Reactions

Just went over to Baghdad Burning to see Riverbend's latest post--as I expected, she wrote about the killing of the wounded Iraqi at a Fallujah mosque.

Not surprisingly, she takes a negative view. And, let's face it: there's not a whole lot you can say in a positive light after seeing the video. Unless you're Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh--or one of their worshippers at sites I won't even bother to link to (although here's a post from My Due Diligence that'll give you a small sample).

The problem, of course, with the wingnut perspective, is that no one IN Iraq really gives a shit what they think. Hell, even Allawi, compliant puppet that he is, expressed "concern," not that he's in any position to do anything (which kind of undercuts his position as "leader" of a "sovereign nation"). No, what the wingnuts have forgotten--or never learned in the first place--is that if you intend to "liberate" a country, it's a good idea to establish some rapport, and generate some support, from the liberatees. Killing them pretty much makes it clear that "liberation" was never really the goal.

But the wingnuts will toss excuses like a monkey flinging feces from a zoo cage.

Now, as I noted below, I don't excuse or condone the Marine's actions; however, combat has a way of bringing out the worst in humans (duh--combat implies a complete breakdown of the social order). The true criminals are still the people who ordered the invasion, and who continue to conjure up ever more implausible justifications for the war as each rationale gets shredded like so much office waste. No WMD's. No ties to 9/11. No ties to bin Laden or Al Qaeda. The number of people killed is beginning to rival the number of victims during Saddam's reign. And now Iraqis have witnessed the cold blooded murder of one of their own. Is it any wonder why they don't support the occupation?

That said, what I find even more disturbing is the reaction of the Sean Hannity's and Rush Limbaugh's of the world. Once again, they display a remarkable degree of ignorance, doing their best to convince their wingnut fellow travelers that all is OK. Earth to 'nuts: the people you need to convince are in IRAQ. Good luck, suckers.