The Magnificent 37

In case you're wondering what other nations make up the 37-nation coalition of forces in Iraq cited by President Bush in his Oval Office speech, you may need a scorecard.

Moldova is in (12 troops), but Tonga is out. Bosnia & Herzegovina contributed as many as 37 soldiers in theater, but Slovakia and Hungary have pulled out. El Salvador has stayed, but Nicaragua has gone. Australia, yes; New Zealand, not so much. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, you betcha; Denmark and Norway, gone. Mongolia is in, but Ukraine is out. It appears that Kazahkstan's 29 troops, and Armenia's 46, are hanging in there, but Thailand has left the building. For more stats, there's always the Google.

All those troops' lives are, of course, as precious to their families, nations and Gods as are the lives of Americans serving in Iraq sacred to their kin and communities and Creators. So, too, though it may be hard for some to imagine, are Iraqi lives.

But when George W. Bush tries to bolster his case for a permanent US military presence in Iraq by citing the splendid international alliance he's mustered, you have to wonder whether what he really wants us to believe --and what he actually may believe himself -- is that the contributions he's strongarmed from Fiji, Albania et al are just as impressive as the 160,000 troops that his old man wrung from the likes of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and France.

Sometimes it's just too hard to suppress the suspicion that all of us are just bit players in a delusional son's deadly Oedipal psychodrama.

Follow Marty Kaplan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/martykaplan

Comments

[MinerSam]

The Coward in the White House forgot to mention that his Texas oil friend has already clinched a deal.

That we are also paying 160,000 contractors being paid $560.00-1,­000.00 a day...who are not accountable.

That if an Iraqi car passes too close to the verhicle of Haliburton exectutive, the rule is: mow them down first, and don't ask questions later.

That 1 million Iraqis have died, based on the number of dead in the hospitals and morgues

That the Suniis an Al Ambar had begun to reject Al Queda BEFORE the surge ever began.

Only today they are being paid with our tax dollers. And what will happen to this particular group, now that they leader was killed today...th­e one that was pegged for assasination because Bush used his for his
informercial visit.

That the surge was to take place in Bagdad but all of a sudden it's AL Ambar, with not a word about the chopped up Bagdad with walls between each community.

That most nieghborhoods have been ethnically cleansed. Oh and that Muktadar Al Sadar called off his attacks for 6 months. No wonder there was a decrese from 1500 hundred to 1,000 attacks a week.

That 4 Million Iradis had been displaced from their homes. And that 2 million of Middle Class Irqis (most of them) have left Iraq for Syria and Lebanon, where they are second class citizens and having a downward surge into poverty.

That one of the first things that happened after shock and awe is that All the women who ran business (in this secular state) were immediately killed.

I have to laugh at Giuliani on Larry King saying : "If you know really Islamic Terrorists" Giuliani on Charlie Rose, revealed himself to be an ignorant animal that he is.

Whereas it was understood by all New Yorkers NYC that nobody would profit from 9/11. This evil adulterer (who benefitted from Clinton's 100,000 cops on the street, and Welfare to work program) has done nothing but.

[koleso]

(sorry, sent the wrong drafte earlier)

So what…….to all of this!

The constant political wars have left us all numb, ineffective at change and in the end uncaring.

We care more about the antics of childish celebrities than our dying and maimed soldiers.

We have bred and allowed the political creature to meld with the business of business beast, and they in turn found the market maker monster to tell us what we are, what to think, and what not to think.

As a result our times reflect the importance of nothingness.

The words of any question mean nothing as the answers produce no results. Instead they signify nothing disguised and something.

We have allowed the creation of the most feared creature of all....us.

My question: What's the difference anymore. (Remember the line from a Vietnam war era song, " What's the difference, ... if we don't come back...")

bohdan yuri

[cheerleaderBush]

in this day and age 'nations' are like corporations, and with Iraq, there are several 'nations' (corporations) making a (financial) killing... Blackwater, Bechtel, Halliburton, Lockheed Martin, Dyncorp, Boeing, The Carlyle Group, etc., etc.

Follow the money trail from washington to the pentagon to the crony corporations who thrive on never ending war or the so called war on terror.

