Now you know the real reason the Bush administration doesn't want to reduce US troops levels in Iraq. No, it's not because, as they claim, al-Qaida will turn Iraq into a terrorist base. Hogwash. Neither the Sunnis and Shiites wouldn't allow it. In fact they would join forces to exterminate al-Qaida in Iraq, after which they'd get back to the real work at hand -- killing each other.
That's why Bush doesn't dare reduce US troop levels while he's still in office. Because the day that happens the Sunni militias we are now paying and arming so they won't kill US troops, will get their last US paycheck. The next day they will start making trouble again for their new Shiite rulers. Now well-armed -- by the US -- they will represent a genuine risk to the Shiite-controlled central government.
Thanks to Bush, Iran now has virtual control over the destiny of it's former enemy, Iraq. Imagine if some distant nation attacked and destabilized Canada but then had to withdraw. Who do you think would control the destiny of Canada? The failed invader thousands of miles away? Or the US, just across the border? Likewise Iran has been the net beneficiary of the US invasion of Iraq. And when we leave, and we will leave, Iran will be calling most of the plays.
Iran 'benefiting from war on terror'
The Independent UK -- Iran's influence in the Middle East has been bolstered by America's so-called war on terror, according to a new report...The report, by researchers at think-tank the Royal Institute for International Studies in London - also known as Chatham House - says: "There is little doubt that Iran has been the chief beneficiary of the war on terror in the Middle East.
"The United States, with Coalition support, has eliminated two of Iran's regional rival governments - the Taliban in Afghanistan in November 2001 and Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq in April 2003 - but has failed to replace either with coherent and stable political structures."
The report, called Iran, Its Neighbours And Regional Crises, adds that the recent conflicts between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza and between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have added to that instability. (Full Story)
So there you have it -- the real reasons why the Bush administration won't be making any significant troop withdrawals from Iraq while they are in office. The Bushites know we can't stay much longer, and that when we leave all hell will break loose, and when that happens Iran will step in as the regional super-power-in-charge.
Behind closed doors, the Bushites know it's inevitable -- all of it. But how much better that the chaos they sparked can be held off until it happens on someone else's watch -- preferably a Democrat.
But what if Republican, John McCain wins next November. He's already made clear that there would be no US "defeat" on his watch either, "even if it takes a hundred years."(Good news: 5-years down, only 95-years left to go!)
If avoiding a Republican defeat in Iraq means that a few thousand more US soldiers have to get crippled or killed, well ---as Dick Cheney would say --- "So?"
Stephen Pizzo has been published everywhere from The New York Times to Mother Jones magazine. His book, Inside Job: The Looting of America's Savings and Loans, was nominated for a Pulitzer.
