Doggedly searching for the crux of the biscuit.
...and you are too, but this may take the cake.
My attitude is that a young democracy has been born quite quickly. And I think the Iraqi government has shown remarkable progress on the political front. And that is is that they developed a modern constitution that was ratified by the people and then 12 million people voted for a government.
Which gives me confidence about the future in Iraq, by the way. You know, I hear people say, Well, civil war this, civil war that. The Iraqi people decided against civil war when they went to the ballot box. And a unity government is working to respond to the will of the people. And, frankly, it's quite a remarkable achievement on the political front.
And the security front is where there has been troubles.
Christ on a cracker. The daily death toll in Iraq far outstrips that of the bombers and rockets war between Israel and Lebanon. What does it take to qualify as a civil war? General Lee rising from his grave to lead the Sunnis? I hear all the time from the pro-war camp what a stunning achievement and badge of success the Iraqi elections were. And I said back then and I repeat now: big friggin' deal. Elections are only as good as the government they produce, and elections that produce a wholly impotent government are as good as no elections at all.
"Civil war this, civil war that," how about this: voter turnout for the 1860 presidential election was 81.2%, second-highest in all of American history. Maybe you recall from history classes that a certain unpleasantness broke out the following year. Not that I expect President C-Plus Augustus to know that. Honestly, I've reached the point where every time he opens his mouth, I just feel embarrassed for him.
TrackBack. . . General Lee rising from his grave to lead the Sunnis?
Posted by: Armsmasher at August 7, 2006 05:10 PMIt reminds me of "Send Fredo to do this... send Fredo to do that! Get Fredo to run some Mickey-Mouse nightclub! Send Fredo to pick someone up at the airport!"
Posted by: norbizness at August 7, 2006 05:23 PMWhy do people always talk about "Christ on a cracker?" What kind of cracker, Mr. Apostropher? Jesus.
Posted by: arthegall at August 7, 2006 05:55 PMBut see, Jesus doesn't care what kind of cracker you are, arthegall, he offers salvation to all crackers, so long as you make him your homey. And a fewer other requirements. I think. Anyway, read the contract.
Posted by: M/tch M/lls at August 7, 2006 07:03 PMMencken speaks for me better than i do on this...
Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under. - H. L. Mencken
Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good. - H. L. Mencken
I believe that all government is evil, and that trying to improve it is largely a waste of time. - H. L. Mencken
Democracy, too, is a religion. It is the worship of jackals by jackasses. - H.L. Mencken
Every election is sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods. - H.L. Mencken
Posted by: Jon at August 7, 2006 08:43 PMEasy for Mencken to say.
He was basically just cross that he had to pay taxes. And that said taxes might benefit people other than himself (i.e. "jackasses").
Posted by: M/tch M/lls at August 7, 2006 11:31 PMC'mon M/itch...you have to admit the one about "the White House will be adorned by a downright moron" is sadly prescient.
Posted by: shpx.ohfu at August 8, 2006 07:12 AMAlso, can I ask that the Republicans, who planned and paid for phone jamming of the Democratic HQ in New Hampshire, stop talking about free elections? The stench of hypocrisy is overwhelming.
Posted by: shpx.ohfu at August 8, 2006 07:33 AMBelief is the realm of religion, and I don't have believe in the merits of--or have faith in--the religion of democracy or for that matter, in government. Am yet to be convinced that either would be better than anarchy in an already civil society, since anarchy is rarely tested side-by-side with the monopoly of deadly force and coercion that is government whether "democracy" or otherwise. ( After all, we all KNOW how wonderful government is at reducing chaos, protecting the value of the currency, and seeking out peaceful solutions to problems!! : ) )
Then said, I believe in very few things, and am skeptical of many. It is not just in matters of politics that skepticism is needed. Every now and then a lowlife curmudgeon like Mencken needs to come along and explain how rotten things really are. It is tactless and inflammatory of him to call people jackasses. Then again, who isn't a jackass sometimes... I certainly am. It's fun for awhile.
Anyway, my guess is that things would be far better if the US just left Iraq to itself, the mess that it is. The US and Iraqi governments there--and the IRanian, the Israeli, and perhaps the UN are all mightly fucking the place up far better than Iraq could do to themselves, alone. The more the US intervenes, the worse the civil war will get. Hell, right now "we're" being forced to change sides now--an about face on the streets of Baghdad--given that Bush and his neocons want to take their turn at Shiite Islam and fight Iran and Hezbollah instead of Baathists and Sunnis. By the way, according to http://www.rawstory.com (great site), Bush did not even know the difference between Shiites and Sunnis until well into his first term in office.
The problem is the nation state. You know that thing with borders which are enforced by the people with the big guns. Iraq's borders were drawn by Winston Churchill on a napkin. This hero of ours had lots of sympathy for the Iraqis, being the first in history to use poison gas on the Kurds...
But l seriously digress here.
RB is right, the President is either a moron or playing the part really really well.
In 2000, it was fair to say that both sides did a lot of vote stealin. Who knows how the tallies really should have been? Vote stealing is nothing new, too. Kennedy stole the election of 1960 with the help of mob people in Chicago. Then certain far-right elements of the CIA--Dulles et al--had him whacked and later were successful at installing their guy, Nixon.
But yeah, the election of 2004 can hardly be called a free election. Look at Ohio for heaven's sake. The fact that 2004 was stolen did not surprise me. What surprised me was how brazen it was. This was banana republic surreal. Pinochet surreal. Idi Amin surreal. Mandate my ass.
But more surreal was the silence of the mainstream Democrat leadership in all of this...This "Democrat" party leadership sitting their with their weeners in their hands through it all, as if someone had taken secret pictures of them in bed with she-males.
(Not that things would be significantly different with Kerry in charge now...Marginally better, perhaps...)
Kennedy stole the election of 1960 with the help of mob people in Chicago.
The 1960 election was303 electoral votes to 219. IL had 27 votes. Even if Nixon should have won IL, he still would have lost the election.
Posted by: Michael at August 8, 2006 03:43 PMEverytime dumya opens his mouth I am embarrassed. Is he rellay that stupid or just playing the part well? Both.But his behavior is typical of one of the basic propaganda techniques called "plain folks" where the propagandist will sometimes attempt to use the accent of a specific audience and will further the illusion through imperfect pronunciation, stuttering, and a limited vocabulary. It is often used with another propaganda technique called glittering generalities. For more:http://undeniableliberalism.blogspot.com/2006/07/american-propaganda-101.html
The crux of the biscuit is....the apostropher.
"If a politician found he had cannibals among his constituents, he would promise them missionaries for dinner." --H. L. Mencken
Honestly, I've reached the point where every time he opens his mouth, I just feel embarrassed for him.
Apo, it is just this liberal impulse to sympathy that makes conservatives want to walk all over you. Gotta learn to hide it better.