Bush Pulls The Plug on Iraq Reconstruction
Posted by Mark Radulich on 01.10.2006
My commentary....
This one goes out to all my Bush-haters.
Now I could find a way to justify what is happening here. I could say that no war plan is perfect and that adjusting reconstruction efforts to deal with the on-going insurgency in Iraq is the price of freedom. I could say that it's not even the Bush administrations responsibility to rebuild Iraq and they should be gracious with whatever we could accomplish for them and furthermore, put more effort into rebuilding their country themselves instead of systematically blowing it to hell.
I could say all that, but I won't.
No matter what rationales there are for flat leaving Iraq and sticking them with the bill, the fact remains that yet again President Bush made a promise to rebuild Iraq into a First World Nation and now is looking for a way to nicely break that promise. Now if you'll recall, this is the same man that said he wouldn't nation build in the first place. Granted the world changed drastically after he made that promise so one can forgive him for that. But this, this is heinous.
From a strategic point of view, invading and occupying Iraq made sense. However, it does not appear as if we've really taken advantage of the strategic position we're in. Certainly the Iranians aren't impressed and continue to bob and weave around the nuclear question. China really hasn't made moves to rein in N. Korea. The only event that has really helped the Israeli-Palestinian question is the death of Yassar Arafat. And it is uncertain just how much Qadafi was ready to cooperate even before the war in Iraq began.
So as many sites have documented, Bush and Co have found every reason under the sun to invade Iraq, including ones that ended up being far removed from reality, only to then turn around and not fulfill their obligation to the people they may have needlessly hurt. That is the very element that undermines any and all justifications the Bush Administration may float out there. You wanted this war, and now you are leaving the job half done. Once again, that is heinous.
For those of you out there that like to dress up and protest in the streets, why don't you take on this cause? How about not abandoning the Iraqi people to absolute poverty, Africa-style? Sure it is not as sexy, "No Blood For Oil!" but maybe this time, the average tax-paying American, who I might add have floated this reconstruction effort with their tax money and have not seen a penny of their investment, might actually listen to you this time.
The Bush administration has scaled back its ambitions to rebuild Iraq from the devastation wrought by war and dictatorship and does not intend to seek new funds for reconstruction, it emerged yesterday.
In a decision that will be seen as a retreat from a promise by President George Bush to give Iraq the best infrastructure in the region, administration officials say they will not seek reconstruction funds when the budget request is presented to Congress next month, the Washington Post reported yesterday.
The $18.4bn (?10.6bn) allocation is scheduled to run out in June 2007. The move will be seen by critics as further evidence of the administration's failure to plan for the aftermath of the war.
A decision not to renew the reconstruction programme would leave Iraq with the burden of tens of billions of dollars in unfinished projects, and an oil industry and electrical grid that have yet to return to pre-war production levels.
The decision is a tacit admission of the failure of the US rebuilding effort in the face of a relentless insurgency. Nearly half the funds earmarked for reconstruction were diverted towards fighting the insurgency and preparations to put Saddam Hussein on trial. Continued
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