Bury Me Broken

No Rebuild - No Democracy in Iraq

On the eve of Bush's SOTU, newspapers are pushing edgier headlines and leads that have Bush down but far from out of it, reminiscent of LL Cool J: "don't call it a comeback, I been here for years."

I got a question though and will somebody explain it to me like I'm a four year old. How are we suppose to be "helping" to bring about a democracy when:

Iraq's water supply, electrical capacity and oil production -- three primary targets of reconstruction -- are functioning below prewar standards...

WaPo:

The U.S. official who oversees reconstruction spending in Iraq has called for money beyond $18.4 billion originally earmarked, saying postwar funds will be exhausted by the end of 2006 with many projects likely to be unfinished.

Now the war on terror makes the renewal of the provisions of the Patriot Act set to expire vital as well as the eavesdropping program necessary. The central front in the war on terror is Iraq.

So, how are we s'possed to win this war on terror and establish this model democracy in the Middle East when we are unwilling to publicly pledge funds for the continuing of the rebuilding of Iraq?

Then I remembered what I had read over at Body and Soul:

A new audit of American financial practices in Iraq has uncovered irregularities including millions of reconstruction dollars stuffed casually into footlockers and filing cabinets, an American soldier in the Philippines who gambled away cash belonging to Iraq, and three Iraqis who plunged to their deaths in a rebuilt hospital elevator that had been improperly certified as safe.

And searching for "Iraq rebuild" news, I came across a number of articles from the beginning of the month about how we were pulling out.

From the Pakistan Daily Times Monitor:

In language mirroring the planned reduction of troops, US officials in Baghdad have begun talking of "drawdown", "transition" and the "wind-down" of American reconstruction projects, the British newspaper reports. Instead they plan to focus on building up the Iraqi government's capacity to manage its own affairs.

From theTelegraph:

US officials say that when the money runs out it will be up to foreign donors and the new Iraqi government to carry out the work that still needs to be done.

You know, those foreign donors that were with us since the start of the war, that international coalition of the willing spurred on by our recovering the weapons of mass destruction and saving the world from

That paper also quotes Bush from his August 2003 speech after the capture of Saddam Hussein:

He said: "In a lot of places the infrastructure is as good as it was at pre-war levels, which is satisfactory, but it is not the ultimate aim. The ultimate aim is for the infrastructure to be the best in the region."

If we can't rebuild Iraq, we don't have a leg to stand on. For anyone who hasn't had their Wheaties since yesterday, get a mixing bowl's worth and use whole milk. Zarqawi is putting out tapes like a NY dj on the underground circuit and the threat level ain't gone nowhere because why?

This administration has not a leg to stand on but that means nothing sitting in my air conditioned townhouse, about to take a hot shower before work and fill up my rental car.

posted by niteskolar @ 8:28 AM