[Oldekirk]

and yet there are always enough Americans dumb enough to believe in the Republican party and their greed for money and power

[WolfLarsen]

That goes for our Democrats as well. If they weren't so greedy and lusting for power they would be courageous and go to the mat on this one. They are spineless. Too many in the Democratic leadership don't want to risk their political position so they will go along with the slaughter to further their careers. The more I think about it the more it pisses me off! I expect it from the Repugs. I was hoping the Dems would be different. They aren't. What a fucking waste!

[NewsNag]

hey, grendl, that's a really good poem, it's hard rhyming with meaning, but you did it

[NewsNag]

yes, the delusional Oedipal and we're all bit players thing you said

all the world's a stage, and Bush is still going through a stage

seen from a slightly different angle, the hundreds of thousands killed are reenactments of Bush blowing up frogs as a boy in Midland, Texas, lots of croaking going on

I like frogs

I don't like Bush.

[Destin]

Thanks Mr. Kaplan for a fairly thorough scorecard. Interesting to see who is in there and who is not. Course, makes you wonder what alot of these countries are getting out of it. Is there more bribes, like the billion $ bribe that Bush offered Turkey for the use of their bases and ports. I realized Moldova would probably be willing to do something, the way Congress ponied up the multi-millions to buy that squadron of nuclear equipped Mig-29's sitting around that they almost sold to Iran instead. ;) Now we use them for Red Flag and Moldova's economy got a huge boost from our injection of funds.

Speaking of Moldova, I think they were robbed at Eurovision. They could always send Natalia Barbu to do lots of USO and benefit/charity concerts all over Iraq. That would probably get peoples minds off "fight"ing for a while, just looking at her. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfymDcGZpqY

[MilwaukeeDan]

Destin, you hit it right on the head, this is all about bribes. Albania was promised Kosovo, NATO membership and a naval base on its coast(the US can't have enough military bases around the world). That's why when he was in Albania, Bush was greated as a hero. Albania and Bosnia are the poorest countries in Europe and their leaders appreciate any "gifts" from America, so they sacrifice a few troops. With over 50% unemployment, it's not like these guys had anything better to do and with American bases there, at least their women will have something to do. Danilovic

[smartstuart]

Chimpy's assertion about the 36 or 37 nations that are "with us" in Iraq must be the last straw for ANYONE wishing to give this moronic dolt any benefit of any doubt!!! Right on, sir!!!

[bikerdude]

Perhaps our best move, congress, will be to fund and support as many troops as Bush's "Coalition of the Willing"..­.

[jacklambert]

Perhaps the hapless congress should not approve any funding for Iraq until Bush comes up with a plan thats acceptable? Got to reign in this idiot somehow!!!!

[RogerHWerner]

The only other nations of consequence in Iraq are Britain and possible Australia. Britain will be gone shortly and the Aussies are about to retire John Howard and they'll bail too. Bush's so called coalition consists of countries he was able to bully or bribe into sending a few men. Calling the occupation force in Iraq a coalition is simply one more example of how Orwellian this country has become. Lots of people were required to read 1984 in high school. Too bad more folks never comprehended what Orwell was trying to say.

[FogBelter]

Mr Kaplan, with all of the heavy hitters lined up in Bush's "Coalition of the Willing" it's not hard to guess where some of the missing billions sent to Iraq wound up.

[dadw5boys]

The Heritage Foundation is your real enemy!

[SmackwaterJack]

Well said Professor, well said indeed.

[HWBII]

Once again, Marty, you are the first to post, and the smartest. I knew much of what was coming but was thrown a curve by the sheer ballsiness of Bush once again invoking the ghost 'coalition'. WTF? He must think that we are not only stupid but totally lacking in the memory department. But it's not us he was speaking to, was it? The Fijians must be busting with pride tonight.

[Pete Ross]

Bush's main constituency IS stupid!

They don't believe in science and don't believe evidence they can see with their own eyes. Instead they have been brainwashed to believe on faith that doesn't have or require any evidence.

So they believe Bush, regardless of how many times he lies or misleads. They believe him because he is "Christian" enough for them.

[yellowdogSC]

Bush is a greedy, racist, egocentric CHRISTIAN.

