Cursed Tongue: Short Shrift Grift

Posted by CursedTongue on June 16, 2007

Despite making little progress on the business of policymaking, the Iraqi Parliament has decided to break for the entire month of August. Tony Snow felt he needed to defend the politicians, “You know, it’s 130 degrees in Baghdad in August.”

I live in Arizona. I know from 110 and 120 degrees. I can only imagine how horribly oppressive 130 degrees feels. Especially while sitting in an air-conditioned room in the Green Zone. Fans whirring overhead. Plenty of cold, potable water available. And then being forced to debate issues and make decisions. And maybe even think about stuff. How much more do innocent people have to suffer to create a stable Iraq?

The relatively new parliament won’t be in the sweltering heat hefting gear and guns. They won’t be roasting under the unrelenting desert sun while working to quell whack-job insurgents. They won’t be patrolling a violent and chaotic Iraq in vehicles jerry-rigged with scrap metal, because they weren’t properly armored in the first place. They won’t be separated from their families for months and have their tours of duty ruthlessly extended.

Just in case there lingers any doubt that Tony Snow is the biggest infected, oozing PR pimple on the butt of the nation, now you have proof. The acid leak of his indifference is more toxic than the water on the Camp Lejeune Marine base in North Carolina. How the Bush administration continues to tout their, “support” for the troops, and not be called on the poor treatment of the military, I have no earthly idea.

By recessing for a month due to the heat, the Iraqi parliament is conceding to the terrorists. They are spitting in the faces of U.S. soldiers, like so much pinch-faced Jane Fonda. Of course Bush can’t lock the leaders of Iraq in a room with oscillating fans, and sangria and force them to do their jobs. But the least his administration can do is to come up with a sound bite that isn’t disrespectful to the troops deployed in Iraq.

Dina Rasor and Robert Bauman authors of, Betraying Our Troops: The Destructive Results of Privatizing War, allege widespread shortages of mission essential equipment. According to their investigation, contractors are draining Army funds. The troops are supplied with things like lobster, but lacking equipment such as night goggles.

Because of the deficiency of oversight on contracts, the Army is forking money over to the private companies supplying the troops instead of buying body armor. The war and the over four billion in funds are being mismanaged. The troops and the American taxpayers are being swindled.

President Bush is the Commander in Chief; he is the Decider. Ultimately, he is responsible to the well being of the troops. Why hasn’t he stepped in and fixed their supply chain? It’s just possible that the military needs things like bullets and armor and helicopter replacement parts more than they need four choices of soft serve ice cream.

While I think Bush deserves points for having spread the seed of democracy, inasmuch as the Iraq Parliament understands the concept of legislative entitlement, I believe that it should not have been the only lesson his administration passed along. The Iraqi Parliament’s lack of progress corresponds to the stagnant, out-of-touch, blinkered position of the Bush administration on issues from stem cells to the war.

It’s comforting to know that our governments walk hand in hand, in step. They travel down the primrose path to the bad place where self-serving legislation and Pauly Shore movies come from.

What does President Bush have to do to incite impeachment proceedings? Can we get a not-so-naive Whitehouse intern who loves her country to take one for the team? I’ll even buy the blue dress.

- Sarah Letnes

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Tags: humor, politics

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