Quote of the day
posted at 10:30 pm on June 3, 2007 by Allahpundit
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“Caught in the middle of the civil war are the Americans. To Iraq’s factions, they are the weakest of all the armed groups in one crucial respect: their will is ebbing and their time here is limited. That leaves Iraqis more motivated than ever to cling to their weapons, preparing for what many see as an inevitable plunge into the abyss…
The belief of the Shiites that they must consolidate power through force of arms is tethered to ever-present suspicions of an impending betrayal by the Americans. Though the Americans have helped institute the representative system of government that the Shiites now dominate, they have failed to eliminate memories of how the first President Bush allowed Saddam Hussein to slaughter rebelling Shiites in 1991. Shiite leaders are all too aware, as well, of America’s hostility toward Iran, the seat of Shiite power, and of its close alliances with Sunni Arab nations, especially Saudi Arabia…
Looking back on all I have seen of this war, it now seems that the Iraqis have been driving all along for the decisive victory, the act of sahel, the day the bodies will be dragged through the streets.”
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Uh, yeah.
SuperManGreenLantern on June 3, 2007 at 10:51 PM
Perhaps this can help.
They need a dictator.
They don’t understand what democracy, what freedom is…… sigh……
I’m going back to being a nerf herder.
Kini on June 3, 2007 at 10:52 PM
How sad. After all we’ve fought for, they still don’t get this “democracy” thing. Seems we all said so over a year ago on this very blog. People who have been subjected to a dictatorship for as many years at the Iraqi’s have no sense of self-government. They want a strong-man to come in and resolve their problems. That’s all they’ve ever known, and the only thing they understand. Are they lazy or just incompetent?
thedecider on June 3, 2007 at 11:21 PM
Can we have a Paris Hilton thread here instead?
Sigh…
wccawa on June 3, 2007 at 11:21 PM
Why, she didn’t learn her lesson either.
Kini on June 3, 2007 at 11:27 PM
Suprise!! The Shiites hate the Sunni, the Sunni hate the Shiites, because they are not the “true Islam”, and they all hate the Kafur, not mater what we do for them. Wilsonian nation (re)building will do no good in the Muslim nation-states. It is not possible to befriend a people who will want to convert or kill you for reasons that have nothing to do with how you treat them or how you present yourself.
P. James Moriarty on June 3, 2007 at 11:49 PM
The sheikh is right, we don’t have the will to eradicate those that require it and in the way that demands it. Our ‘civilized’ approach will mean the deaths of thousands, maybe millions. We don’t have it in us to fight this war the way it needs to be fought to win. We are going to betray Iraq again.
Jeffersonian on June 4, 2007 at 12:31 AM
It appears that the media also want “the act of sahel” so they can blame it on Bush 43 and 41, and on America. It’s not going to happen, much to the media’s dismay.
I saw this book’s review on C-Span today – it was incredible and put in historical perspective. Learned much.
Entelechy on June 4, 2007 at 12:40 AM
EEWWWWW….. I hope that act of sahel doesn’t catch on around here. Just think what it would do to the Funeral Parlor Industry, not to mention the insurance adjustments. Mr.Mo will the deceased require a hearse or will you be dragging him behind your car?
sonnyspats1 on June 4, 2007 at 1:21 AM
MARSHAL LAW MR.BUSH!
sonnyspats1 on June 4, 2007 at 1:22 AM
That implies they were Western liberal democrats or something pre-dictatorship.
Nice. No, what they are is human. We’re the freaks. Our civilization of liberty under law is rare and fragile and took centuries to develop.
Centuries of largely tribal segregation, which is the main lesson of this article–multiculturalism (ie putting tribe over a shared sense of citizenship) kills. It’s normal to want your tribe to prosper and the others to fall. To build a society that cultivates the more universally-empathic worldview that we take for granted takes centuries and anyway we don’t know how to recreate such a phenomenon in a controlled setting.
Alex K on June 4, 2007 at 1:31 AM
At first this statement seemed stupid to me. Then I remembered the anti-war rhetoric of the Democrat-lead legislative branch, non-governmental Leftist pundits, et al, and the statement made far more sense.
From all of the above, why wouldn’t they think that we would bail out on them?
baldilocks on June 4, 2007 at 3:48 AM
Just to help a ‘brutha’ out, it’s martial law.
baldilocks on June 4, 2007 at 3:49 AM
Hmmmm doesn’t explain the bodies being dragged thru the streets from Somalia to Afghanistan though. Or the fact that unless an Islamic nation is ruled with an iron fist political and personal power comes out of the barrel of an AK47.
As for the Shi’a not trusting us because of Bush 41, wouldn’t surprise me either. Remember, these people fight long bloody wars based on fairly minor incidents more than a 1000 years ago.
Buzzy on June 4, 2007 at 8:15 AM
I know this is waaay off topic but, you know, no forum, so…
is Hot Air done with daily videos?
Coronagold on June 4, 2007 at 8:19 AM
The Vent is on the left side rather than the top of page. See Hot Air Video.
Buck Turgidson on June 4, 2007 at 8:31 AM
I like the Tekken series too, but I don’t really see how that’s gonna help the Iraq situation.
Bad Candy on June 4, 2007 at 8:42 AM
OH ok Martial Martial Martial Its always Martial.
sonnyspats1 on June 4, 2007 at 9:08 AM
We’re starting to sound like defeatists in here. Meanwhile, the progress in Iraq and Afghanistan marches on, step by baby step.
wccawa, “Paris Hilton: The Prison Life” Now THAT’S a reality show I’d watch!
Tony737 on June 4, 2007 at 9:24 AM
There hasn’t been a The Vent since May 25. I miss them.
Privatestock on June 4, 2007 at 9:46 AM
May 31 actually,
http://hotair.com/archives/2007/05/31/video-new-vent-thanks-for-the-memories-cindy/
Bad Candy on June 4, 2007 at 10:26 AM
I missed that one because it’s not included in The Vault. It’s on IFilm so I can’t view it here at work. I stand corrected if it’s a HotAir production. In any case, the daily Vent was great and I hope we start seeing them again.
Privatestock on June 4, 2007 at 10:44 AM
“I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.”
Tim Burton on June 4, 2007 at 2:48 PM
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