The 'Axis of Evil' Problem

The problem with identifying an 'Axis of Evil' that must be confronted is that, well, people start keeping score.

Axis of Evil:

• Iran - Rising Regional Hegemon with a Nuclear Weapons Program. Untouchable due to Iran's agreements with China and Russia plus economic risks of Oil Embargo. Outlook: A nation that has publicly funded rallies where 'Death to America, Death to Israel' is chanted by thousands of people will soon have the bomb and there's nothing we can do about it. Score: +1
  

• North Korea - Newest member of the Nuclear Nations club. Defied world opinion and detonated a nuclear weapon in an underground test despite best efforts of U.S. at six way talks. Has long range missiles. Makes neighbors (China, South Korea, Japan) REALLY nervous. Outlook: Sanctions would do no good because the leadership doesn't care if millions die and illicit arms trade brings in millions. Score: +2
  

• Iraq - The disastrous War in Iraq is what makes confronting the other two members of the Axis of Evil nearly impossible. Shiite Militias, Insurgents, Sunnis, Kurds... all tying down the majority of American Military power at a time when it might be best used elsewhere. Outlook: The Civil War nobody's talking about. Score: 0
  

• Afghanistan (Honorary Member) - Slowly drifting back towards chaos. Central government in Kabul not able to prevent terrorist activities in outlying areas. NATO facing stiff resistance in areas already 'controlled.' Outlook: At the tipping point. As likely to be terrorist haven as democracy in 24 months. Score: +0.5
  

USA / Free World / Other

• U.S.A. - Military power stretched to breaking. Unable to threaten meaningful military against Iran or North Korea. Strongly disliked by both foreign governments and foreign populations. Facing political upheaval at home. Outlook: Well, that's the question, isn't it? Score: -2
  

• Coalition of the Willing - Slowly dwindling. 2006 saw the withdrawal of Canadian, Italian, and Japanese troops. 2005 saw the withdrawal of Portuguese, Dutch, Ukrainian and Bulgarian forces. Outlook: At this point only the UK, Poland, Australia, Romania, and Denmark, have over 500 troops on the ground. Score: -1
  

• Other - Hugo Chavez thinks we're the devil. Everybody else just thinks we're imperialistic, war mongering hypocrites talking about freedom and democracy while torturing prisoners, bringing war and death to millions around the world, to busy ignoring the U.N. and the world community to realize that we've squandered our standing in the world. Outlook: We will never be as respected as we were before George W. Bush became President. Score: -1
  

Damn. That's pretty one-sided. And the GOP wants to run on National Security? I guess having the media in your pocket helps.

For all the reports in the MSM about how GOoPers are screaming about how terrible it would be to have Democrats running our Foreign Policy, I'd like to see one, just one examination of where six years of Republican Foreign Policy has gotten us.

Iran Iraq North Korea Axis of Evil Republican Foreign Policy Media

The $20 Million Republicans Didn't Spend

Via the New York Times:

Tucked away in fine print in the military spending bill for this past year was a lump sum of $20 million to pay for a celebration in the nation's capital "for commemoration of success" in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The money hasn't been spent. I'm not sure if that surprises me or not.

The $20 million has been rolled over into the 2007 budget.

The original legislation empowered the president to designate "a day of celebration" to commemorate the success of the armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, and to "issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities."

One would think (if one thinks) that it might be best to make a plan about how to get to victory before one starts planning the victory parade. Something tells me FDR wasn't planning for V-J day when Douglas MacArthur was being rushed out of the Philippines on a PT boat...

War in Iraq War in Afghanistan Republicans

The MSM Missed This...

The AP via MSNBC.com:

U.S. fatalities in war exceed those from Sept. 11
Military deaths in Iraq, Afghanistan reach 2,974

Updated: 10:44 p.m. ET Sept. 22, 2006

WASHINGTON - Now the death toll is 9/11 times two.

