Fareed Zakaria Says The War Is Over! Awesome!

It's called the MRAP, or "Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle." With a price-tag of as much as $1 million each, these new armored transports are designed with a wedge-shaped hull in order to deflect explosive blasts away from the cabin, therefore shielding the soldiers inside.

And much like the surge, it doesn't appear to be working.

On Tuesday, an American gunner was killed when his MRAP vehicle hit a roadside bomb south of Baghdad. His comrades inside were wounded despite the MRAP armor. Reports didn't say whether or not the bomb was what's called an "explosively formed penetrator" or EFP roadside bomb which critics have warned has the power to rip through an MRAP's armored hull.

We make better armor -- they make deadlier bombs. Don't be afraid, though. Six months from now we're going to win the shit out of this war. But wait! Don't nobody move! Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria, says the war has ended!

The Democrats are having the hardest time with the new reality. Every candidate is committed to "ending the war" and bringing our troops back home. The trouble is, the war has largely ended, and precisely because our troops are in the middle of it.

Okay. The war has largely ended because our troops are -- huh what? The war is over but if our combat soldiers come home, the war won't... be... over... anymore? The only thing I can make sense of here is that this is exactly the Bush Republican position on Iraq: The surge worked, the war is over, but no-one can come home because the surge worked and the war is over. Hooray for God's America!

And -- nyuck nyuck! -- this really has the Democrats flummoxed. Ya' think? I can't imagine why this Bush Logic would confuse people. It's not unlike being flummoxed by your roommate when he suddenly insists he's a reptilian Sleestak creature; then demands that you make linguistic sense of his constant Sleestak hissing. There's no sense to be made here other than the utter lack of common sense.

What's more disturbing is that The Very Serious Mr. Zakaria defined this as a "new reality." Maybe by "new" he meant "not a" or "I'm about to make shit up about [reality]."

Nevertheless, we can clearly gather that there are now two Iraqs.

There's Fareed Zakaria's awesomely successful "New Reality Iraq" which the traditional media and the Bush Republicans are observing -- mouths locked in frozen grins, and sweaty palms robotically smacking together in a deluded, drone-like round of applause. In the New Reality Iraq, nothing is ever achieved now; everything is achieved six months from now. Maybe. In the New Reality Iraq, Senator Graham bought a wicked-awesome rug for a dollar.

And then there's what I've been calling "Bizarro Iraq": an opposite, alternate Iraq in which the surge didn't work because the political benchmarks the increased troop levels were meant to facilitate... weren't achieved. In Bizarro Iraq, failing to meet those political benchmarks cost us the highest level of American military deaths in the war so far: 901 Americans killed in action and 6,071 wounded during 2007. In Bizarro Iraq, there's no such thing as victory because, in Bizarro Iraq, the president's illegal invasion and occupation, the president's torturing, the president's shock & awe, and the president's criminally botched reconstruction has fostered what are sure to be decades of catastrophic blowback against Americans and American interests.

In Bizarro Iraq, this is just a glimpse at January:

BAGHDAD -- The street battles between members of a messianic cult and Iraqi troops raged for a second day as the death toll from the fighting in two predominantly Shiite southern cities rose from 50 to at least 68. Iraqi authorities said at least 36 people were reported killed in Basra, Iraq's second largest city, and at least 32 in Nasiriyah, including Iraqi security forces, civilians and gunmen. At least 10 people were reported slain in Nasiriyah Friday. - JANUARY 20, 2008

BAGHDAD -- Nine American soldiers were killed in the first two days of a new American drive to kill al-Qaida in Iraq fighters holed up in districts north of the capital, the U.S. military said Wednesday. [...] Six soldiers were killed and four were wounded Wednesday in a booby-trapped house in Diyala province, where joint U.S.-Iraqi forces were driving through a difficult web of lush palm and citrus groves, farmland and fertile river bottoms. - JANUARY 9, 2008

BAGHDAD, Iraq CNN -- A well-respected Sunni leader who was key in helping reduce violence in his northern Baghdad neighborhood was among at least 15 people killed in three separate suicide bombings Monday, officials said. -JANUARY 7, 2008

And all of the following items were reported on January 6, 2008...

BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber wearing an explosives vest killed nine people and wounded 12 others in Baghdad's central Karrada district, a police official said. Another police source said nine people were killed and 17 wounded.

BAGHDAD - A parked car bomb killed three people and wounded 15 outside a restaurant in the Qahira district in northern Baghdad, police said.

