fred barnes would lose a limb or a relative in Iraq…
July 6th, 2008 at 1:40 pmI hearby declare this a new holiday:
July 6th, 2008 at 1:46 pmFred Barnes and other Rightwing blowhards escape from reality day.
tony and Lido
So war has to be in the middle of oil fields to be an important one, and Iraq is the place.
Thats why the eyes now on Iran. It fits the same criteria of Iraq.
Who needs Afghanstan anyway…according to Barnes !!
After all, It’s all about barrels of oils and dollars.
July 6th, 2008 at 1:59 pmMarie Says:
Toasterhead - Of course THAT was the plan years ago.
July 6th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
______
Yeah, back when we and the Taliban were on speaking terms. Funny how things change.
July 6th, 2008 at 2:00 pmtarazan Says:
Thats why the eyes now on Iran. It fits the same criteria of Iraq.
July 6th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
_______
Except that it was our removing Iran’s #1 and #2 enemies (Saddam Hussein and the Taliban) that has made Iran so much more powerful.
Who knew meddling in the greater Middle East would be so complicated???
July 6th, 2008 at 2:02 pmHey Barnes you f***ing pinhead, isn’t it amazing that things can happen “nowhere”? Things you and your gutless ilk want to sweep under the rug with your wingnut propoganda and misdirection?
You sickening, pathetic little man.
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) — Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered an inquiry into allegations that 15 civilians were killed in a U.S. military strike targeting militants…
http://www.cnn.com/ 2008/ WORLD/ asiapcf/ 07/ 06/ afghan.attack/ index.html
July 6th, 2008 at 2:12 pmBarnes and Kristol- Tweedledee and Tweedledum
July 6th, 2008 at 2:15 pmIf Iraq is so important for the “war on terror” why is the US the only nation fighting there? If we “win” will that rid us of all terror?
July 6th, 2008 at 2:36 pmAahh, the quaint ole’ days when suggesting Iraq was a war for oil was “UnAmerican”, “traitorous”, and took away from all the “goodness” that the US was working oh so hard to spread around the world.
The more furiously reichwingers deny going for a money grab when undertaking whatever, the more likely it is to be true.
I wonder what the parents of the troops who have died or been injured in action in Iraq will have to say about this tidbit…
July 6th, 2008 at 2:54 pmAnd Barnes’ babble about American presence in Europe and S. Korea being a “deterrent” against some other country’s invasion makes absolutely no sense in this context.
Who in the world would invade Iraq if the US withdraws? Who was threatening Iraq with an invasion before the US beat them to the punch? Seriously, who?
So, that is the new rightwing talking point? That the US must keep a permanent military presence in Iraq to deter a fictitious enemy from invading? WTF!?
July 6th, 2008 at 2:58 pmFits the Bush Administrations ideas.
“The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him.”
- G.W. Bush, 9/13/01
“I don’t know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don’t care. It’s not that important. It’s not our priority.”
- G.W. Bush, 3/13/02
6 months between those 2 statements.
July 6th, 2008 at 3:10 pmInteresting… Barnes admitted that the war in Iraq is important because of the O.I.L.
July 6th, 2008 at 3:11 pmWHO decides which stupid chickenhawk wing-nut should be picked to pollute our public airwaves with this bovine waste material? . . . . corporate owned consolidated media? . . oh . . . nevermind.
July 6th, 2008 at 3:40 pmFred ‘Flintstone’ Barnes is an ignorant numbskull
July 6th, 2008 at 3:54 pmThere’s no oil in Afghanistan. There are no good targets. Never mind that it was the base of operations for the terrorists who masterminded 9/11. If our corporate cronies in the oil industry can’t make a buck, what important can it be?
July 6th, 2008 at 6:03 pmDitto to JMOHR above.
Not to mention, Saddam Hussein on climbing out of hiding was quoted as saying, “There are no WMDs.” I wonder if he figured it out before he was executed.
and not to mention that I seem to remember a nuclear arms race in the India / Pakistan area.
July 6th, 2008 at 6:06 pm“Barnes: War in Iraq is ’so much more important’ than war in the ‘middle of nowhere’ Afghanistan.”
And he is probably just another, one of too many too chicken to fight himself OR allow his children go to Iraq to fight,
July 6th, 2008 at 6:15 pmDid Fred the dipwaddle forget about the Poppy fields? May not be a profitable as oil, but its still a lot of money for somebody.
July 6th, 2008 at 8:29 pmThe middle of nowhere. A great description of Frodo’s brain.
July 6th, 2008 at 8:40 pmIs the Obama campaign paying these numskulls to keep saying things? Between McPander Bears senility and his spokespersons’ stupidity, Obama could probably take a few months off in Aruba and he would gain ground simply by letting his opponent talk.
July 6th, 2008 at 8:45 pmRealpolitik: Is always been about the oil. I was against it, I saw it coming, I compared it to VietNam early on, because guerilla war is like that. But if bush had been smart enough to salvage the oil out of all this, lots of Bush suck face Americans would have been all too happy to think he was the greatest president since Alexander the Great (he accomplished what Bush set out to do). But no, we have arrived at a position where Iraq had started to stand on its own two feet, does not want us there permanently, and may well continue its insurgency to push us out. The tribal leaders are all against the proposed Status of Forces Agreement, as any Iraqi patriot should be, so where are we now? Can the US convince the Iraqis to cooperate with us to start a meaningful flow of oil? Can Bush do that or can Obama? I believe that we could talk ourselves into a preferable situation with diplomacy, vice military power. Its been an unmitigated disaster, but oil is very important, and in spite of my moral concerns for the way the US has acted to date, if we fess up to our real needs, work a deal with Iraq, and increase oil flow, we will not have lost everything.
