Rich Procter: ’Iraq - Vietnam redux? A handy checklist’

Smug, self-righteous, ideologues wielding unproven cocktail party geo-political theories to coerce reluctant Americans into war? Check.

Original premise of war proven to be bogus long after country commits to ruinous quagmire? Check.

Old men wave flag, young men die? Check.

Sons (and daughters) of "Old Man Flag Waving Brigade" in government mysteriously absent from serving in military? Check.

Leaders promise war as show of American strength, expose to the world our powerlessness? Check.

Irrational "shock and awe" optimism at beginning of war presented as objective "news" by eager-to-please press? Check.

Seductive promises of easy, quick, painless victory dissolve into quicksand pit of violence, death and despair with no end in sight? Check.

Empty "stay the course" rhetoric endlessly fed to press by cynical White House to disbelieving public? Check.

War skeptics branded as traitors, no matter what the evidence? Check.

War cheerleaders praised as patriots, no matter what the evidence? Check.

Initial giddy "cakewalk" optimism predicated on belief that we are wonderful, flawless and superior in all ways to every other nation on earth, and that little brown people will whimper in gratitude when we deign to share our democratic beneficence? Check.

Shockingly large numbers of little brown people demonstrate ability to bring "Superpower America" to its knees using guile and low-tech weaponry? Check.

War cheerleaders in Washington utterly amazed by fierce, entirely predictable resistance of little brown people? Check.

Unshakeable faith in superior technology that proves virtually worthless against fanatic, stealthy enemy willing to die for cause? Check.

Truth-tellers fired or demoted, while incompetents promoted and given medals, as proof that those in power are infallible? Check.

Press Conference Optimism about positive result of the "adventure" directly proportional to negative drumbeat of daily events? Check.

Optimism of leaders directly proportional to number of miles leaders are from battlefield ("Halberstam’s Axiom")? Check.

Desire to keep troops out of harm’s way (by getting them the hell out of battle zone) equated by hawks as "not supporting our troops?" Check.

Soldiers placed in battle zones where they don’t speak the local language, and are unable to discern friendly citizens from suicide bombers? Check.

Diplomatic corps in war zone don’t speak local language either? Check.

Self-righteous conservatives blame opposition to war on "liberal news media" without proof of same? Check.

Hubristic "Best and Brightest" Know-It-Alls bumble into situation known for centuries of ethnic and religious turmoil, ignore cultural context of area, and stick to wrong-headed "political" explanations, even when they’re proven to be worthless? Check.

Can’t escalate because it would anger voters, but can’t back down because it would "look bad"? Check.

Battle to win "hearts and minds" turns into massive recruiting weapon for those who hate us? Check.

Budget jiggery-pokery designed to keep real cost of war off national balance sheet, as way to (unsuccessfully) finesse public opinion to support war? Check.

American government moves heaven and earth to create jerrybuilt puppet government "democracy" with virtually no support of local populace? Check.

American government puts faith in training local military force with no vested interest in defending country beyond scratching out a living, to fight fanatics willing to die for cause? Check.

Fiercest advocates of war have never faced enemy fire, and have no experience in military? Check.

Returning vets angry, skeptical about chances of "winning" war? Check.

These vets ignored by mainstream press anxious to present "good news" about war, to mollify cranky, paranoid White House? Check.

President who promises important war policy pronouncements, delivers empty, meaningless cheerleading? Check.

Sullen, alienated voters who distrust leaders, but loathe "opposition" for being spineless weasels? Check.

YET TO COME

Bold Presidential proclamations that we’ll "stay the course no matter what" because "these colors don’t run" abandoned when war becomes politically untenable? Incoming.

Embittered enablers in war administration writing belated tell-all books describing how they agonized over wrong-headedness of policy as substitute for actually saying or doing something now to stop on-going catastrophe? (See: Robert McNamara) Incoming.

Embittered veterans having to live for decades with debilitating injuries because they were used as cannon fodder by "civilians innocent of military experience and disdainful of advice from the colonels and majors who know which way is up*"? Incoming.

Liberals being heaped with blame for conservative catastrophe, demonized for not letting conservatives "unleash" the full firepower of the American military establishment, which would have "ensured victory"? Incoming.

Today’s American soldiers and officers who enter politics in the future vilified by chickenhawk "too busy to serve" right-wingers for not "winning their war"? Incoming.

Conservative ideologues dreaming of new and creative ways for young men to die thousands miles from home for exotic global political theories in future "boutique wars" that just happen to align with the corporate interests of ExxonHalliburtonBechtel? Incoming.

* Former CIA Analyst Ray McGovern, "Stay The Crooked Course", Counterpunch, June 29, 2005

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