I have a radical proposal: de-Baathify the US. Well, actually, it's already begun. The first round came in November 2006. The next round is scheduled for November 2008, and it promises to be much more bloody.
Yes, that's what I'm saying, that Republicans are America's Baathists. The similarities between ruling members of the Republican party and the now purged Iraqi Baathist leaders are really quite stunning once you start listing them:
- Institutionalized cronyism
- Insulated from their own people
- An Orwellian affection for propaganda
- Wealth concentrated in the hands of the few
- Truth and lies interchangeable, as required
- Spying on their own citizens
- Imprisonment without due process
- Sanctioning torture
- A distain for diplomacy
- Trigger happy
But the Republicans are demonstrably America's Baathists. And it's becoming increasingly clear that the majority of Americans are on to them, fed up with their corruption, incompetence, brutality and near-total disregard for the rights, needs and well-being of their own citizens.
But what if we really do de-Baathify America by canning all GOP candidates? Then what, you ask. We'd be stuck with those perennial losers, the Democrats. The wimps who allowed – hell, even aided and abetted – the GOP-Baathist's 8-year reign of murder and malfeasance.
Yep, that's true. But look at it this way: would a wimp have invaded Iraq? Not a chance.
So let the purge begin. Sweep the GOP-Baathists into the trash heap of history where they can join their predecessors; the fascists, communists and Iraqi Baathist leaders. And if the GOP-Baathists really want to catch up with al-Qaeda leaders, they will only have a short wait before the Islamo-fascists land on the same trash heap with them.
Though we did pick up some handy tips during our de-Baathication of Iraq; like the importance weighing a perp in order to calculate how much air to leave beneath his trap door.
Of course we Americans don't hang our deposed/disgraced leaders --- though we occasionally encourage other nations to do so. And, as tempting as it suggest we make an exception in this particular case, I will not.
Instead I will be satisfied to settle for precisely what George W. Bush says he wants -- to let historians settle those accounts. And they will. Because, once we de-Baathify this place historians will no longer have waste their time de-bullshiting the information flow. With GOP-Baathists gone, and along with them their Baghdad-Bobs, like Tony Snow, historians will simply have the unvarnished truth from which to draw their conclusions. And the truth and history will indeed settle those accounts.
Hey, I know how you feel. You've grown to hate the Democrats almost as much as you hate the GOP- Baathists. But put that aside for now. De-Baathify America in November 08 and put the wimps in charge for a while and let them do exactly what the GOP-Baathists keep warning us they will do.
Let “cut and run” liberals cut and run from Iraq. Because, like the Vietnamese did when we cut and ran from their civil war, the Iraqis will sort things out in their own ways. Will it be messy? Duh. But it's messy now.
Once our new wimpish leaders leave Iraq they'll have $10 billion a month more to spend on wimpish things, like fixing our own crumbling bridges, providing hospitals and health care and funding world-class educations for our own children.
But, if we leave Iraq will “the terrorists win" and spread their influence in the Middle East? Maybe. But only the people in that region can – so to speak – de-Baathify their own countries. And they will -- eventually.
Will “the terrorists” attack us here at home?
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