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The Central Library played host last night to a host of concerned citizens and Thomas E. Ricks, author of the best-selling Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq.
They put Ricks in the big auditorium for good reason. Fiasco was a #1 New York Times best-seller, finalist for the Pulitzer, winner of the Gelber Prize, etc., etc. Plus it plays to the liberal instincts of Seattle's finest. The room was crammed full of business suits and mohawks and 'Impeach Bush' stickers.
Ricks spoke for about fifteen minutes before opening the floor up to questions. The bottom line: The surge is not working according to the definition of success laid out by the President in January. There has been some limited tactical improvement, but the original goal was strategic, to provide a political breathing space for the coalition government to coalesce. The coalition government that is now falling apart.
Ricks asked almost as many questions as the audience members. Will the 21 Republican Senators up for re-election next year break ranks and give Democrats a veto-override majority on Iraq? Will Democrats force withdrawal? How long will we be in Iraq? What is our moral obligation? Fisk didn't have many answers. On the contrary, there are no good answers left. Any course of action we choose will result in a bloodbath.
Among Ricks' choicer quotes: "General Petraeus will be applying a heavy coat of lipstick to a rather large pig". "You can't walk out in the middle of a horror movie and think that the movie has ended." "Think of Iraq as a 5-act Shakespeare play. We're only in the third act. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are still alive, and one of them is the President of Iraq." "You can't build the Kingdom of Heaven with the Devil's tools". "It's as if the nation just woke up from a five-year drunk with a massive hangover". So many bon mots - so depressing.
At least, said the person sitting next to us, we know we've got someone intelligent covering the situation. True enough. If you want to be informed and depressed, pick up the new paperback release of Fiasco, with added bad news to bring it up to date.
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Just think, we would not be in Iraq if not for the attack of 9/11/2001.
On 9/11/2001 Richard Cheney was in charge of NORAD and on his watch three buildings got hit with aircraft. (whats up with that?)
Fact, more than half an hour elapsed between the second hit to the WTC and the hit to the PENTAGON.
Just exactly what was Mr.Cheney doing at the time?