Kitabat, Iraq

America's 'Senate of Fools'

"The Americans were remarkable and even creative in their zeal to introduce policies of unmitigated stupidity, and once it began, the folly kept on coming … the virus of stupidity has begun to spread to the U.S. Senate, which has broken its long silence on Iraq to speak impertinently of dividing the country."

By Mahdi al-Waili

Translated By James Jacobson

October 5, 2007

Iraq - Kitabat - Original Article (Arabic)

A Hollywood image of the United States of America was once painted in the minds of the Iraqis - that America is a great country of scientific and technological progress; huge military power; the oldest democracy; a country with an advanced educational system that produces huge numbers of scientists and analysts who roam the world providing advice on affairs of state; a country with legendary intelligence services that know something about every human being on the globe; in addition to being a beacon of human rights and freedom. Such were the perceptions - apparently made of glass - that were produced for us by the Western media and the Hollywood's giant cinema machine.

But all of this changed after the United States toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein through the use unrestrained military force. And while it's true that the elimination of an unjust dictatorial regime was a noble goal, much of what was done was based on unrealistic scenarios and mistaken conclusions.

Initially Iraqis were very optimistic, hoping that the United States would bring this free and democratic model straight out of a Hollywood movie. But due to the folly of the American advisors, what resulted was a tragedy that ended with the shattering of this image made of glass. Because of this unrestrained American stupidity, Iraq and Iraqis have reaped nothing but calamity in every arena: political, military, social, industrial, health, and even in the areas of freedom and democracy.

Four years have passed since the liberation, as some call it (some call it the occupation while still others, including some Arab satellite stations, call it The Fall). But with the highest respect to all these opinions, it should be obvious that a quick military victory with the noblest objectives was squandered by American political foolishness and the excessive use of military force.

The Americans were remarkable and even creative in their zeal to introduce policies of unmitigated stupidity, and once it began, the folly kept on coming. It is a failed adventure imposed on Iraq by a wide range of advisers and stupefying dupes supported by an incompetent, reckless military force overwhelmed by its own ignorance and folly, and which has failed to protect its own soldiers or Iraqis.

We don’t want to dredge up the past and the idiotic decisions of "that genius" Bremer and his "brilliant" advisers who brought Iraq to the brink of civil war. But apparently the virus of stupidity began to spread to America's political class, including the U.S. Senate, which has broken their long silence on their defeat in Iraq to speak impertinently of dividing the country [The Biden Amendment ].

The reality is that this decision reflects a lack of awareness, a tremendous stupidity and an acute moral decay that boggles the imagination. It obliterates any image of a realistic, clear thinking American political class. Their Senate deserves the to bear the title "Senate of Fools," for failing to understand anything about the history of Iraq or its people, who have a civilization with a 3,000 year legacy.

Those who fail to read history fall into the quagmire of repeated mistakes - and in making these mistakes one may quickly end up on the dustbin of history. This is what will happen to the American Senate. It would have been better advised to adopt a courageous stance by acknowledging that the main cause of its defeat in Iraq has been the excessive foolishness of American military leaders and political advisers in Iraq.

The "Senate of Fools" should read their history and learn that they're dealing with a nation with a great heritage, the heart of which pulsates with a powerful will to overcome. This is the land of the prophets that gave rise to the first civilizations; here the courses of nations are altered. And today in the land of Iraq, this is exactly what is happening: The counterfeit image of a great nation is being shattered like glass, and a monster that often terrorizes the peoples of the world has been exposed.

Iraq4u2006@hotmail.com

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