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A Big Mistake

Entry 327, on 2006-05-15 at 13:46:33 (Rating 4, Politics)

How bad do things have to get in Iraq before the Bush administration admits the whole thing was a big mistake? Violence seems to be escalating there, both between religious factions, and between terrorists (or freedom fighters - call them whatever you prefer) and the occupying forces. The US and UK governments responsible for the invasion are at extreme lows in popularity - obviously people are finally seeing what a fiasco the whole thing has become.

But how will the admission that this is a mistake help? I think it would be a good symbolic - and ultimately practical - step which needs to be taken before any real progress can be made. While the US forces claim they are there for the good of Iraq there won't be any progress. If they front up and say "we made a mistake, how can we try to fix it?" the situation might slowly improve.

Most people will agree that Saddam Hussein's regime wasn't a good one, but compared with what has happened during and since the war, in many ways it seems like a safe and stable time in Iraq's history. And yes, I know about the deaths Saddam was responsible for, but how do they compare with the tens of thousands (perhaps well over 100,000 by some estimates) that the occupying forces have caused?

Worthwhile political change is rarely imposed from the outside. Generally it must come from within to be effective. Look at the sudden collapse of the USSR which primarily happened without outside intervention (although we would be naive to think western influence had no effect). That's why Iraq will never improve until the US admits the whole invasion idea was a big mistake.

Comment 1 (199) by Anonymous on 2006-05-20 at 23:08:14:

So what? Maybe it was a mistake, but what are you going to do about it now? We should support our troops in Iraq and they might be able to make things better. People like you who bitch about it all the time don't help.

Comment 2 (200) by OJB on 2006-05-21 at 14:16:25:

OK, my point was that what's happening now isn't working. But to change tactics and do something that might work, first Bush has to admit the original (and current) plan was a mistake.

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