Based on their conduct since the 2002 elections, and also based on the Rove-induced choice of Frist as majority leader, he’s certainly entitled to that attitude.
Sam Stone:
Easy to talk about how “little” money it is when it isn’t yours, ain’t it? But I’m sure you’re all over the PM to pony up your country’s share of money and troops, aren’t you? The crack about the Dept of Education would have fit better in a thread devoted to it, as well.
Yes, let’s “keep it in perspective”. As Sen. Graham pointed out, “$87 billion is more than the federal government will spend on education this year, twice as much as the federal government will spend on our roads, bridges, highways and public transit systems.” Note also that this is just one year’s worth of appropriations, with no estimates or requests beyond that although we all damn well know better.
Bush did not, however, discuss just where the money is going to come from, if the “allies” quite understandably refuse to “put past differences aside”, as he put it. How much more of a tax cut does he propose to pay this bill?
He’s not really turning Iraq into a democracy, he’s trying to turn it into a “democracy,” meaning a US controlled, puppet government.
He doesn’t actually even have the right to force any particular form of government on Iraq. If they want a Shi’ite theocracy with an Ayatollah who the fuck is Shrub to tell them that they can’t? Forcing other countries to submit to democracy is no different than forcing them to submit to communism.
The arrogance in demanding that other countries pay for this mess is fucking mind-boggling. It’s especially obnoxious that the Bushistas seem to expect those other UN countries to come in and perform the menial administrative duties of illegally occupying another country while US troops just go looking for Saddam so Bush can get his trophy without actually doing any work or paying any political price for the fiasco that he started. The fact that he actually expects those other countries to submit to US authority shows balls beyond reckoning.
The UN has a moral obligation to remove Bush from having any authority in Iraq. US troops should be relegated to the mundane, administrative duties and UN forces should only send a few people to go look for Saddam. The US should not be allowed any part in the hunt for Saddam or [Heh] WMDs, because this administration clearly cannot be trusted not to lie and fabricate evidence.
Whatever the UN does, it is absolutely crucial that they assume all authotrity in Iraq and US forces need to be placed under that authority.