Breaking Out Of The Moral Equivalence Quagmire: Every so often I like to hit Daryl Cagle's Pro Cartoonists Index. After spending 5-10 minutes flipping through the editorial cartoons, I can often get a pretty good feel for the latest ideas that are being floated by left .

In the US, many of the cartoonists were either complaining about civilian casualties and destruction in Baghdad or they were whining about the economy.

On the world scene, it's moral equivalence all the way. You see cartoon after cartoon basically trying to claim Hussein and Bush are just flip sides of the same coin. Here's the most egregious & warped example of that sort of mentality...

Anyone who could draw a cartoon like that has a broken moral compass. That cartoon and most of the other cartoons from around the world on the index came out before 4/9/03. Now do I think that the people who drew cartoons with this sort of theme are suddenly going to see the light after the scenes we all saw in the streets of Baghdad? No, they'll just find something else to complain about, just like most of the anti-war activists in America.

But, the people in the US and across the world who were on the fence now may be able to see these people who are standing hip deep in a sewer of moral equivalence for the snide, anti-American poseurs that they are. And that is a good thing...

Pelosi Praises U.S. Troops for Defending Immorality: (2003-04-11) -- U.S. House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, today praised American troops for their "valiant performance during this immoral, illegal, wicked war."

"I support the troops and oppose the war," said Rep. Pelosi. "I think our men and women in uniform made us proud in this shameful political exercise to distract attention from the economy and provide more money for Dick Cheney's former company. They are among America's finest, and it's a darn shame that they have risked their lives for the Bush regime, which will go down to the dustbin of history with the likes of Stalin and Hitler."

Rep. Pelosi said U.S. troops should not let the "injustice of their cause prevent them from feeling proud about their service."

"After all," she added, "I'm proud to be a liberal Democrat Congresswoman."

If you liked this satire by Scott Ott, you can see more of his work at Scrappleface.

Rumsfeld Sorry for Embarrassing Anti-War Celebrities By Marni Malarkey: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld apologized to the celebrity community for the outcome of the war yesterday at his daily press briefing. "In spite of the joy we feel at what happened in Baghdad this week, it is tinged with sadness as we know that we have embarrassed and disappointed the many members of the celebrity community who wanted us to fail."

Rumsfeld went on to say that "it is always difficult" to go against celebrity foreign policy analysts and added that he hoped "Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Michael Moore, Edward Norton and the Dixie Chicks will not feel too red-faced and will allow the healing to begin. Listen, I've made mistakes in judgment too in my life, and you just have to move forward."

General Tommy Franks, reached for comment on the road to Kirkuk, said that he also "immediately thought about the celebrities" when he saw his men being mobbed and hugged by jubilant Iraqis after the fall of Baghdad. "It's always hard to send men into battle, believe me. But all the more so when they succeed and you know that Barbra Streisand is watching."

If you liked this satire by Marni Malarkey, you can read more of her work at Broken Newz.

An Open Letter To The Arab Street: All across the world people saw Saddam's statue being pulled down in Firdos Square & the wild euphoria in the street that followed. In much of the Western world, this event is being compared to the fall of the Berlin Wall. But, according to the Western media, the Arab world saw things differently. We're being told that people all across the Middle East have been shocked and shamed by the quick fall of Iraq and are uncertain and concerned about American intentions. Well, as a hawkish, Pro-Israel, Conservative who has a view similar to that of George Bush, Donald Rumsfeld & Richard Perle, I have a different perspective on this war and its aftermath and in the interests of mutual understanding, I'd like to share it. (Cont)

The Jacques Chirac Apology Song: Many Conservatives, myself included, have said that we should start treating France like an enemy nation. I've suggested things like boycotts, tariffs, kicking France out of NATO, and pressuring our allies not to buy French products.

But, perhaps I've been too harsh. Maybe an apology would be enough. But of course, not just any apology would do after the French treachery we've seen over the last few months. But I tell you what -- if Jacques Chirac were to go on TV in front of a worldwide audience and sing "The Praise America Song," which was written by FranK J at IMAO, all is forgiven. Someone send Jacques the lyrics....

