Puppets ?

General Casey said that if you put more troops in Iraq, this will increase the Iraqis’ dependence on us, and it will prevent them from making the painful political compromises necessary to create an Iraq that people are willing to fight and die for.  General Casey is correct, but the military, politicians and media continue to the possibility that the Iraqi troops are not likely to be willing to die for a puppet regime of American imperialist.

We sent nearly 20,000 more troops into Iraq last fall and our casualties went up.  We expected six Iraqi battalions to go into Baghdad, but only two showed up. They were trained, but they weren’t motivated to die for international oil conglomerates under our occupation. If we send in another 20,000 troops, our casualties will again go up, and we will be increasing the Iraqis’ dependence on us.

What happened to the political spin that Bush was listening to the generals on the ground. Apparently he listens to them, until the general happens to disagree with him, and then Bush decides to replace the general.

Republican Senator Chuck Hagel opposes sending any more troops into Iraq, described the surge option as Alice in Wonderland. Hagel isn’t the only Republican Senator, who opposes the escalation. Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman said it makes no sense. Oregon Senator Gordon Smith said that the policy is not only wrong, but absurd and may even be criminal, what we‘re doing, allowing these young men and young women to be killed and wounded day after day, with no apparent long-term strategy.

We don’t need to train more Iraqis, because the basic problem is motivation.  Most of the Iraqi troops are not stupid enough to allow themselves to be use by American imperialists.

At this point the last line of Dalton Trumbo's timeless anti-war masterpiece “Johnny Got His Gun” seems appropriate. “You plan the wars you masters of men and point the way and we will point the gun.” THE END