Sorry for the recent absence. Been on the move lately celebrating the finish of two thirds of my graduate work. yeehaw. but back to the news.
It seems important that if we are to gain the real vood that is possible in iraq, we’ve got to stay atuned to the place. Tom Friedman worries we are “Bored With Baghdad � Already,” and i share his fear. He writes:
“I am sure things will improve. But after traveling around central Iraq, here’s what worries me: The buildup to this war was so exhausting, the coverage of the dash to Baghdad so telegenic, and the climax of the toppling of Saddam’s statue so dramatic, that everyone who went through it seems to prefer that the story just end there. The U.S. networks changed the subject after the fall of Baghdad as fast as you can say “Laci Peterson,” and President Bush did the same as fast as you can say ‘tax cuts.’
…
“Iraqis are an exhausted people. Most seem ready to give us a chance, and we do have a shot at making this a decent place � but not with nation building lite. That approach is coming unstuck in Afghanistan and it will never work in Iraq. We’ve wasted an important month. We must get our act together and our energy up. Why doesn’t Mr. Rumsfeld brief reporters every day about rebuilding Iraq, the way he did about destroying Saddam?
America is in an imperial role here, now. Our security and standing in the world ride on our getting Iraq right. If the Bush team has something more important to do, I’d like to know about it. Iraq can still go wrong for a hundred Iraqi reasons, but let’s make sure it’s not because America got bored, tired or distracted.”
This seems to me a sensible article. We all know Friedman has supported this war- but with the carefully pronounced caveat that his support was for the ideal carrying out of the war that Friedman laid out over several op-eds; namely, he bought into the grand scheme notion that this could trigger progressive/secular governments in the mid-east. (If you disagree regarding my interp of Friedman, please comment).
Now I see Friedman saying “uh oh…will we really go through the tough work to carry out my ideal?” One need only click over to Altercation today (see link to right) to hear the “i told you so’s ringing out.”
