Staying the Course

Stardate 4437.8

"Staying the course" in Iraq. This is all I hear George say.

What does that mean? Okay, for the Admin it likely means, "we are up shit creek without a paddle so this is our plan...". Well it's kind of sketchy at best. Basically, they are going to continue to occupy Iraq for an indefinate period of time (okay, they SAY 4 more years...). Until it stabilizes and they can protect and govern themselves? I think that will be a very long time indeed, as long as the occupation continues. It's almost a Catch 22. If you pull out now, you suffer heinous embarrasment in the eyes of the world, and admit defeat to the "Axis of Evil" as they are so quaintly named. If you stay, the resistance will only intensify, leaving the country in even greater chaos for Bob knows how long.

Either way, you lose.

What does it mean to me? A phrase designed to cover up the fact that they are in way over their heads. They have no plan to finish the job, get out and leave the people in peace. They don't have the manpower to continue and strengthen the military presence there. They are FUBAR. It is a lame attempt to justify the fact that civilians and US troops are still dying every day.

It's a feeble excuse.

What does it mean to soldiers? Perhaps they are already confused? I read reports that guys there don't even know why they are there. Some (maybe many) don't want to be there. No doubt. If you don't see why you are there, and your buddies keep getting blown up, why would you want to be there? They obviously need more men there (though they are running alarmingly thin), as might always solved everything right?

Wrong.

What does it mean to Iraqis? Well who knows. Unemployment is killer. There is sporadic power at best, unless you are fortunate enough to live in the US occupied Green Zone, where they even have air conditioning and backup generators 24/7. It would be great to work in the oilfield, but then the best jobs are all being done by contractors padding the pocket of, well, we all know who. So maybe it means that there will be more soldiers around for an indefinate period of time. Maybe it means that the chance of getting blown up on the way to school by a bomb is even greater. Maybe it means they could be free just like us...

Maybe they don't want to be.

So what does it REALLY mean to the US admin? Well on one side, it is a group of good ol' boys trying to convince themselves they do no wrong, and that everything will be fine at some undefined point in the future. The fact that they won't admit they fucked up is disturbing to say the least, but to continue to treat the US public, and the rest of the world as if they were half-wits by reiterating the usual pigswill about Al-Qaeda, and WMDs, and 9-11 and protecting the US, and "Staying the course" is numbing. Protests are growing in strength and number every day. Even Republicans are speaking out against this war as a "mistake".

They have few options. This *is* Vietnam of the 21st century.

"Staying the course" could mean, "let's hang on until the next election, then it's somebody else's problem"...

Well tell that to the parents, wives, husbands, sons, daughters and friends of the soldiers and civilians that WILL die in the next 4 years of staying the course.