U.S. military deaths from Iraq and Afghanistan now surpass those of the most devastating terrorist attack in America’s history, the trigger for what came next.

The latest milestone for a country at war came Friday without commemoration. It came without the precision of knowing who was the 2,974th to die in conflict. The terrorist attacks killed 2,973 victims in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

An Associated Press count of the U.S. death toll in Iraq rose to 2,696. Combined with 278 U.S. deaths in and around Afghanistan, the 9/11 toll was reached, then topped, the same day. The Pentagon reported Friday the latest death from Iraq, an as-yet unidentified soldier killed a day earlier after his vehicle was hit by a roadside bombing in eastern Baghdad.

And we're no safer than we were on September 10th, 2001. In fact we're in less safe. Grand.

War in Iraq War in Afghanistan War on Terror September 11th

Juxtaposition

Today's Washington Post covers both what Republicans want you to think because it's untrue and what Republicans don't want you to think because it is true.

First, the falsities the Right Wing desperately wants you to internalize, covered in Ruth Marcus' column:

Does it matter that ABC invented and distorted history in its "warning: this is not a documentary" docudrama, "The Path to 9/11"? After all, the first night of the faux drama was trounced by the brother-against-brother actual drama of "Sunday Night Football."

But consider: The gripping final report of the Sept. 11 commission (budget: $13.5 million) became a surprise bestseller at 1.5 million copies. The not-so-gripping, not-so-accurate ABC production (budget: $40 million) was seen by about 13 million viewers on the first night.

Ms. Marcus goes on to outline some of the more blatant inaccuracies, both what's included and excluded, pointing out that one of the foremost experts on the Clinton Administration's counter-terrorism efforts, Richard Clarke, now works for ABC.

So the Right Wing is attempting, through their media proxies, to falsify Clinton's anti-terrorism efforts. Nobody's pointing out that all the shock around the whole "Path to 9/11" thing is that ABC went along with it, not that various 'Wingers are trying to slander a former President.

The other thing nobody's pointing out is that the current President's counter terrorism efforts have garnered this:

BAGHDAD, Sept. 13--Nearly 100 people were killed or found dead in a series of bloody incidents throughout the Iraqi capital over the past 24 hours, authorities said.

At least 62 unidentified bullet-riddled corpses--all bearing signs of torture--have been found throughout the city since last night, said Brig. Gen. Abdullah Mahmood of the Interior Ministry.

Some of the bodies had been beheaded. Attacks on police patrols killed an additional 27 people this morning, officials said.

Oh, and the military announced that two more Americans have been killed too. That brings the total to 2672 killed and 19910 wounded. As of July 18, the U.N. puts the number of dead Iraqis at 14,000 for the first half of 2006 alone.

And Osama bin Laden is still. not. captured.

We have the luxury of having the truth bear out the failures of the Republican's Global War on Terror^tm. We are NOT safer. The war in Iraq has allowed Afghanistan to drift slowly back towards Taliban control. Iraq is drifting quickly towards a civil war. Iran is building nukes. North Korea already has a bunch. The Islamic world is watching the violence and, rightly or wrongly, becoming ever more radicalized. Leaders, even pro-U.S. leaders, are forced to make concessions.

And, lest we forget, the U.S. government can listen in on your call to Aunt Maria in Italy without a warrant, hold U.S. citizens without charge or access to counsel, hold indefinitely any person they declare to be an 'enemy combatant' and torture people because it gives certain people in certain places a hard on.

Where is our response to "Path to 9/11"? We don't even need to lie! Why no docu-drama depicting the myriad of failures that the Republicans President and his Republican rubber-stamp congress have caused, to the shame of every American?

And then there are the disasters at home. I posit "Path to Katrina" as a possible response. We can even use actual footage of Bush ignoring warnings, then claiming nobody ever warned him...

War in Iraq War in Afghanistan War on Terror Path to 9/11 Terrorism Lost Freedoms Democrats Republicans