Republicans defeated by Iraq

OMAR RAMLAWI

The Republican defeat in the mid-term elections, the eviction of Donald Rumsfeld, the haughty secretary of defense, and the expected non-renewal of John Bolton’s appointment as American ambassador to the United Nations are demonstrations of the fall-out of the Iraqi resistance. This has shown displeasure with the current administration’s and neo-conservatives’ drive for dominance in the Middle East. The signs of defeat were obvious on the face of president Bush and his propellant secretary of defense. I hope we can also view the faces of the orphans of Rumsfeld in Iraq, of Ahmed Chalabi engineering the Weapons of Mass Destruction plot, and of all who got tangled in the American occupation project.

I noticed a big difference involving president George Bush three weeks after the invasion as he announces the accomplishment of the triumph in Iraq, after ending all “combat operations.” I recall honour and glory as the president looked at Rumsfeld’s “victory.” Recently Bush announced the isolation of his trusted secretary, consequently confessing defeat in Iraq. During a recent speech, Bush stressed the administration’s readiness to accept any new plans to take the U.S. out of its current quagmire.

The acceleration in the passing of Hussein’s execution sentence, days before the mid-term elections, did not prevent the Republicans from losing ground, ending their 12-year supremacy in the American Congress.

Rumsfeld was merely a scapegoat for a defeated administration. Putting the sole responsibility on the ex-secretary is an attempt to evade responsibility for the war. It is naive and unjust as he was merely a member in an integrated team, followed by an army of consultants; Rumsfeld executed policies initiated by a president who many agree lacks foresight.

Rumsfeld made many mistakes, and his constant arrogance didn’t help, but the same mistakes were made by his commander-inchief and the vice, Dick Cheney and all the advocates of Israel in the administration, starting with Richard Pearl, Douglas Faith and Paul Wolfowitz. These figures represent the rightist fascist ideologies, managing to put America’s integrity in world at jeopardy at the price of appeasing their “closest ally,” Israel, not to mention their controls of the biggest arsenal in the world.

Imperialistic arrogance is the name of the game, as Michael Scheuer expressed in his book Through Our Enemies’ Eyes: Osama Bin Laden, Radical Islam & the Future of America. He is the official who led the CIA’s operation against Osama bin Laden from 1996-99. Scheuer says that the causes that al-Qaeda struggles for are fair, and Muslims have many reasons to be frustrated, as they are oppressed in Palestine, Iraq, Kashmir, Chechnya and who knows what to expect in Iran or Syria?

So like a young child straying, Bush Jr. desperately sought his father’s assistance, by sharing the elder’s wisdom and his experience, and of course an advisory group of highly experienced men like James Baker and Robert Gates, who has been assigned secretary of defense in place of Rumsfeld.

Perhaps the solution to the Iraqi chaos lies in the hands of one person, Saddam Hussein. This may sound absurd, politically highly doubtful, yet what has the Bush democracy brought to Iraq? What is so great and worthy in the deaths of hundreds of thousands, displacement of millions, ethnic cleansing and the destruction of a once great country?

The struggling U.S. administration should take a fresh look at what they have done and what the consequences are. They should take the role of leading the world’s stability, peace and justice in a fair manner. The administration should stop or at least not visibly back Israel. There lies the true war on terror. That way, there would be no despair and no reasons for hatred of the United States.

Omar Ramlawi is a third-year economics student at the University of Manitoba.





Volume 94 Issue 14	The Official University of Manitoba Students' Newspaper Website	November 22, 2006

Home About Us Advertise Contact Staff Current Issue PDF Employment Letters to the Editor Meet the Staff Online Archives Personals Volunteer	Font Size Respond Email Print-Friendly Republicans defeated by Iraq OMAR RAMLAWI The Republican defeat in the mid-term elections, the eviction of Donald Rumsfeld, the haughty secretary of defense, and the expected non-renewal of John Bolton’s appointment as American ambassador to the United Nations are demonstrations of the fall-out of the Iraqi resistance. This has shown displeasure with the current administration’s and neo-conservatives’ drive for dominance in the Middle East. The signs of defeat were obvious on the face of president Bush and his propellant secretary of defense. I hope we can also view the faces of the orphans of Rumsfeld in Iraq, of Ahmed Chalabi engineering the Weapons of Mass Destruction plot, and of all who got tangled in the American occupation project. I noticed a big difference involving president George Bush three weeks after the invasion as he announces the accomplishment of the triumph in Iraq, after ending all “combat operations.” I recall honour and glory as the president looked at Rumsfeld’s “victory.” Recently Bush announced the isolation of his trusted secretary, consequently confessing defeat in Iraq. During a recent speech, Bush stressed the administration’s readiness to accept any new plans to take the U.S. out of its current quagmire. The acceleration in the passing of Hussein’s execution sentence, days before the mid-term elections, did not prevent the Republicans from losing ground, ending their 12-year supremacy in the American Congress. Rumsfeld was merely a scapegoat for a defeated administration. Putting the sole responsibility on the ex-secretary is an attempt to evade responsibility for the war. It is naive and unjust as he was merely a member in an integrated team, followed by an army of consultants; Rumsfeld executed policies initiated by a president who many agree lacks foresight. Rumsfeld made many mistakes, and his constant arrogance didn’t help, but the same mistakes were made by his commander-inchief and the vice, Dick Cheney and all the advocates of Israel in the administration, starting with Richard Pearl, Douglas Faith and Paul Wolfowitz. These figures represent the rightist fascist ideologies, managing to put America’s integrity in world at jeopardy at the price of appeasing their “closest ally,” Israel, not to mention their controls of the biggest arsenal in the world. Imperialistic arrogance is the name of the game, as Michael Scheuer expressed in his book Through Our Enemies’ Eyes: Osama Bin Laden, Radical Islam & the Future of America. He is the official who led the CIA’s operation against Osama bin Laden from 1996-99. Scheuer says that the causes that al-Qaeda struggles for are fair, and Muslims have many reasons to be frustrated, as they are oppressed in Palestine, Iraq, Kashmir, Chechnya and who knows what to expect in Iran or Syria? So like a young child straying, Bush Jr. desperately sought his father’s assistance, by sharing the elder’s wisdom and his experience, and of course an advisory group of highly experienced men like James Baker and Robert Gates, who has been assigned secretary of defense in place of Rumsfeld. Perhaps the solution to the Iraqi chaos lies in the hands of one person, Saddam Hussein. This may sound absurd, politically highly doubtful, yet what has the Bush democracy brought to Iraq? What is so great and worthy in the deaths of hundreds of thousands, displacement of millions, ethnic cleansing and the destruction of a once great country? The struggling U.S. administration should take a fresh look at what they have done and what the consequences are. They should take the role of leading the world’s stability, peace and justice in a fair manner. The administration should stop or at least not visibly back Israel. There lies the true war on terror. That way, there would be no despair and no reasons for hatred of the United States. Omar Ramlawi is a third-year economics student at the University of Manitoba.


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