The whirlwind

A few years back, Grand Strategist Thomas Friedman offered this plan to further the cause of peace and democracy in Iraq:

That will become clear in the next few months as we see just what kind of minority the Sunnis in Iraq intend to be. If they come around, a decent outcome in Iraq is still possible, and we should stay to help build it. If they won’t, then we are wasting our time. We should arm the Shiites and Kurds and leave the Sunnis of Iraq to reap the wind.

(This was, of course, before we realized that al Qaeda is our #1 frienemy in the cuddlefight against Iran, or something. But, in any case, we must see our plan through to the end.) So, how’s that working out?

People who object to this, of course, still cannot answer the key question of which ethno-religious group John McCain can’t identify we should have reaping all these whirlwinds, and would probably just assume Saddam was still alive and leading a Great Dervish Army of Whirlwinds to conquer America and deflower Hannah Montana. (Sharped-eyed viewers will also notice a beautiful pony under the pile of corpses and corpses-to-be.) No one could have predicted, etc. Via Healing Iraq.

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kenmeer livermaile Says:

May 1, 2008 at 4:18 pm

Deflower Hannah Montana? I thought Disney’s poltergeist did that already. Or at least gave her a frienema.

Essjay Says:

May 1, 2008 at 5:17 pm

You failed to mention Friedman’s imperative to Arabs – “Suck. On. This.”.

An important [carrot? stick?] in the thoughtful and effective diplomacy practiced by the Bush administration.

Major Woody Says:

May 1, 2008 at 6:52 pm

I’m sorry, I completely lost track of everything that you wrote before the words “deflower Hannah Montana”.

Jay B. Says:

May 1, 2008 at 8:54 pm

We should arm the Shiites and Kurds and leave the Sunnis of Iraq to reap the wind.

This is Force 10 from Awesometown.

The US did arm the Shiites. And the Kurds. And the Sunnis. Well, various militias of each flavor of Crazy. And those Anbar Promise Seekers, or unity counsels, or whatever dim name they gave themselves in order to get the Booshies to give them a fuckload of weaponry to kick out AQ, and arm themselves for the once and future civil war.

Arm different factions in a low-simmering, constantly churning civil war while our own army sits in the middle and tries to prop up an ineffectual, corrupt and untrained fake local army?

What could go wrong?

Nell Says:

May 2, 2008 at 4:29 am

while our own army sits in the middle and tries to prop up

Great comment, but the phrase above tends to erase the ways in which our representatives in the occupation are bringing the whirlwind themselves. Such as bombing Sadr City for the last month, e.g.

May 2, 2008 at 9:36 am

but the phrase above tends to erase the ways in which our representatives in the occupation are bringing the whirlwind themselves. Such as bombing Sadr City for the last month, e.g.

Certainly didn’t mean to say or imply we’re passive here. I meant more of “in the middle” of it all. And, as we saw in Basra and elsewhere, the US is always ‘standing up’ while the Iraqi “army” runs around.

But your comment is well taken.