http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/367088nm06-29-05.htm
How is it that Wilson carries such an impressive résumé, but still speaks in platitudes? Here are the two prominent paragraphs devoted to Wilson's take on the ongoing Iraq disaster:
Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., said the president did a good job of conveying the urgency of the mission. She said it was not Bush’s job to lay out details of the military plan going forward, calling that the job of military leaders.
“The benefits of success in Iraq are huge and the consequences of failure are profound,” Wilson said. “We cannot afford to lose in Iraq or we will be facing the jihadists at home.”
OK, Bush conveyed the urgency of the message by saying what? That “they,” meaning “them,” i.e., “the terrorists” must be defeated. Sure, any mental-midget can grasp that concept. But can't Wilson have the fortitude to stand up with some of her party's more noble dissenters like Chuck Hagel and at least offer some thoughtful analysis? And since when is it not the president's job to lay out a few details about military operations after he sold this war to our public and military based on lies? Better yet, let's pretend we all live in the same fantasy world as Cheney, Bush and Wilson, and we don't think the public was ever lied to in the march to invade Iraq. Um, Rep. Wilson, isn't there a title given to the president called Commander in Chief? Doesn't that title qualify him for the job of laying out a few military details to the taxpayers who are funding this $200 billion war of attrition?
And how, exactly, will we be facing the jihadists at home regardless of the outcome in Iraq? Does this mean the Iraqi insurgents, whomever they are in addition to what the U.S. military has identified as “Iraqi patriots” and former Saddam loyalists, are heading to the U.S. on the next flight out of Baghdad if the U.S. doesn't continue to station troops there? What does she mean by “lose” in Iraq anyway, when we don't even have a clear purpose for the mission—which by the way was already accomplished, remember? Bottom line: these statements are just more of the same fear-based propaganda that Bush used to sell the war that is now, finally, costing him his so-called political capital.
The level of thoughtless discourse coming from Republicans in Congress that continue to follow Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld blindly is the worst aspect of this mess. It would be great if Wilson could put the partisan loyalty aside and show us, for once, that she is the informed, intelligent official that her credentials claim she is. And if she doesn't show some real independence, it would be nice if the Republicans step up in Bernalillo County and run somebody against her in a primary next year.
UPDATE: I mentioned Chuck Hagel, the Nebraska Republican senator as a critic of the Bush administration, but GOP Sen. John McCain would have been more appropriate. Remember how McCain (who the Rush Limbaugh loving, Christian Conservative, Cheney worshiping wing of the GOP despise) appeared on our TV screens last fall pimping for Heather Wilson, saying she wasn't afraid to “buck her own party.” There's a lot about McCain that is admirable, but what a load of shit that was.
And who can forget that Wilson has also shifted her rhetoric right in step with Bush when she starting talking about spreading freedom and democracy in Iraq as our goal, once the WMD farce was exposed. But what the hell does “spreading freedom and democracy” mean anyway? Bush has relegated those two words to meaningless abstractions. I mean how many Americans give a shit about freedom and democracy when they fill up their shopping carts with made in China textiles, including the hot July 4th items like mini-American flags, at Wal-Mart. How many give a shit about freedom and democracy when they fill up their SUV tanks with OPEC oil, which enriches countries that are hosts to those jihadists that hate us and are run by tyrranical monarchs (I'm thinking specifically of our ally, Saudi Arabia). For a more insightful take on this, check out James Howard Knustler's blog Clusterfuck Nation for today's entry, “Iraqi Freedom.” He's the author of “The Long Emergency” which appeared in the Alibi a few weeks back: http://jameshowardkunstler.typepad.com/clusterfuck_nation/