Every other "christian" sees him and says, "There's a man, a CHRISTIAN, EXACTLY like....ME­!

He MUST be chosen by GOD!

So if I vote for him, I'll be chosen by God TOO."

I'm surprised he didn't actually WIN in '00.

(I'm NOT including the few deeply spiritual Christians I have known in my life. Less than a half dozen, but genuinely good people.)

[joebaggadonuts]

One of the born agains I know is angry about being misled by Bush.

[Opus007]

I read lately that the hard core Bush supporters are overwhelmingly Foc News Viewers. That explains a lot. (Not that the MSM give Bush plenty of free passes) I even some of the evangelicals are waking up to the fact that they were duped for their votes.

Did you hear Mike Huckabee on MSNBC last night? He had such a child like view of this war.

[Steve Petrisky]

FYI, Fiji was gonna launch a preemptive invasion of Iraq if we didn't. Iraq posed a real threat to the islands and had to be invaded. An Iraq that sips fermented pineapple juice spiked with rum and listens to Elvis and is forced to eat roasted pig is an Iraq that makes us all safer. Fiji! Fiji! Fiji!

Hey Fiji -- Iran thinks you suck.

[aleco]

That's funny Steve. You made me laugh. Thanks.

[Tommie27]

They are called RED STATE BILLIES

[huffluffer]

George is mad, crazy, as well as being incredibly incompetent. When will this nightmare end?

[Oldekirk]

It will end when Bush and Cheney are impeached.

[WolfLarsen]

Oh god....tha­t means it will never end!

[rmreddicks]

Actually, I think it will end (at least their direct part) when they die. Unfortunately they seem to be very interested in taking a whole lot of people with them.

cheney to bush: "You can't take it with you but you sure as hell can take a lot of people out with you."

[TheHandyman]

Given the history of other "mad kings" who would have thought that in this enlightened era people would actually elect a madman and an idiot as the heads of their country. Not me in a million years! What next, a military coup? I've come to the conclusion that Americans are the most complacent and gullible people in the world. Hell, I think Hitler could flourish here and now as well as he did in Germany some 50 odd years plus ago. Who woulda thought?

[Oldekirk]

You are right Handyman, Americans are gullible enough and Hitler was very intelligent and a brilliant dynamic speaker unlike Bush who has to read from idiot cards.

[aleco]

Handyman, I agree with your comment. When talking about gullibility, the Europeans have an expression: "What did you take me for, an American." What I find most discouraging is when Bush goes on television and lies to the American people, his approval rating goes up a few points. I never thought I would see the day where I would have so little respect for an American president and the people who continue to support him. It's so depressing.

[bikerdude]

We, as citizens and voters must write/call/email our representatives and insist that they stop this self-serving, arrogant incompetent Bush regime. What Bush and Co are doing is inimical to the best interests of the United States of America. That alone used to be a punishable offense. We are letting him use the lives of our children and our treasure to attain his personal, selfish goals. We must end this regime immediately.

[accountability]

bikerdude.
absolutely.
I agree. I call them and write to them all the time.
I also write a letter, forward it to all my friends with the email address of Congress people so they can send out since most people don't have or take the time any more. This is what we've come to... people don't have time. the 40 hour work week went away a long time ago for many folks... not to mention one income families. Many people need to work more than one job to survive and raise their families.

We have to write.
I am trying to figure out how to organize a real letter (snail mail) writing campaign. I just don't have the skills or money, but I'm still looking into it.

I want to see hundreds of thousands of letters being dumped on the floor of Nancy, Reid, Waxman, and of course mr.bush-ch­eney.
I love the computer/t­echnology. I use email and et-ech almost exclusively but it just doesn't have the visual impact that an overflowing mail bag does. ... or 100 of them.

Email is too easy to ignore. (or lose)

write, phone, tie up the lines.
Without a draft the young aren't out there doing it.
I don't know if you have noticed, but when there is a protest so many of the faces seem middle aged or older.

Wish I could go to DC tomorrow.
keep up the good fight.

[TXfemmom]

George is immature, imprudent, stubborn, obnoxious, delusional, and just doesn't give a damn about anyone other than himself and the criminal organization around him.

