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 Like many of you, I watch the news and get disgusted with what I see in Iraq. But the more I watch, the more convinced I am that we're seeing a blatant display of incompetence in action. Let's face it - Al Qaeda and their sectarian allies have no real plan when it comes to winning Iraq.
Granted, they DID have a plan. That plan was both simple and obvious: Stop the US-led coalition from occupying Iraq. That turned out to be nothing more than a gross display of mismanaged resources and poor communication. The US-led coalition marched all the way to Baghdad. Iraq was officially occupied by the US, the Brits, and the Polish of all people. When's the last time a country was invaded by Poland?
Since that time, though, it has become apparent that al Qaeda has no plan whatsoever. Did anyone give any thought to the plan AFTER the invasion? And what are they doing about it now?
What is al Qaeda's plan?
Figuring out what al Qaeda is trying to accomplish in Iraq now is like trying to decipher hieroglyphics drawn by a 2-year-old.
Do they want the invading forces to leave? If so, their current process for accomplishing this goal is going to take a while. America alone has approximately 150,000 troops in Iraq today. In the course of three years, 2,300+ US troops have been killed. At this rate, eliminating the US forces should be completed around the year 2071.
Do they want the rebuilding of Iraq to stop? Millions of Iraqis are acquiring useful things like electricity and running water for the first time in their lives. Kids are getting medical treatment and schools are being built. After a generation, the Iraqi people will be accustomed to things like a high-literacy rate, good health, and flushing toilets.
Do they want widespread lawlessness? The Iraqi police are in full-swing and have demonstrated they can do what France could not: Enforce a curfew and curb sectarian violence. Couple that with the fact that the Iraqi Army is now taking the lead over US troops in military operations and you've got a country that can maintain law and order.
Do they want the process of democratizing Iraq to be slowed down? So far, the insurgents have yet to prevent a single deadline set out by the Bush Administration. Every election has happened on time and the turnout continues to increase. Iraq has a constitution and an elected 275-seat National Assembly that was voted on by nearly 80% of the country. America wishes they could boast that kind of voter turnout.
Do they want a civil war in Iraq? Perhaps this will lead to accomplishing the goals mentioned above. So far, they can't get much more than a few street protests going. At least the insurgents in France managed to burn thousands of cars. These guys blew up one of the most beloved Shi'ite shrines and barely got two weeks worth of worldwide press time. I don't know about you, but if you're coup de grace operation gets blown off the front page by a commuter school winning a college basketball game, you need to hire yourself a new press secretary.
Come up with a clear plan or withdraw immediately
So far, al Qaeda has used the following tactics to accomplish their unclear plan: Blowing themselves up, posting messages on the Internet, and kidnapping civilians. They can't even complete the third item anymore and supposedly they're pros at it.
Compare their three-point operation to the Bush Administration's 38-page plan for Iraq and you realize why al Qaeda can't do much more than make cheap bombs.
It is clear that al Qaeda doesn't even know what they're doing in Iraq anymore. The war has gone poorly for them and it's their own fault. I'm not one to advocate a cut-n-run™ strategy, but it is clear that al Qaeda has no business in Iraq. They should withdraw from the country immediately.
At the very least, bin Laden needs to fire all of his top staff - they're clearly burnt out, and from the multiple mistakes they've been making lately, its hard to tell that they even care anymore.
Enough with the suicide attacks, internet postings, and kidnappings. All they do is make a mess, waste bandwidth, and annoy people. Pull out before another member of your loyal troops has to die senselessly for a war that you have no idea why you're fighting anymore. |