"The Praise America Song

I love America!
So I do a happy dance.
I love America!
But I hate France."

Sing it Chirac, you bandwagon jumping French weasel....

The Long Faces On Iraqi Liberation Day: Not everyone was happy for the Iraqi people yesterday. In fact, there were more than a few people who seemed to be down right gloomy about what was perhaps the greatest moment since the Berlin Wall fell. Here's a little sampling from the anti-war crowd around the blogosphere...

-- Bartcop calls the marine putting a flag over the face of the Saddam statue, "Not their finest moment." That's the only mention.

-- The Smirking Chimp has multiple editorials that mention yesterday and then go on long despairing rants. Here's an excerpt of one from Antonia Zerbisias that gives you a good feeling for them...

"Even if you didn't catch it live, CNN ensured you couldn't miss it because they ran it and re-ran it all day long. (In fact, every time I pause to think as I type this, I turn to the TV and there it goes ... again! ... and again! ... and again!)

And what about winning the peace?"

-- Atrios' Eschaton didn't mention it yesterday, but today he takes a shot at the marine who put the flag over the statue of Saddam's face and tries to find things to carp about in a piece called, "A Little Cold Water".

"Before the statue of Saddam was toppled, an American soldier rather inappropriately covered its head with an American flag - an act of conquerors not liberators."

Oliver Willis was probably the best of the bunch although he was a bit of a gloomy Gus in his post yesterday...

"We have seen this show before, and it didn't end happily. There was much dancing and rejoicing in the streets of Afghanistan, as the Taliban had been defeated by American forces - so we "won", right? Of course the problem is that much of the Taliban faded into Afghan society and Al Qaeda slipped across the border into our "ally", Pakistan. Currently, American forces are still engaged in conflict in Afghanistan, the Karzai government is under fire daily, while outside of Kabul warlords are the defacto rulers of the land.

....I don't think that any serious objector to the war believed that the Saddam regime was a good thing, but instead has severe misgivings about the American ability and track record in maintaining democracy in these nations."

I guess Willis thinks that the Iraqis would have been better off with a dictator they knew rather than a Democracy they don't...if this was anything other than an attempt at after the fact spin anyway.

Hesiod at Counterspin Central didn't directly mention it at all. This is as close as he came...

"I SAID TWO WEEKS: And I meant two weeks.

Then, it's all down hill for the United States from there."

The Daily Kos emphasized the looting and said...

"They're happy today, because the Marines mean Saddam is gone. What happens when those same Marines have to give them orders directed from the new US governor of the province? Will they be happy then?

If this is liberation, why didn't they fight, and why did they loot their own city? No cops, no soldiers, just a power vacuum. What bothers me is what will they do when we try to impose not just basic order, but a military government..."

There was so much to be happy about yesterday. The people of Baghdad were thrilled and they were greeting our troops as liberators. The heavy fighting we expected in Baghdad didn't materialize. People all over the Middle-East even got to see the cheering crowds on Al Jazeera & Abu Dhabi TV.

Yet these anti-war blogs are either ignore or downplay it. Couldn't they just be happy for all the Iraqis who were being freed from the grip of Saddam? Is it possible that they couldn't enjoy the moment because they think Bush is going to get the credit for it? Worse yet, could it be that they're unhappy about the liberation of 24 million + people just because their predictions about the war are being proven wrong? I think you all know the answer to those questions...

***Update***: At least one anti-war blogger was jazzed about yesterday's events. Aziz Poonawalla put yesterday into perspective and he noted exactly the same thing that I did in this post...

"The images we all saw on television worldwide yesterday will be in our world history books as one of the defining moments of the 21st century. Alongside those of 9-11, yin and yang. I was and still am opposed to war on Iraq - not the idea of war per se, but like Howard Dean, by the route to which we justified and pursued war. But winning the war was never in doubt and my heart is is full of satisfaction at seeing the statues of Saddam fall at last.

I am however quite disappointed by the attitude of many who oppose the war - who seem to have a grudging attitude towards the liberation. IRAQ IS FREE. Regardless of your politics, your principles, your attitudes - this must be the shared event that we all celebrate."

