Volume II. No. 48
 05-23-04
 America's Best Friend In Iraq?
 author: Vance Cureton
 © Copyright 2004
 

 This has just been another hapless week in the trails and tribulations of the
 "can't seem to do anything right, lately..." Bush administration. More 
 embarassing Abu Ghraib photographs have leaked out. The Washington Post 
 even has a video posted on their website. A video containing startling images 
 of prisoner abuse perpetrated by some of the same unsavory characters that 
 are already known to the American public.

 The only positive development was the apparent arrest of four men who were
 allegedly involved in the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Nicholas Berg.
 One of these men is thought to be a relative of Saddam Hussein. More details
 are sure to be released at a later date.

 But, back to the bad news. 

 One of the most arrogant, pretentious, and insufferable of Iraqi mouthpieces 
 since "Baghdad Bob," had his residence raided. Ahmed Chalabi finally got 
 what was coming to him. He's been outed as a spy! -- Well maybe not. But 
 Chalabi clearly has lost favor with the White House. And the shame of it all, 
 is that the Bush administration was so long in realizing that Chalabi was, is, 
 and will forever be a fraud.

 Ahmed Chalabi stank of insincerity long before he was returned from exile to
 Iraq. { at U.S. taxpayer expense }  Now there are rumors floating around that 
 this man who insists he is America's "best friend in Iraq" was playing the 
 Bush administration. He's been involved in secret communications with Iran 
 for some time. And was double-dealing this way, while acting the role of 
 a valuable top-level operative in Iraq who could gather intelligence for the 
 Pentagon. -- What a joke.

 Chalabi has been of use to no one but himself. The intelligence he provided
 has been described as useless, if not, intentionally misleading. And now he 
 arrogantly demands { after his double-dealing come to light } that the occupation 
 end immediately. And that sovereignity be returned to the Iraqi people. Instead, 
 there needs to be an immediate investigation as to what has happened to the 
 forty-million dollars that this pretender and his organization { the Iraqi National 
 Congress } has fleeced from the U.S. Treasury. Hint: nary a dime of that 
 money is ever going to be seen, again.

 Ahmad Chalabi is but the latest disaster connected to Bush's ill-fated war. 
 Yet, another military airstrike has resulted in numerous civilian casualties. 
 The strike that killed a claimed 40 civilians occurred at a small village near the 
 Syrian border. What is it about Iraqi wedding parties that keeps getting our
 pilots in trouble? If the Iraqis are, in fact, playing the military for fools. They 
 are doing a damn purposeful job of it. Are these many civilians - including 
 women and small children - really willing to sacrifice themselves to protect 
 insurgents, many of whom are not even Iraqi? Isn't it time our commanders 
 in the field learn to see this kind of thing coming? Isn't that what all that 
 expensive surveillance technology is for?

 The Iraqis are cowards who hide in hospitals, school buildings, inside 
 mosques, and behind the skirts of women. But the news of tragic "mistakes" 
 such as the one described above, only serves to blacken the reputation of 
 our military across the entire Middle East. And further damages our overall 
 credibility with the Arab public. Which is at about 0% right now.

 Iraq is not Vietnam. But the similarities are becoming ever harder to ignore.
 

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