On The Wrong Side of History ...
Shorter Kos:
"There is no possible way anything successful can come of Iraq."
Now really ...
But the fact that 8 million Iraqis voted is not the measure of success. Just like catching Saddam wasn't, or occupying Baghdad, or transfering "sovereignty". Those events are miletones toward the ultimate outcome, but unpredictive whether that outcome is victory or defeat....
January was the third bloodiest month for US and allied troops. Will that cease now that Iraqis have voted? Nope. Will economic sabotage of Iraq stop? Nope. Will the terrorists lay down arms? Nope. Will the insurgents? Nope.
The war will continue unabated.
Why did I know the worst the blogosphere could summon up on this would come straight from Markos' own keyboard?
Comments
Dude, what exactly is your beef with Kos? He has his blog, you have yours. He writes his opinions on his blog and you write about what you don't like about his opinions on your blog. What's the point?
Posted by: Sandra | January 31, 2005 01:26 PM
I'll play a little devil's advocate. What's the difference between Markos's statement (the election won't mean an end to the fighting and doesn't mean success) and Bull Moose's observations:
Even though he celebrated the vote in Iraq, he has a very similar critical outlook on what follows. I suggest the difference is that Bull Moose takes the (small) victories where they come and talks about what progressives have to do (firmly oppose "facist terrorists" as well as Bush's irresponsible budget and domestic policies). It's a subtle difference to some but a difference nonetheless.
Markos' sin seems to be more the omission of encouraging the Iraqis who did vote than his belief that the election will change little. I think he and Bull Moose are right on that point, at least for the short term, which makes it very difficult for the long term or, perhaps worse, makes possible another dictator with promises of stability and peace.
Posted by: Tx Bubba | January 31, 2005 01:51 PM