George Bush -- Servant Of Satan?: Somehow or another, one of my co-workers got signed up on a bizarre mailing list and received the following email which he forwarded to me...

"Is George Bush using BLACK MAGICK in the White House?

THE FACT IS the very date he chose to attack Iraq was a MAJOR RARE HOLY DAY IN SATANISM!

Satanists CONTROL the US Government

That's why BUSH CHOSE to attack Iraq on a BLACK EVIL SATANIC HOLY DAY."

This is apparently the short version of this article on a page called Ask Sollog. It includes gems like...

...The ignorant and uninformed masses of the world don't believe in things like BLACK MAGICK. George W. Bush and his family and his fellow bonesmen ALL PRACTICE BLACK MAGICK!

...Who invited the self-confessed PRINCE OF DARKNESS aka Ozzy Osborne into the White House? GEORGE W. BUSH."

In response to that, just let me say...

Take a gander at this bunch of doodlings that look like they were made by an eight year old. You may not believe that anyone would pay $100 for signed prints drawn by this man or a thousand dollars for his hand drawings. But according to Sollog, THEY DO!

Most of you probably don't think that anyone could really believe that George Bush, the man who said Jesus was his favorite philosopher, is a Satanist. YET THEY DO!

You may not believe that there are nutcases who buy into to this sort of stuff. BUT THEY DO.

The Civilian Casualties Of Everyday Life Under Saddam: Without question, war is a cruel and terrible thing -- especially for the innocent. Women, children, & men who never picked up a gun get caught up in the fighting and suffer horrible wounds, crippling injuries, or die by the houseful. That is a consequence of war and we should never ignore or forget about the people who get caught in the crossfire.

That being said, we also shouldn't forget about the hell that Saddam put his people through 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Just look at this picture...

That's from something called the "White Lion building". It is one of "20 or 30 torture chambers in" a "secret police HQ" in Basra.

Take another look at that tub and imagine what was done to people in it...over and over again. Of course, that wasn't all they did in the "White Lion building"...

"They hung me by my wrists from a ceiling hook.

Dad-of-five Abid Hussan, 45, added: "Twice a day they beat me and hung me from a hook."

How many torture chambers like this were there in Iraq? How many women were gang raped to "teach their husbands" a lesson? How many children languished in prison because their parents displeased the regime? How many HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of Iraqis starved to death while Saddam spent his money on weapons, palaces, and private fun parks?

Now all that being said, I'm tired of listening to people carp about civilian casualties in this war who never cared about how many people Saddam wiped out before we arrived on the scene. In fact, I find these people in the anti-war crowd who display this faux concern about Iraqi civilians to be sickeningly hypocritical. Did they ever show the slightest bit of concern when Saddam Hussein slaughtered the people of Iraq by the tens of thousands to hold onto power? Yet, when Coalition forces accidentally kill Iraqi civilians in an effort to liberate Iraq, the smallest fraction of the number that Saddam has, these same people feign outrage. They're oh so concerned about the Iraqi people...as long as they can use them as a club to attack George Bush &/or America with. If Saddam Hussein would have somehow remained in power, the anti-war activists would have forgotten about the Iraqi people like they never existed -- just like they did with Vietnamese once America left the scene. Maybe these people should think about how many Iraqi civilians would have died this year if they'd gotten their way and left the "Butcher of Baghdad" in power....

The Real Reason We're Invading Iraq: The people of Iraq may be happy now, but would they still be cheering if they knew that US marines were plundering Iraq of its precious puppies? Read on...

"...The "barbarians," as Marines with the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance unit are called, were about to become proud parents. "We scooped the babies right up," said Hidalgo, nodding at the white puppy chowing down on a military MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) of pasta and vegetables beneath the gun turret of the armored vehicle. "She only eats Italian food."

"We've brought back all sorts of things before," said one Marine. "If I have to, I'll smuggle Nas and Mary Jane back. We ain't gonna leave them here to die in Iraq."

Iraq...it's all about the puppies!!!

Go Home Peace Shields: Here's a pic from the celebration in Baghdad today...

