We Soldiers Once Assumed Our Political Bosses Would Not Lie to Us. That is Over.

[babylonsister]

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/05/06/1009/

We Soldiers Once Assumed Our Political Bosses Would Not Lie to Us. That is Over.
We realized the actual issue was about long-term access to oil
by Leo Docherty

Four years ago, I watched, with other young officers, the invasion of Iraq on TV in the mess. We were sick with envy. Our brother officers were having the most exciting time of their lives, at the center of history, while we, on ceremonial duties in London, marched about in red tunics and bearskin hats.

The invasion, it seemed, was a necessary evil to be redeemed by the creation of a free, democratic Iraq. The WMD issue was a pretext, we all concurred, an honorable white lie to knock an evil dictator off his perch and breathe new hope into the lives of a brutally repressed people.

Our turn soon came, and the ground truth in Basra and Maysan provinces was a shock. The statue-toppling euphoria had been replaced by the horrific chaos of a state in collapse, exacerbated by a rising insurgency and sectarian bloodshed. The truth gradually emerged. The police and army we were training were corrupt and probably loyal to the insurgency. The first supposedly democratic elections for half a century were a façade, dependent on the presence of our Warrior fighting vehicles at polling stations.

Then we realized the issue was not replacing tyranny with democracy, but gaining long-term access to oil. Blair, in bowing to American oil-mad energy hunger, had deployed the British Army on a lie, a much bigger lie than the one about WMDs. Today, the appalling sectarian violence killing hundreds of Iraqi civilians every week is the direct result of our invasion and botched occupation. As Blair prepares to leave office, Iraq is descending into deeper human tragedy, and British troops are still dying.

more...

[MrModerate]

1. He didn't expect his political bosses to lie?

Which planet had he been living on?

[deutsey]

2. That's what I thought, too.

:shrug:

[northzax]

3. not the brightest bulb in the lamp, is he?

US political bosses and senior brass have been lying to the grunts since at least Valley Forge (can't you see Washington giving a speech to those poor saps? "No really, guys, we have them on the ropes. we are totally winning. I know it's cold, and we're out of food, and wood, and socks, and half of you have typhus and are starving to death, but really, things are going great! We totally have a plan, and we are totally winning!"

come on. Saint Crispin's Day? the entire point of having a military is to have people you can lie to who can't bitch about it.

[babylonsister]

4. I was that naive once, too. I'm glad he wised up. nt

[Demeter]

9. Watergate Was the Wakeup Call For Me

I was 18 and ready to vote--what an education!

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

5. The light bulb goes on in another head - cause for celebration

Don't dog people for what they didn't know and couldn't understand at the time.

It doesn't help the cause of turning this country around or healing the divisions among us.

Anybody that can honestly change their minds and join us should be welcome.

The only scorn I have is for the power elites when they change teams to save their own skins.

[liberal N proud]

6. "most exciting time of their lives"; WTF?

These guys get off on death and destruction of other nations.

[kimmylavin]

8. I remember watching...

I remember watching Fahrenheit 9/11, and one of the scenes that particularly got me was of the soldiers listening to music while shooting. Seemed like a video game. I was just horrified.

[bemildred]

7. Governments lie? Damn! Who knew?

Next up: "Public servants don't serve the public."
:rofl::rofl: