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Sunday, April 20, 2003 |
Eight Questions About the War
Slate has a great piece detailing 8 puzzles about the war, as questions for General Franks. Basically the come down to "what happened." Here's the first question:
What did happen between the first and second week of the war? On March 27, Gen. William Wallace, commander of U.S. Army forces in the Persian Gulf, was telling reporters, "The enemy we're fighting is a bit different from the one we war-gamed against because of these paramilitary forces." On the 29th, an unnamed officer told the Washington Post that the war would last through the summer. On the 30th, Gen. Myers said the assault on Baghdad would have to await the arrival of reinforcements. Then, suddenly, on April 1, U.S. troops were on the outskirts of Baghdad. Two days later, they were occupying the airport. Next day, they were inside the capital. What happened? Did the Fedayeen simply stop attacking the supply lines? Why? When a few U.S. battalions broke away on "seek and destroy" missions in Nasiriyah and Najif, going door to door and block to block, did they kill all the Fedayeen guerrillas who were taking refuge in those cities? And was that all the guerrillas there were? Did that finish off the threat?
I read a piece from an Arab source the other day, didn't blog it, that suggested there was some sort of secret agreement between the US and leaders of the Iraqi administration that made Baghdad such a cakewalk (compared to Basra). You do have to wonder, and this piece sums up the questions nicely. Given the historic openness of the Pentagon and the Bush administration, it's unlikely anyone will get to ask these question directly (or get answers to them).
7:16:59 PM Permalink
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Debunking the Beaver:. "...(N)ostalgia buffs should look a little more closely before embracing the Cleavers as the ideal family they never had (and can't hope to duplicate) because, when you penetrate the idyllic surface, it's hard to imagine anyone really wanting to be like Ward, June and the boys. A close inspection reveals a familial purgatory worthy of Tennessee Williams--toned down for TV, certainly, but still consumed with rage, sexual turmoil and plain old mendacity. This family needs help." [Follow Me Here...]
The article's quite a disappointment. The author doesn't understand that when you're satirizing something, like pseudo-intellectual, politically-correct, too-serious exposes of popular culture, that you have to push the boundaries a little. Instead of poking fun at this sort of thing (as he must be doing, there's no way this can be serious), it is just leaden and self-important. A good opportunity missed.
10:35:05 AM Permalink
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© Copyright 2004 Steve Michel.
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