Ah, how sweet it is to see the "war tourists" getting the thanks they deserve from some of the Iraqi people.

Thanks to Bill Quick & One Hand Clapping for the pic.

The Iraqi People Are Pulling Down That Statue? Nonsense, It's A CIA Set-Up!: I really wish I was at home right now watching that Saddam statue come down because it sounds like the biggest moment since the Berlin Wall came down. I am genuinely excited for the Iraqi people and I'm proud that America and the rest of the Coalition helped make it possible.

But, not everyone is happy. It seems that there are quite a few people at the Democratic Underground who think it was all staged =D Now not everybody at the DU bought into this, but here are comments from just a few who did...

TimesArrow: "Is this staged? Why are our troops mingling with the Iraqis? Why don't our troops suspect a suicide bomber or something? I sure wouldn't let my guard down unless I knew they were our troops!"

freddie57: "It's on every news channel I surfed them all but faux, and it was the same shot, maybe it is staged."

alcuno: "CIA - I know this script. All the money we've paid out for "jubilation."

Terwilliger: "this entire thing is a PR event. The US grabbed a bunch of Iraqis, gave them money or somesuch, and told them to go tear down the statue. It's all really quite pathetic."

JCMach1: "More staged than a Bush photo-op. There was clearly a security perimeter around the event. All of the participants were male -- with a few children sprinkled in. The people were clearly either manipulated or paid to participate.

Someone needs to get Peter Arnett to find out how much the CIA paid these people."

Here is another thread on the same subject...

dissenter: "Obviously staged... because they want to "wrap up" the war coverage...and make it fade from the US TV tubes...This invasion is OVER..."

mrbill: "there's a 1000 statues of saddam in baghdad.....
Why that one? Those demonstrators were definately on somebody's payroll."

One of the other DU posters summed all this up as well as I could have myself...

vincent_vega: "Boy the dissapointment here is palpable. I know you were all hoping for an Urban bloodbath of a fight to gloat over."

Indeed.

The Iraqi 'Quagmire' In Quotes: On March 19th, American forces launched a "decapitation attack" designed to take out senior Iraqi leadership (including Saddam) in the opening moments of the war. But by March 24th, the media had already started sinking into a deep funk. That was the first day that the dreaded "V-Word" came up at a press conference. Then for roughly the next week and a half, the media became despondent. It was so bad I even wrote satire about it.

Yet, here we are three weeks into the war and we have people asking, "If Iraq was so unable to defend itself, was it really the threat to the world on which this whole war was predicated?"

Well, the media may want you to forget about the incredibly pessimistic spin that they were putting on the war, but we here at RWN wanted to make sure that didn't happen. That's why I put together these quotes. Read and enjoy! (Cont)

Speculation About War Rumor May Be True By Scott Ott: (2003-04-07) -- War correspondents were stunned today when speculation by a retired Pentagon planner about a rumor attributed to a anonymous captain somewhere near the front showed early signs of being true.

While evidence of the veracity of the rumor has yet to be corroborated, an unnamed spokesman at an undisclosed location in Qatar declined to deny "the letter, if not the spirit of the story."

Journalists quickly conducted a battery of interviews with other reporters to "get the pulse of the profession" about what may be the first incident of its kind in recent memory.

No one could be reached for comment on this developing story.

If you liked this satire by Scott Ott, you can read more of his work at Scrappleface.

It's Better To Leave The Children In Prison And Wage Peace: All across the blogosphere, people have been talking about this story...

"More than 100 children held in a prison celebrated their freedom as US marines rolled into northeast Baghdad amid chaotic scenes which saw civilians loot weapons from an army compound, a US officer said.

"The children had been imprisoned because they had not joined the youth branch of the Baath party," he alleged. "Some of these kids had been in there for five years."

I'm guessing that this is the prison mentioned by Scott Ritter back in Sept of 2002...

"The prison in question is at the General Security Services headquarters, which was inspected by my team in Jan. 1998. It appeared to be a prison for children - toddlers up to pre-adolescents - whose only crime was to be the offspring of those who have spoken out politically against the regime of Saddam Hussein. It was a horrific scene. Actually I'm not going to describe what I saw there because what I saw was so horrible that it can be used by those who would want to promote war with Iraq, and right now I'm waging peace."

