My Ponderings on Iraq

Photo from The Washington Note

This is just a short post to pose a question to the ether (since it is rare for me to get comments). What is winning in Iraq? How will we know when we've had a "victory?" Can we leave if we've won? Can we leave if we're losing? Do we have to stay in any case?

I ask, because it would seem that conservative politicians and pundits (not to mention the entirety of FOX "News") are bent on selling Iraq as a spectacular success. "We're winning," and "the surge is working/the surge has worked" are spoken so frequently on cable news, you'd swear it was an echo. And yet, seldom if ever are we told what "winning" means. I was under the impression that the war was over, that the "mission is accomplished." Isn't the Iraq situation now an occupation? How do you win an occupation?

And as a side note, how long can you call an increase of troops from last year a "surge?" Doesn't a surge eventually just become a presence?

Just wonderin'. . .

When Is a Surge Not a Surge?

There are many definitions of the word "surge." It can be a noun or a verb, and it can refer to water, electricity, or the onrush of almost anything. George W. Bush and his administration have succeeded in adding a new definition, originally based on parts of the old ones, but meaning something new: a sustained increase in soldiers into a war zone for a long period of time. Sure, it once sort of made sense, and sounded kind of "rah-rah" cool. But aren't we a little past calling this thing a surge?

Now, apparently, even when the "surge" is over, we will still have more soldiers deployed than before the surge. Do we call that a trickle?

[Excerpt]

U.S. expects 140,000 troops in Iraq after surge

The United States expects to have 140,000 troops in Iraq in July after withdrawing five combat brigades, leaving a force larger than before it began pouring in troops last year, the Pentagon said on Monday. . .

Read more at: Reuters

Does It Look to You Like "the Surge" is Working?

I mean seriously, does it?

Image from:

Atrios.blogspot.com

(Click image for clarity)

Brave New Films: FOX "News" Unfair & Unbalanced

Any sane individual knows that the FOX "News" slogan, "Fair and Balanced," holds about as much weight as "News & Improved" or "Genuine Chee-Z Flavor!" But it's nice to see it laid out cleanly once in a while. This video from Brave New Films shows just how distorted FOX can be when trying to push their agenda--in this case, the success or failure of "the surge."

Oh, and FOX's usual go-to girl, Ann Coulter is in there too, being her typical unhinged self.

Soldiers Sufferning from Traumatic Brain Injuries

Photo from source, news.aol.com

This is a tragic and sad story, but I fear we don't hear enough about the cost of this war, outside of dollars and cents. It is rare to even hear the casualty numbers these days (currently 3,774 Americans, 4072 total for coalition; source: icasualties.org).

With all the talk of the "surge," its alleged success, and the likely continuation of this war at least until then end of 2008, I think it's important to expose ourselves to the uncomfortable facts of war.

[Excerpt]

Brain Damage Plagues Thousands of GIs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 9) - The war in Iraq is not over, but one legacy is already here in this city and others across America: a "silent epidemic" of brain-damaged soldiers.

Thousands of troops have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, or TBI. These blast-caused head injuries are so different from the ones doctors are used to seeing from falls and car crashes that treating them is as much faith as it is science. . .

Read the whole story at: news.aol.com