The kingdom is crumbling
Empire Notes: a reporter in Baghdad blogs
(April 12, 1:00 pm entry)
Word on the street is that the risks to foreigners are very great. I will probably not leave home in the evening any more. I will only be able to update once a day, if things go smoothly. It’s even possible I’ll phone in my blog updates. Going to Fallujah was very important, because literally nobody was reporting the whole story in English, but risking kidnapping day by day here is a foolish risk — or so my colleagues have persuaded me.
Everything you’ve seen in the press (if you’re reading very widely and carefully) about how the occupation is collapsing is true. I don’t mean this to predict prematurely what the outcome is, just to say that the change I sense in public opinion seems close to irreversible.
Meanwhile, back at the Let’s Git Tough corral
US pledge to arrest or kill Shia cleric
Let’s see, hmm, gittin’ tough has proved to be a disastrous policy. Everytime the US gits tough, things get worse. Faced with such a predicament, rational adults might possibly contemplate changing plans and trying something new – a ha ha ha, as if the Bushies could ever do that – so, faced with the disastrous consequences of their game plan – they’re sticking with that plan yet again!
Even Bill O’Reilly is getting twitchy. While channel surfing tonight, I came upon him yelping at a right-wing Kurd that if high US casualties continue, Dubya might not be re-selected – er, re-elected – so Iraqis damn well better get their act together. Lord, what a loony uncomprehending comment. As if Kurds have control over Iraqis. As if Iraqis have any reason to want Bush re-elected. As if Bill O’Reilly has the power to command any of them to do anything.
The Kurd, who had been supportive of the US and no doubt thought he was saying what O’Reilly wanted to hear, looked stunned both at O’Reilly’s ritual and pointless nastiness and at the inanity of the comment.
Bush will hold a rare press conference today, his first this year. He’s only doing this because events are forcing him to. Events like Richard Clarke, the mediocre at best testimony of Condoleeza Rice, the release of the memo detailing bin Laden was planning attacks, and of course, the unexpected powerful resistance in Iraq – all these are hurting him and hurting him badly.
The Right has lost their momentum, and are on the defensive. Good. Let’s keep the pressure on.
Seize the day!