The war in Iraq is now part of our mysterious past, it happened so long, long ago, that memories of what was being told the American people have vanished into thin air. Ah, the famous “surge”led by the great General David Petraeus once filled our media with tales of defeating al-Qaeda and bringing peace and prosperity to the people of Iraq after their long nightmare under the tyrannical rule of Saddam Hussein. Remember how George and Dick and Don promised the people of America that once our forces had ended this cruel dictatorship then, somehow, democracy would emerge in the sad land of Iraq? There was certainty in their words,an aura of assurance they understood how to restore stability to the people of Iraq.
Yesterday, the current Shiite government of Maliki sent troops to arrest still another Sunni Iraq leader, Ahmad al Alawi and in the ensuing shoot out he died along with his bodyguards. This came after the former Sunni Finance minister and his bodyguards died at the hands of the government. And this came after the former Sunni Vice President, Tariq al-Hashemi was forced to flee the country for his life. The dictatorship of Saddam Hussein was replaced by the dictatorship of Maliki and his Shiite followers. Such was what we Americans brought to Iraq in the guise of “democracy.”