The Iraq Parliament Bombing

The bombing of the Iraq Parliament indicates that not all goes well in Baghdad after the much-ballyhooed troop surge. The default condition for regime change is not democracy and capitalism, a lesson the Bush Administration has failed to learn.

What is the rationale for continuing to occupy the country? The Bush Administration has reverted to the old reliable “Iraq will become a haven for terrorists if we leave.” That rationale cost the Republicans the 2006 election because fewer people believe it each day and for good reason. The proposition is false. The U.S. presence in Iraq has created a training ground for terrorists. Al Qaeda loves the U.S. occupation.

What I find perplexing is the position taken by those who fear terrorism the most. They seem to think that conventional warfare will prevent terrorist attacks. The argument, “remember 9/11,” fails to embrace reality.

What concerns most is that the Bush Administration is completely incompetent when it comes to fighting terrorism. Mismanaged priorities and projects abound. They do nothing right. Thoughtful conservatives are as concerned about it as are the most vociferous leftist critics. You cannot be a conservative and support the Bush Administration. Bush admirers are merely blind admirers and not much else.

Some Bush admirers will say covering events such as the bombing of the Iraq parliament is some kind of liberal conspiracy. They will go to extreme and elegant lengths to tell you that the media does not report the good news coming from Iraq. There is a good reason for that. There is not any.

Until the Iraq Occupation ends, it is futile to discuss other political issues. U.S. foreign policy and national welfare is disastrously bound to it. The occupation defines the U.S. and predicts a dire future for it.