Chomsky on the occupation.

"Typically, military occupations are quite successful, even by the most horrendous conquerors. Take, say, Hitler's occupation of Western Europe and Russia's postwar occupation of Eastern Europe. In both cases, the countries were run by collaborators, security forces and civilian, with the troops of the conqueror in the background. There was courageous partisan resistance under Hitler, but without extensive foreign support, it would have been wiped out. In Eastern Europe, the US tried to support resistance (inside Russia as well) until the early 1950s, and of course Russia was in confrontation with the world dominant superpower. There are many other examples.

Consider, in contrast, the invasion of Iraq. It eliminated two monstrous regimes, one of which we are allowed to talk about, the other not. The first was the rule of the tyrant. The second was the US-UK imposed sanctions regime, which killed 100s of thousands of people, devastated the society, strengthened the tyrant, and compelled the population to rely on him survival -- probably saving him from the fate of other gangsters supported by the current incumbents in Washington, all overthrown from within; that was a plausible surmise before the war, and is even more so in the light of postwar discoveries about the fragility of Saddam's rule. The ending of both regimes was certainly welcome to the population. The US had enormous resources to reconstruct the ruins. Resistance had virtually no outside support, and in fact developed within largely in response to violence and brutality of the invaders. It took real talent to fail."

See you in the streets, Max.

MaxSpeak, You Listen writes:

"I only caught a few bits of the press conference. The most trenchant coverage I saw was an interview by war skeptic Pat Buchanan with Democratic foreign policy bigfoot Richard Holbrooke. Holbrooke zeroed in on two points:

1. To describe the current period as one of "progress" as Bush did is batty, both analytically and politically. With more progress like this, Hezbollah will be playing frisbee in Lafayette Park.

2. Bush announced that United Nations envoy Brahimi would be designating the transferee of sovereignty in Iraq. The UN -- that veritable den of weasels -- is going to pull our biscuits out of the oven.

Holbrooke otherwise backed up John Kerry at every opportunity and made clear that Democrats intend to finish the job right proper, while acknowledging along with Buchanan that a historic U.S. foreign policy debacle is not beyond the realm of possibility.

Vietnam analogies annoy people, but the Vietnam solution beckons: declare victory and withdraw. Ba'athism has been smashed. Saddam is on ice. Leave the job that remains for somebody with a more realistic chance of accomplishing it.

In a sense Bush was right last summer. The mission, however misbegotten, was accomplished. Remaining there, by contrast, conjures up a new, different, much more difficult mission which may never be accomplished. Perhaps that's something both parties could agree on. My impression is that a powerful, bipartisan elite consensus resists withdrawal. Only the stubbornness of facts on the ground, amplified by continuing American casualties and grassroots political disapproval will blow them off that mark.

Democracy will be in the streets." - Link.

(no subject)

I know its just fate
I have demons within
I became what I hate
by embracing my sins

I know of abuse
From both sides
Fear did seduce
Love was denied

I know about horror
I know about blood
I know the tortured
rotting in the mud

I know of no honor
my violence portrays
I know the delusion
an accomplices maze

Yeah, I was seduced
my innocence slain
my humanity reduced
I loathed, I became

I know about duty
about right and wrong
I know of no beauty
to put in this song

I offer no violence
I condone no crimes
I just abhor silence
During unjust times