This we can do, she insists. We have a majority of 60% of the population that still thinks we should have gone to war with Iraq. Sure, there are problems there. But we can surmount them, just as we surmounted similar problems in Germany after the last world war. Something like a Marshall Plan is all we need.
Let's look at each of these points.
A majority of the population was and still is in favor of the Iraq war because it believes that Iraq was ready to attack us with WMD. But WMD are nowhere to be found. Furthermore, American soldiers are dying every day and Iraqi society is in upheaval because of the American occupation. Worse still is the fact that terrorists are infiltrating Iraq in order to inflict damage upon the U.S. Instead of reducing our vulnerability to terrorism, the war seems to be increasing our vulnerability. Under such circumstances the 60% approval is headed for an eventual fall.
As a superpower, of course we can restore order. But restoring order is not the same as building democracy. There is no way America can build democracy by being an occupying power acting unilaterally. The so-call coalition is a joke. We dogmatically disdain the inputs of all other nations. We alone will determine the fate of Iraq and we decree it to be a democracy.
This is the way to teach democracy? In effect, we are saying:
"Do as I say. Not as I do."
Maybe a Marshall Plan can do the job. Maybe not. With the huge deficits we have because of Bush's tax cuts, we do not even have enough money with which to restore order in Iraq. We need European countries to provide a Marshall Plan for us.
I say, forget about transforming the Middle East. Forget about a Marshall plan. Though I was against the war, I feel we must now build a peaceful country and then leave to allow Iraq to develop in its own way.
Our number one priority now is to convince the international community to come and help us. We must give other countries powers as well as responsibilities.
Rebuilding Iraq must be a multilateral international effort. This can only happen if Rice and other administration officials stop spinning and start cooperating.