Every day, I ask myself how a pretty good country, or one that was, can permit itself to be manhandled by this creton?

[mommadona]

I have wondered about this - isn't there a mechanism in place if and when they finally realize this man is ABSOLUTLEY A BASKET CASE?

[grendl]

Funny, George Bush never talks about what the majority of Iraqis want for their country. Maybe winning his presidency by a minority has given him the wrong idea.

They want us out . It couldn't be worse than it is now. Actually it could, if you continue to arm Sunni's, so that once they dispatch with Al Qaeda they can turn those arms on their lifelong rival, the Shia.

BUSH LEAGUE - A Poem of Hope -( bob )- by e.e. grendl

Thanks for the casualties,
The boys and girls who fought,
A war this nation bought,
Based on a tale, a mushroom sale,
The seller never caught,
We thank you so much.

Thanks for the refugees,
The ones delivered Brown,
The day the wall broke down,
He'd lead a horse to water,
And then he'd let it drown,
We thank you so much.

Thanks for the amputees,
Who hobble off the planes,
With smiles masking pains,
They lost their limbs to righteous hymns,
And aren't offered canes,
We thank you so much.

Thanks for the memories,
The glaring disconnects,
The lapses in the texts,
If pachyderms remember terms,
Why all these " I forget" s,
We thank you so much.

Thanks for the penalties,
Believing as we did,
you cared about our kids,
Then sent our jobs abroad you slobs,
And now we're on the skids,
We thank you so much.

Thanks for the perjuries,
The blatant little lies,
the outing of our spies,
You cost his wife, if not her life,
Her CIA disguise,
We thank you so much.

Thanks for perversities,
Although you don't recall
What happened in the stall,
You reached out to your bases,
But you couldn't touch them all
We thank you so much.

Thanks for the rising seas,
Although its not your fault.
That fuel emissions vault.
This wounded earth needs healing,
Not rubbing with the Salt
We thank you so much.

Thanks for the times like these,
I really have to say,
That come the judgment day,
I wouldn't push,
the Burning Bush
Too righteously their way,
We thank you so much.

[mgloraine]

Wow! That's great! I wonder if we could get Tracy Chapman to sing it?? I thought of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez first, but they were singers from a different war...

[yellowdogSC]

Well, this is CERTAINLY a "different" war!

[LiarLiarIraqsOnFire]

I'm hearing The Dixie Chicks - Acoustic of course.

[accountability]

mgloraine.
i thoughjt the same thing, reminded me of a Dylan kind of thing.

He might have been from a different war but damn of a lot of those words are still, if not more relevant. I posted the lyrics to "Masters of War" the other day. so Powerful.
you can find them on bobdylan.com under lyrics. Also there is a great video of Eddie Vedder singing it on youtube. The last Gulf War was on I believe.
It is very moving. oh what the hell, let me go find the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8GHBk_HSXg
or
http://tinyurl.com/29kdms

Tracy Chapman would be very good. Someone else said the Dixie Chicks. I could definitely hear that.

[bumpersticker]

It was forty years ago today,
LBJ taught us how to slay
They've been going in and out of style
But they're guaranteed to kill a smile.
So may I introduce to you
The act you've known for all these years,
Gen. Petreus's Broken War Of Sand.

It's wonderful to be there,
It's certainly a thrill.
You're such a lovely audience,
We'd like to toss a bone to you,
We'd love to toss a bone.

I don't really want to stop the show,
But I thought that you might like to know,
That the singer's going to sing a song,
And he wants you all to sing along.
So let me introduce to you
The one and only Georgie Bush
And Gen Petreus's Broken War Of Sand.

[accountability]

very good.
Love it.
MORE.

I wonder if there is a "community" on youtube for this sort of thing.
Do more and post it over there in some format.
(let us know!)

[pelosiforpresident]

Gresy song! To the tune of "Thanks for the memories," right?

[Aimleft]

No, that's got to be Sgt Pepper's Loney Hearts Club Band...! (Pretty good at that!)

[accountability]

It is very good.
I don't know if you were being ironic, but I laughed because that would also make a great satire.
Somebody do it, please?
That isn't my talent.