Yes, unlike us "mean", "racist", "Fascist", Conservative "Nazis", Scott Ritter was "waging peace" along with Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, The majority of Democrats in Congress, the UN, France, Germany, Nelson Mandela, etc.

But, if they'd gotten their way, those kids would still be sitting in those cells, Saddam Hussein would still be enjoying his private fun park, and the more than twenty million Iraqis being liberated by Coalition forces could look forward to a lifetime of living under the iron boots of the Hussein clan.

All I can is that it feels very sweet to be on the right side of history...

US Isolationism & The Old World Order: The man who wrote this editorial understands something that Europe takes for granted and the Paleo-Conservatives in the US just don't grasp. Here's the essence of what he had to say...

Since the end of the Cold War, the US's grand strategy has been to maintain its overwhelming military, political and economic pre-eminence. For that, we should be thankful - not because the strategy has been remotely designed with Ireland's interests in mind, but because, as a by-product of US dominance, we have flourished economically, intellectually, politically and socially. Until now, the Americans have acquiesced in that grand strategy because the costs appeared to be tolerably low.

...We arguably benefit much more from the Pax Americana than the Yanks do themselves. For small countries it is the ultimate free lunch: we get peace without humiliation, for the first time in history. In contrast, the medium-sized old powers have been made to dine on humble pie - and this, in my book, is no bad thing. At the same time, the US leans sufficiently on the likes of Pakistan and India to keep them from pushing the button."

For all the carping about the power and influence of the US, the world would be infinitely worse off without a dominant power exerting its influence across the world. In fact, the prosperity and safety that Europe and the more successful parts of Asia enjoy today could not have occurred without the security provided by the United States. Our dominance and willingness to act have allowed other nations not only to grow economically, but to largely forego building the types of militaries that would give them the OPTION to let's say go "adventuring".

Our power also helps keep other nations militarily in check. Some like China & perhaps even Russia & Iran might be interested in scarfing up their weaker neighbors. Others like Israel and India might be interested in settling old scores or protecting themselves from future threats. Others like France, Germany, & Japan might start to feel those old "imperialist urges" if they became preeminent powers. It's better not to find out.

That being said, Americans tend to be isolationists at heart and the friendly if indifferent attitude most Americans felt pre-9/11 towards much of the world has been changing, slowly, but surely for the worse. France is genuinely loathed by many Americans and calls to pull our troops out of Germany & South Korea are no longer faint or on the margins of American politics. As a matter of fact, were I the leader of a nation that depended heavily on the US for my country's security, I would be bending over backwards to show my support for the US right now because I suspect we'll be looking to trim our military obligations over the coming decade.

Many Americans have lost faith in the "international system" touted by Europe while simultaneously coming to realize that all the "good will" we thought we'd earned over the last century accounted for very little when we needed help. So it's likely that America is going to become more isolationist in the coming years and quite frankly, I fear that the world will come to regret it.

Quagmire Quotes: I'm going to put up some quotes tomorrow from people people who said the war was a quagmire, another Vietnam, was going horribly, that the people of Iraq didn't want to be liberated, etc, etc. There were a ton of articles written from that perspective about a week, week and a half ago. If you have any of note, list them or links to them in this thread and they may be noted in the article. Thanks for your help.

Peace Protestor Expresses Frustration: Here's a bit of Tuesday afternoon anti-war protestor satire for your amusement..

SPECIAL REPORT: Saddam Begins 2004 Re-election Campaign Amid War, Concerns Over Economy: BAGHDAD, IRAQ -- In a surprise move, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein began his 2004 re-election campaign today with the slogan, "Go and die fighting for your country so I don't have to kill you myself." Political analysts believe he is trying to mobilize his core supporters with the early campaign launch, and reach out to swing voters that may be thinking of surrendering to the Americans. If he wins the 2004 election and avoids getting blown up by coalition forces, he will begin his eighth consecutive term in office. (Cont)

Getting Ready For "Next Time" In Post-War Iraq: The fighting isn't over yet, but the battle over post-war Iraq has begun. France, Germany, Russia, China, Kofi Annan & supposedly even Colin Powell & Tony Blair are all pushing to let the UN run Iraq after the war is over.

