It’s quite amazing how people can get up in public and say certain things with a straight face. Don’t they have people who tell them how ridiculous they sound? At the very least you’d think they would try not to make contradictory statements within a couple of years of each other. Are they so cynical they believe that no one will remember what they said and compare it to what they are saying now?
Statement number 1. Iraq and Saddam Hussein are a viper’s nest of terrorism. He gives aid and comfort to the people who bomb our cities and kill our people.
Statement number 2. The Spanish are cowards because they let a bunch of terrorists scare them out of Iraq.
Statement number 3. The bombings of London have nothing to do with the British presence in Iraq.
What was that old Sesame Street game? One of these things is not like the others, one of these things doesn’t belong? Something like that anyway. Which one of the above statements doesn’t add up? You say number three? We’ve got a winner.
For how many years have we heard on an almost daily basis that the centre of terrorism is Iraq? That became, when all other excuses ran dry, the one reason to justify the invasion that’s been held on to tenaciously. To this day it continues to be the mantra for the continued occupation.
Until the region is pacified and all terrorist threats are eliminated, the coalition forces will remain in place. That’s the most specific answer you're liable to get from anyone official when asked for a potential withdrawal date. Maybe we need to consider Tony Blair’s statement that the London attacks had nothing to do with British presence in Iraq within that context.
When terrorists attacked a night club in Indonesia packed with Australians, it was called retaliation for Australia’s support of George Bush’s stand on Iraq. When Madrid was bombed and a newly elected Spanish government went along with the will of the people and withdrew from the coalition, they were accused of caving in to terrorists - implying that the attacks were motivated by Spain’s presence in Iraq.
Article comments
1 - 1Potato
First of all, no one wants a President or Prime Minister who always says the full and complete truth publicly during a war, like some Forrest Gump.
As for denying the bombing was "caused" by the war in Iraq:
1) Many terrorist acts have been blamed on the Israel and Palestian conflict, America, Jews, Iraq, etc. Even conflicts in far off contries with no ties to Israel or the Palenstinian territories. So, yes, sometimes they lie. It's called propaganda. They want their cause linked to other causes to strengthen their position. In this case they want to slowly topple the infidel civilization and pave the way for Mulsim conquest, but they will use Iraq and Israel and anything else to justify it.
2) Even if the Iraq war is part of the justification of the terrorist (and no one knows what they were thinking, correct?), the last thing an effective leader would do is blame his own country and its government instead of the terrorists. "It's our fault". Like I said, forrest gump. If those scumbags don't like England's foreign policy, there is a solution - it's called voting. They can also protest. But why should Blair advertise for the terrorists? "I know they are dead, but let me help them get their message out..." Forrest Gump.
I have a funny feeling you attend, or attended, a university whose professors enjoy jamming their liberal ideology down their students throats. Ya think?
Potato
2 - Bill B
Spin and lie, spin and lie. It's what so many politicians do best.
It would seem to me that a simple "we don't know" would be closer to the truth and more honorable, although I'm leaning toward your conclusion.
It makes me think of that flick with Jack Nicholson. The title escapes me now but the applicable quote would be
"You can't handle the truth!"
We can handle it, and stop using that self serving, patronizing logic to justify your lying!
Actions and even perceptions can have consequences. Regardless of whether something is justified or not it seems when something bad happens to us its as if it just came out of nowhere.
Off we go into spin mode. One of my faves is "they hate our freedom". Excuse me but the truth has nothing to do with our freedom but you have to admit it is rather catchy.
You make some good points though I think (hope) you're jumping the gun with the Iran - Syria theory.
3 - Shark
I guarantee Bush and Blair are trying to figure out how they can get the hell out of Iraq as fast as possible. It's turned into a civil war -- and the flowers and kisses scenario has evaporated faster than a suicide bomber under a gas tanker.
Expect the '*exit criteria' to start changing as fast as the 'invade criteria' did over the last two years.
Ironic, that.
* "We'll bring our troops home when... um... the Iraqis can... um... provide their own... um... start changing their own tires. Yeah, that's it!" --- GEORGE BUSH in a future speech to the American people