[Oldekirk]

Bush was given the presidency by Rehnquist,
Gore won the presidency lest we forget.

[emncaity]

That is brilliant, man. Thanks.

[mommadona]

As Michael Corleone stated, "It's just business."

"We", Kemo Sabe, are the price of doing business.
U.S. are "the staff", "the help".

OUR kids die so THEIR kids can inherit the moola.

DaddyWarBucks
UncleSam
Just different sides
of the coin,"I Am"
Just Plain Old BusinessAsUsual
Except this time there is quite a twist
None of US ever thought of THIS
"The Whole Enchilada" has meaning in Houston
Especially in that House of Saud.

[PollM]

Bring Back Our Troops Now...

Do you think the Democrats have a vision to bring back our troops?...­... ----------------> http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=486
.

[cowboyneok]

Oedipal psychodrama! My God, someone please just hand over Babs "the Silver Fox" to sub-mediocre frat boy "Dubya." Babs please just tell him you love him! Even if it is his subconscious shouldn't pining over Barbara Bush's attention be enough evidence Bush lacks the judgment to be Commander-­in-Chief?!­!?

[paixa3]

Absolutely not. They, the spineless Dems, are accomplices in this shit.

[bikerdude]

Great post...It is time for all of us to write/call/email our representatives and tell them in no uncertain terms that if they don't stop this self-serving regime immediately we will vote them out of office. What Bush and his regime are doing is inimical to the best interests of the United States of America. We need to end this regime immediately. Our future in the world depends on it.

[Overd0g]

As always, they won't listen. That is because they know that you can't ever "vote someone out of office" without voting in an even more dreadful replacement.

[WretchedEtcher]

I emailed my reps. Only 2....1 senator and 1 congresswo­man...our other senator died some months ago and apprently the replacement doesn't have an email address?

Anyway...I didn't even get so much as an auto-response back!

[brushfinch]

I write to my congress people almost everyday..­..it is easy to www.senate.govgov,and www.house.com..find out who represent you,they all have websites with contact forms..jus­t remember to be polie when you state your views,and also write thankyou notes when they do something right...

[brushfinch]

OOPS!! it is www.house.gov!!

[PlanetKansas]

One of the warning signs during the post 911 buildup to the Iraq war was the reluctance and scepticism of our European allies. We still need them and a big way, but why would they want to help GW?

Bush skipped the criticism by vowing to "go it alone" and with the help of Congress, demonized our own friends and allies. The American public is as much to blame, with our flag waving, magnetic yellow ribbons and demonizing the Germans and the French.

We have shit in our own messkits and must suffer the consequences. Personally I feel that abandoning the Iraqi's to a situation we created would be immoral and has serious regional and economic consequences to the entire world. For the Democrats to pull out after the elections will bring the "shame" of defeat which the Republicans will capitolize on as we watch Iraq slide into a Somalia like land ruled by warlords and chaos.

The only moral solution is a Bosnia type occupation to restore order, but reinstating the draft to provide a million troops is politically impossible. As a result, the next President will have to mend fences with our allies and reforge a massive occupation. It is in everyone's best interests to do so, stabilizing the region, and yes, to preserve the oil feilds and the world economy. This is the only moral choice, and sadly, I find the first thing about GW I have ever agreed with: that it will take another 10 years.

[PADDYWHACK]

Planet,i spent alot of time in Europe and they're smarting at the way they were all insulted by that little oedipal mess.They couldn't believe he was going to Iraq any more than Canada and now the lethal mess cannot be solved.Whe­n he does the same to Iran he will have made a world that is on the brink of war.He is an idiot and congress only mouths opposition­.His father needs to participate in this Greek tragedy by speaking out publicly and undermining him,his son has no brains and he must be tortured by his contributions to global instabilit­y.Bush 41 has a real grasp of diplomacy and can restore the family name.

[Podewumun]

Look, if this spineless Congress of ours "stays on course", they're sure to give the OK for Bush to carry out his latest "Bright Idea" - selling 85 billion in American-made arms to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and other mideast countries "hungry for democracy".
Then we can leave...ri­ght? NOT!
IT JUST GETS WORSE AND WORSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!