Iraq, Five Years Later

I awoke this morning to hear there wouldn't be much celebration in Iraq, commemorating the fall of Saddam Hussein. It's interesting to note, that the report of General Petraeus is taking place in conjunction with this anniversary. He tells us the surge has accomplished much. So much, that we are back to where we were before the troop surge last year . . . The Iraqi government is still not ready to take care of themselves or even with $100 billion dollars worth of oil revenue, finance their own progress, and we're buying the gasoline at market price, to put in the tankers and HumV's over there. We knew when we overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein, there really wasn't any viable current charges to bring against him and depose him, but we did it, anyway. And as they celebrated in Baghdad and asked for TVs and satellite dishes, now where are they? Iraq used to have an amazing education system. Now there are children in Iraq that haven't been in school for nearly 5 years. And the American children that are in school will pay this war debt for all their working years.
What has been accomplished?
Oh, I know, the surge has made an impact. There is no alQaida south of Baghdad. Are there still any Americans ignorant enough to think that Saddam Hussein would have tolerated any alQaida throughout any of his Iraq?
We've fixed nothing that we hadn't already destroyed and unfortunately Iraq is in no better shape than it was before the American invasion and occupation. I know, first hand, if Americans were expecting something out of me in March of '03, they'd have gotten absolutely belligerently ugly if I had yet to accomplish my mission. And G~D forbid, any of us cost any capitalist what Iraq has cost. Funny, American capitalists begrudge an American in need for 5 years, yet the conservatives continue to fund a non-productive Iraqi government that is totally unaccountable to those that are fighting and funding this accommodating, indulgent occupation.
He that . . . meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears. a Proverb of Holy Scripture