The whole world needs more oil. Realpolitik, the duty of our government. As a retired military person, it is not easy to say, but at this point, only more oil will justify the deaths of 4000 plus Americans. They did not die to save America form terrorists, or Saddam’s intercontinental rockets. Lets salvage something.
And I just can’t wait for all the moral rectitude this comment will produce.
July 6th, 2008 at 9:20 pmDear Fred:
I’m certain the relatives of the victims of 9/11 would beg to differ with you - asswipe!
July 6th, 2008 at 9:24 pm.
“Wining in Iraq, which we’re on the verge of…”
Q U E S T I O N:
Who wins in an occupation…?
Even Juan Williams let this gaff slide.
Why won’t chickensh!ts like Juan directly confront Fascist sympathizers with truthful questions?
… Oh, I forgot. FOXPRAVDA is all about looking tough on the exterior to compensate for their chicken!sit stance of FEAR, WAR, and OPPRESSION.
Has anyone noticed on these political talk shows, the moderator, who is obviously slanted anti-progressive, is always surrounded by conservatives and radicals on the right while the left is represented by a puny man who’s been castrated…? How the hell is that even representative of being “FAIR” or “BALANCED”?
.
July 6th, 2008 at 9:46 pmThere’s a big problem with an assumption that a “free flow of oil” will equate to “success” in Iraq. There’s no indication that anything we do will assure such a free flow.
If the Iraqis ultimately decide to sell oil to China, Europe, India or no one, we won’t have much say. After all, it’s not our oil and there’s not a no-bid contract that can change that. And any future Iraqi government would be entirely within it’s rights to simply nationalize it’s oil production which would leave us and the multinationals out in the cold again.
Face it. The U.S. has no legal or moral right to the natural resources of any nation. The sooner the radical right learns that simple fact? The sooner humanity can stop its mad plunge into a new Dark Age.
July 6th, 2008 at 10:23 pmMax-1 Says:
“Wining in Iraq, which we’re on the verge of…”
Q U E S T I O N:
Who wins in an occupation…?
EXACTLY. Iraq is not ours to “win” or “lose”.
July 6th, 2008 at 10:29 pmIt does not belong to us, it belongs to the people who live there.
That’s a discussion that the corporate media/propaganda machine doesn’t want to acknowledge.
BTW. The last thing the planet needs is dramatically increased oil production/consumption. We do not “need more oil” nor would more oil in the pipeline cure anything. What we NEED is to stop wasting petroleum as fuel.
To continue burning such a precious substance as fuel is beyond idiotic. Its akin to using diamonds, and other precious gems, for tank treads or fishing weights. A worldwide mandate of 40-50mpg, while increasing production of alternative fuels, for every passenger car on the planet would make much more sense.
Ceasing production of inefficient lighting would be a good idea too. But pumping more oil is just plain stupid. Which is probably why the oil industry isn’t pursuing new drilling projects. And believe me, if they wanted to produce more oil domestically? That’s what they would be doing. However they would rather collect on the obscene profit on shipping “sweet” oil form existing wells than developing new sources.
July 6th, 2008 at 10:36 pmOn a related note:
July 7th, 2008 at 12:12 amhttp://www.pubrecord.org/ index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=184:ceo-of-firm-that-signed-controversial-iraq-oil-deal-longtime-bush-cheney-adviser&catid=1:nationworld&Itemid=8
Last week in that “Middle of Nowhere” location nine US servicmen lost their lives. Nine families will bury their sons for no apparent good reason other than that F**king Jinx of a president we have got us involved there.
July 7th, 2008 at 8:20 amOn Fox News Sunday, Fred Barnes argued that war in Iraq is “so much more important” than the war in Afghanistan. Iraq is a “country in the heart of the Middle East, one of the most important countries there, an oil-producing country.” He added, “Compare that with there’s a Taliban offensive in southeastern Afghanistan. You talk about the middle of nowhere!”
Oh really? I thought this was about weapons of mass destruction and “mushroom clouds over New York.” I could’ve sworn that was what all the the talk was about leading up to the war. My bad.
http://progressiveworldreview.com
July 7th, 2008 at 8:56 amOn Fox News Sunday, Fred Barnes argued that war in Iraq is “so much more important” than the war in Afghanistan.
C’mon, Freddie. With the increased production of opium poppies in Afghanistan since the war began, I am sure members of the bush crime syndicate feel Afghanistan is just as important as Iraq. Look at all that non-taxable profits to be made off of all that heroin they are producing. And, it’s a win-win- they get to line their pockets with the profits from the heroin while at the same time push their heroin to their constituents to lull them into a sense of everything’s just dandy. Historically, when the economy’s in the toilet people turn to drugs and alcohol. Let the good times roll.
July 7th, 2008 at 9:19 amUnfortunately for Faux tv viewers, what Fred Barnes, a bias talking-head conviently forgets to tell you is that Iraq was a “war of choice” that Commander GW Bush implemented for a personal vendetta against Saddam Hussein. Agreed, Iraq is a “strategic” interest however, for U.S. policy to invade and occupy was a strategic blunder that will cost us for decades to come. If Barnes had any balls, he would call for the impeachment of George W. Bush. To justify the Irag invasion with “the surge is working” is disingenous and self-serving. Even for this REPUBLICAN, our great country cannot stand another for-year of Bush/McCain - our country desparately needs a new direction.
July 7th, 2008 at 10:52 amYeah destabilizing the entire Middle East is so much more important than destroying al Qaeda strongholds
July 7th, 2008 at 2:49 pm