BAGHDAD - Twelve bodies were found in various districts across Baghdad on Saturday, police said.

BAGHDAD - Three blasts killed one person and wounded four in Nahda district in central Baghdad, police said.

BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb wounded seven people travelling in a minibus in the southern Baghdad district of Doura on Saturday, police said.

MUQDADIYA - Four human heads were found on Saturday in Muqdadiya, 90 km (55 miles) northeast of Baghdad, police and hospital officials said.

DIYALA PROVINCE - One U.S. soldier died after a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Diyala Province on Saturday, the U.S. military said.

BAGHDAD - Gunmen killed Ismail Abbas, the leader of the Awakening Council in Shaab district, outside his home in northern Baghdad, police said.

Does this litany of death and violence indicate to you that the war has "largely ended" or does it indicate to you that the people telling us the war has "largely ended" are "largely nuts"? The answer to that question determines whether you're observing Bizarro Iraq or Zakaria's New Reality Iraq. On second thought, don't worry about it -- six months from now we'll reach a turning point in the war which we've already won because the surge worked but the troops will have to stay there or else we won't win.

I can't imagine why Senators Clinton, Obama and Edwards would want to end this goddamn thing.

Bob Cesca's Goddamn Awesome Blog! GO!

Comments

[aaronssongs]

When will Bush and Co. get it through their rock-solid heads that Iraq is not about to be their "bitch", on any level. As soon as the puppet Maliki government can be dismantled and disposed of, the Iraqis can get back to the business at hand, "civil war", and letting the chips "fall where they may", in the quest for dominance and power...which has to happen.
People have such short memories...remember the war in the Balkans? It had to play out.
All the players in the region, would sooner eat pork, than to allow America to be a player or a power broker in the region. The aggression (justified, IMHO) and the killing will never end, until we remove ourselves from the equation, where we should have never been in the first place.

[themodernleader]

Bob Cesca: Do you define "traditional media" as organizations that are managed by leaders who are of the top-down, closed, expedient, self-centered and directed toward policy and procedure that move the organization toward dysfunction, degeneration and decline? My Modern Leadership System defines a traditional organization with such ingredients.

[LizM]

I don't believe that is what Zakaria is saying at all...not even close. Take another look at the article.

The very salient point he was making is that the war the Democrats (except Joe Biden, of course...sorry) are "fighting" is not the war that is the current reality...ie they are advocating plans for the WRONG war!


Zakaria is very clearly saying that the Democratic candidates (and the ones on the other side, for that matter) don't seem to understand that the war that is the reality in Iraq today is a sectarian civil war and that none of their "plans" for Iraq will even come close to addressing what needs to happen to end Iraq's civil war.

Essentially, Zakaria is saying that the war against the insurgency or al-Qaeda is not the paramount concern - no kidding! - and what needs to be focused on now is the fact that Iraq is very seriously divided and on the brink of an all out civil war. He is saying that the mere presence of US troops is putting a lid on this for now, but as soon as they are withdrawn, IN THE ABSENCE OF A POLITICAL SOLUTION, all hell will break loose and it will be 'Katie bar the door' time. None of the remaining presidential candidates are addressing this - none of them even understand it!

Apparently, not many in the media or blogosphere understand it, either...which is why we are up the creek without a paddle, so to speak.

[research]

You can't win a WAR CRIME.

http://icasualties.org/oif/US_chart.aspx
http://www.iraqbodycount.org/

All those extra soldiers were needed just to keep Iraq from getting worse after 2005.

We are back to the death rate of 2005.

That's good?

[The 13 Colonies]

It must have been made by Halliburten, orKB or another company backed by this stupid goverment.I wonder who pocketed all the money for this lastest of little king george's follies...­..........­..........­........

[richw23]

Yeah, I just read Petraeus comment - I believe he's thinking of a recession.

It can be confusing, remember this?

"... When Herb Stein, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Ford administration, was admonished by his boss not to use the word "recession" to describe a recession, he complied, reluctantly.

"From now on," (he told) reporters, "I won't use the word 'recession.' I'll say 'banana.' When I say banana, think 'recession'... I think we must be wary of the risks of a banana"

Above quotes from a Wes Pruden column:

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/pruden041001.asp

[richw23]

Six months seems to be the new standard. For a long time it was 4 to 6 months. But I notice that Gates predicted that some soldiers might come home in summer, and that was 6 to 8 months when he said it. Maybe they needed to move the predictions out further because people started to notice they never come true. I notice the stateside standard for solving problems has become "reviewing our procedures".

