Lose-Lose

Grab your coat, and get your hat,
Leave your worries on the doorstep
Life can be so sweet
On the sunny side of the street
--Louis Armstrong

I must be crazy to be in a loony bin like this
--McMurphy, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
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A recent WaPo article suggests that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office is sabotaging efforts to combat violent Shiite militias in Iraq by firing Army and police commanders, many of whom are Sunni ("Maliki's Office Is Seen Behind Purge in Forces.")

"Their only crimes or offenses were they were successful" against the Mahdi Army, a powerful Shiite militia, said Brig. Gen. Dana J.H. Pittard, commanding general of the Iraq Assistance Group, which works with Iraqi security forces.

" (P)olitics remains among the greatest hindrances to the development of the Iraqi security forces. . . Col. Ehrich Rose. . .said the Iraqi officer corps is riddled with divergent loyalties to different sects, tribes and political groups."

"The Iraqi army, as far as capability goes, I'd stack them up against just about any Latin American army I've dealt with," [Rose] said. "However, the politicization of their officer corps is the worst I've ever seen."

There's always a bright point. Imagine. . .the Iraqi Army will compare to any in Latin America. I feel the spirit of Ollie North coming on.

Possibly the U.S. could use them to invade Venezuela, thereby furthering the introduction of democracy into other oil-rich environments. The added bonus is they (whoever they are) won't follow us here to America, but will be bled off into a more southerly direction. A purely win-win scenario.

Reading articles like this makes one think of Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." The entire country of Iraq is in a psychotic state, and it was led there by none other than our boy, GWB.

This is the only time GWB has led from the front.