Fortunately, it looks like that is not going to happen. Most of the administration has been talking about giving the UN a "role" in post-war Iraq, but not letting them run the show. Condi Rice said that very explicitly yesterday and I find that she tends to be a very reliable guide to where Bush is on foreign policy issues.

Now you may wonder; would there not be advantages to letting the UN handle things in Iraq? Without question there would be. We wouldn't need to tie up as many US troops, it would help smooth over some ruffled feathers around the world, it would allow us to get more financial contributions to pay for the war, it would confer more "legitimacy" on our actions in the eyes of some nations, etc, etc.

So why aren't we going to let the UN take over? Simply put, because there is no such thing as a "war to end all wars" or a "peace for our time". To the contrary, there is always a "next time". In the war on terrorism, that "next time" may be sooner rather than later. So that being the case, the worst thing we could do would be to go back into the UN snakepit and let Kofi Annan, France, Germany, Syria, & Russia dictate the terms of how Iraq is going to be run to us after they bent over backwards to try to undercut the war.

Simply put, those nations & the UN backed the wrong horse and now we're going to have to make them pay a price for it to insure that they don't do it again "next time." Coalition blood & treasure is being spent to liberate Iraq. So since we're paying for the fiddler, we're going to call the tunes. If that music isn't to the taste of the rest of the world, then "next time" we start putting together a coalition, they had better get on board.

Fark Vs. The Iraqi Information Minister: Here are some of the entertaining comments made by the readers of Fark in response to a claim by the Iraqi information minister that "America is giving out booby-trapped pencils in order to kill Iraqi children"....

D8vo: "it's not just IRAQI children. Jeeze. They think the world revolves around them."

Wydok: "That guy was the most entertaining part of this war. He has absolutely no grasp on reality at all.

"Saddam loves you. Hail Saddam!"

Wydok (Later In The Thread): "Future speaches from that nutjob. . .

Tomorrow, 5 minutes from capture by US forces:"Iraqi forces have entered the United States and have overflown the government in Washington."

Amerlyn: "I've seen reports over the years of flagrant budget spending and what I deemed to be overcharging for simple items by our great government.

Now I understand. My tax dollars really did go to pencils which cost $1000 a piece. It's all so clear now..."

InternetSecurityGuard: "If he survives, he has a promising career either as the new Iraqi ambassador to the U.S. or a career in advertizing. It takes a special person to tell such bald faced lies with a straight face."

Shut........UP: "I heard he's already been offered a job at the Daily Mirror."

Capnpaco: "Does this dude ever sleep? Every time I look at the damn TV he's up there talking about America's plans to shoot the sun down out of the sky or whatnot. Can they possibly let the poor dude take a nap and let someone else read the propoganda?"

LesserEvil: "Al-Sahaf also said the Iraqis have "shot down a lot of those cruise missiles" and said war's impact was "trivial."

Yeah, ok. They are using those Anti-missile Presidential Palaces to knock those durn things out of the sky."

...And last but not least, an image from Farker Raleighs...

Awwwww...That's Precious: Now this is really cute...

"Lance Cpl. Brian Cole, 20, of Kansas City, Kan., was bowled over by the 7-year-old girl who handed him a Christmas card with this painstakingly written text: "Thank you for liberate us. And thank you for help us. You are a great army."

"That made my day, after sitting out in the heat all day. It made it seem worthwhile," said Cole."

I'd love to see a scan of that card someday...

A Chat About The War With Bill Quick & Andrew Stuttaford: I got together to discuss the war with noted author & blogger Bill Quick from Daily Pundit & Andrew Stuttaford, a contributing editor for National Review Online. John Little from Blogs of War was supposed to join us as well, but unfortunately technical problems prevented him getting in on the chat. After a bit of discussion, we decided to push on without John. Here is the edited transcript of our discussion that covered a variety of issues including how the war is going, media coverage of the war, the EU, France, Tony Blair and numerous other issues. (Cont)