FOR the first time in his adult life, Kamal Ahmed, a 40-year-old Iraqi journalist, was able to express his true feelings yesterday about Saddam Hussein’s regime — a regime under which he has worked for years. He uttered words to a foreigner that he would never have dared to utter before: relief that Saddam’s control was finally at an end. But like so many Iraqis, he also felt deep sadness at seeing Americans on the streets of a country he loves.
And even though “The Man” was patently gone, “Kamal” remained far too fearful to use his real name.
Kamal knows something that South Korea, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Japan, Germany and others have known for decades: once America comes, it doesn't leave. Kamal went on to say this:
“In my opinion they did not come for the President or weapons of mass destruction. They came here to rule the world from Iraq. Why Iraq? Because Iraq is the only country that refused everything the Americans said. This is not to defend President Saddam Hussein but it is the reality. It is a new world.
“I am very sad for my country. Very sad for Baghdad. To see the Americans inside it is very difficult for me. Because they invaded my country.”
Within a year or two we will likely have a permanent naval base and multiple airbases in Iraq. Once a proper buildup has occurred (or sooner), then the Administration will begin the next phase of the pre-emptive "defensive" doctrine by invading Iran and Syria. Should this go well, assuming we aren't in a full-fledged war with North Korea, the Administration will have suceeded in further diluting our military strength and taking on two more wards of the State. And, of course, we will still be "looking" for WMD. Or insecticide. Whatever. It's all the same.
Link courtesy of Jethro Tull fan Cowboy Kahlil.