[Robster]

So, Bob, did your side win?

[LoRiseAntlers]

What's most infuriating to me about all this is the fact that the Democratic leadership has
let this dog lie.The candidates ignore Iraq as much as possible,the leadership in Congress continue to hand over whatever Bush wants(the only difference being that now they don't really have to bother with pretending that there's any real hesitancy on their part to do so),and all the while this bullshit drags on,more Americans and Iraqis are slaughtered for whatever the hell this is really bout,billions more are getting sucked down this black hole,and the public has pretty much decided to let it all slide.

[PoliticalAnimal]

Support the Troops!

[chappelforpres]

When the word "Victory" gets battered around in Bush's inner circle, there is no redefinition too preposterous to spin.

[NURREDIN]

Tellingtruth2kooks has to be one of the most historically ignorant posters on the blog. First of all,there's so such thing as a "middle eastern socialist". Muslims are probably more free marketers than we are. I'll tell you how we got into this mess. We owe the Iranian debacle to two presidents, Eisenhower and Carter. In 1953, the Iranians held an election which was a referendum on the Shah's monarchy. The Shah lost the election and Mossadegh was elected prime minister,abolishing the monarchy. Eisenhower steps in, has the Prime minister jailed and restores the Shah. It takes them 26 years to finally overthrow him after he kills over 100,000 of his own people. The Shah fled to Mexico, where the Iranians demanded extradition. The Mexicans told the Shah he had to go, and Jimmy Carter lets him in. The Iranians stupidly take hostages thinking Jimmy's going to hand over the Shah for trail.Jimmy says no, and Reagan makes a deal that he will expel the Shah if they hold the hostages till he takes office. After Ronnie takes office, the Iranians keep their word,but Ronnie sends the Shah to Egypt.That's why the Iranians hate us. Meanwhile in 1979, a pro democratic movement in Saudia Arabia attempted to overthrow the monarchy and was repelled by American, British, and French troops.This was the beginning of The "Al Queda" movement which means "Home Base" in english.Move forward to Sept 11 2001, when 15 Saudis and 4 Egypttians (NO IRAQIS) attack us for not allowing them the same democracy we have.We wouldn't be in the mess we're in now if not for Eisenhower and Carter.So how do you support the Iraq war?

[NURREDIN]

Zakaria is a nut! I happen to have relatives in Iraq who I maintain contact with thru email on a weekly basis. Before the Invasion, Jews and Christians(I happen to be a Sephardic Jew) were able to practice their respective religions freely without fear. Now you don't tell anyone you're a Christian or a Jew for fear of death. Even though Saddam was despicable, he kept sectarian violence under control with an Iron hand. Now with Bush and Cheney's intelligent maneuver, we've given control of the country over to allies of Iran and avowed enemies of Israel. Whenever we pull out, there's going to be massive bloodshed and the re-arming of Hamas and Hezbollah, both Shiite allies. If we weren't so ignorant of the history of this country, we never would have invaded. Saddam couldn't even make his own aspirin,where was he going to get WMD from? The only WMD he possessed was given to him by Reagan/Bush to kill Iranians, and he turned it on the Shiite allies of Iran in his own country, which he was eventually hung for. The real reason we invaded (and the reason we hate Iran and Chavez) is because Saddam announced he would only take oil payments in Euros,not dollars, which would have caused us a hardship.If the war is over, my relatives in Baghdad and Samarra would appreciate this news.The Shiites have been at war with the Sunnis for 1400 years becauce they believe the Sunnis killed Ali, Mohammed's son-in law.We should have left Saddam alone. He only controlled 1/3 of the country when we invaded. Remember the "NO-FLY" zones? What was the point of this invasion?

[CanSoc]

I hope Jon Stewart reads this article, given that Zakaria is one of the more frequent guests on Daily Show.

[Garvagh]

As was the case with Vietnam, true stability in Iraq will only be achieved after the US withdraws all of its military forces. An endless war in Iraq obviously offers great potential for profit for the thousands and thousands of private contractors. The object of the invasion was to create a client state friendly to Israel and offering permanent military bases to the US, for use in the "protection" of Israel. I use inverted commas because the notion of obtaining protection by the presence of an enormous US war machine in Iraq for decades to come, is a fantasy.