An honest portrayal, please

By Creature

I guess I'm feeling especially frivolous today, but I just can't seem to get away from posts relating to Iraq. [Here and here for my Reaction friends.] I know there are more pressing issues facing the nation. I know the gays are about to take over my bedroom and man-dog marriage is just around the corner. I know I really should be focusing my exceptional blogging skills on the burning issue of flag burning. Hell, since I'm so directly affected by the "death tax" -- I will be dead one day, you know -- I should invest some of my energy there. But no, I'll let the jittery GOP focus on the relevant. I choose to stay laser-beamed on the happy-shiny country that is Iraq. Why "happy-shiny"? Well, that's what the Pentagon says in their latest report to Congress, and they have no reason to lie. Do they?

Anthony H. Cordesman, who holds the Arleigh Burke chair in strategy at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies and has closely studied the Iraq insurgency, yesterday criticized the new Pentagon report as presenting "a fundamentally false picture of the political situation in Iraq, and of the difficulties ahead." He said it "does not prepare the Congress or the American people for the years of effort that will be needed even under 'best case' conditions and the risk of far more serious forms of civil conflict."

Saying "only the U.S. government has the resources and access to information that provide a comprehensive overview of the situation," Cordesman added, "The American people and the U.S. Congress need an honest portrayal of what is happening, not lies by omission and 'spin.' " [Read more]

How can a problem be fixed when there is no acknowledgment that a problem exists? The Bushies continue to believe that Iraq is an "image" problem, not an actual problem. They believe that if only they could change the storyline, then the American people will fall into line. But this story has already ended poorly. There is no director's cut. There is no alternate ending. There is only chaos. It's a shame we have to wait until January '09 for the sequel -- Iraq Episode II: An Honest Portrayal.

(Cross-posted at State of the Day.)