Sunday, June 12, 2011

IRAQ WAR DELUSIONS CONTINUE

From the AP via the Huffington Post news wire:

U.S. Congressman Suggests That Iraq Pay Back U.S. For War Cost

A U.S. congressman visiting Baghdad Friday suggested that Iraq pay back the United States for the money it has spent in the eight years since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher spoke during a one-day visit by a group of six U.S. congressman. The California Republican said he raised the suggestion during a meeting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that some day when Iraq is a "prosperous" nation it pay back the U.S. for everything that it has done here.

"We would hope that some consideration be given to repaying the United States some of the megadollars we have spent here in the last eight years," Rohrabacher told reporters at the U.S. Embassy after the meeting.


More here.

In a related development, the GOP floated the idea that Native Americans pay for the "reservations" the US magnanimously gave them when Anglo settlers stole what had previously been tribal lands. Also, Republicans began debate on whether African Americans ought to compensate the families of former slave holders for their loss of property after the end of the War of Northern Aggression. And Dow Chemical wondered openly whether Vietnam should compensate the corporation for napalm used there during the war to defoliate jungles and burn civilian women and children.

Is this for real?

The US invaded Iraq on the flimsiest of pretexts back in 2003: it was essentially a war of choice, an invasion against what was already known to be a mostly defenseless nation without weapons of mass destruction. Iraq was left in ruins and chaos, with tens, if not hundreds, of thousands dead. If anything, the US owes the Iraqi people hundreds of billions of dollars, not the other way around. That anybody, anybody, here in the US would even imagine that Iraq owes us money is testament to the deep denial in which war supporters continue to exist.

Just when I think nothing can shock me anymore, something shocks me.

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