About the only improvement over Saddam Hussein, is that there is no dictator enforcing arbitrary power. Instead, there are warring factions, a caretaker government because of the dissension, bombings–more Iraqis are being killed now, than were killed by, or under Saddam Hussein–corruption and war-profiteering, and still less than half the services, like electricity and water, available during Saddam's despotic rule. The US destroyed Iraq's utilities in the first phase of the war but it never adequately rebuilt them.

American servicemen and women served extraordinarily well, given the awful conditions. But we should also remember: Americans were ordered to kill civilians, encouraged to humiliate and torture Iraqi prisoners, and did both.

I was struck by the TV commentariat's treatment of President Obama's speech, either deriding his remarks on the economic effects of the war, or completely ignoring them. Yet we have squandered almost a trillion dollars, lost 4,400 American lives, ruined the lives of 100,000's more through injuries, especially psychological ones, killed 100,000's of Iraqis, displaced millions–and what have we bought for all this?

The American oil companies are in a minority among the firms who won contracts to “service” Iraqi oil fields, so Americans didn't even get the oil. We didn't create a functioning democracy; we didn't create a prosperous, safe Iraq. There is also no guarantee that the Iraqi government will be our friend. The political consequence of America's temporary dominance is the empowerment of the Shiite majority, but its leaders are very closely tied to our greatest competitor in the Mideast: Iran.

Further, in Iraq, majority rule does not mean democracy: it could mean majority tyranny. Iraq's leaders don't seem to understand that a minority should participate, and have rights. They didn't learn politics from Americans; they learned from the Baath Party, which dominated on behalf of the Sunnis, the minority favored by Saddam and Iraqi governments before him. The US invasion enabled a revolution favoring Iran's mullahs.

Obama restated his commitment to the Afghan war, but our effect upon Afghanistan, may be even worse than in Iraq. Afghanistan's government is more corrupt and dysfunctional; we can't avoid civilian casualties and resulting anger. We drive Afghans into the arms of the Taliban and strengthen al Qaeda–no matter how many leaders we kill with drones. Al Qaeda has already spread to Pakistan, a nuclear state, as well as Somalia and Yemen. US popular anger at all Muslims (expressed in the “ground zero mosque” controversy) will simply strengthen both even further.

Just like rounding up Japanese Americans in 1942, America will have to live with killing a half million Iraqis on its conscience forever. It just seems as though half of Americans have no conscience anymore. Their catharsis never completed.

What The Fuck Are These Words Supposed To Mean?

That Americans are Really Horrible People?

Are These Four Words Designed For Americans?

Did You See What Your American and Our British Soldiers

Actually Did?

Would Not “”Accepting Defeat in Iraq”"

Mean That Americans Had Actually Won

Or Could Ever Win?

What Exactly Are Americans Trying To Win?

The Most EVIL Country In The World?

FFS – You Win That Every Year

Your Only Serious Competetion is Isreal

And The Rest Of The World Looks on at The USA and Israel

In Disgust

What Prize Exactly Do You Want?

CUNTS OF THE WORLD?

Tony