Here you have Paul Hackett was a major in the Marine reserves and who served in Iraq in places like Ramadi and Falloujah. He is running as the first Iraqi war veteran for a seat in Congress.
In the article it states that:
Hackett has criticized Bush's decision to invade Iraq and backs intensified training for Iraqi security forces by pairing them with U.S. troops. He condemns Bush's failure to ask Americans at home to share the burdens of war, complaining about politicians who "use the war to wrap themselves in the American flag."
Which is how many of us over here feel. You would be deceiving yourselves if you think that the majority of troops support this war as the right thing to do and even more surprised as to how many moderate democrats you will find in the military. Believe me, we would be having much less trouble over here if the 52 million or so who voted for Bush would decide to serve over here in Iraq.
Hackett shares another view of many of us over here actually IN Iraq:
"Anybody who served in Iraq has a better view of what's going on over there than a politician in Washington," said Hackett, a lawyer whose only previous political office was a stint on a city council.
I commend him and wish him the best. As for me? I have 6 more months over here, almost a lifetime...
21 comments:
If he wins in a largely Rethug Ohio district, this may just give us an idea of how the '06 midterms will play out. I hope Hackett wins.
-roamer in mich
Sarge
I hope you seriously think of doing something similar when you get out. Our country needs more voices like yours who KNOW what they are saying and MEAN it. Did I detect a little self-pity at the end of that post.
Mean what it used to? Like the violent overthrow of Allende in Chile, 1973? I gave away my last flag and I doubt I will ever have one again. I'm sick of the lies, torture, and killing. Like Pat Metheny and David Bowie's song says, "This is not America".
-roamer in mich
Didn't the woman who writes Baghdad Burning get interviewed on CNN last year? I guess that _could_ have been yet another media conspiracy... Speaking of which, congratulations on having a genuine Pet Conspiracy Theorist, Zack! Oh, how I envy you! Kind of ironic, isn't it, that if the Apocalyptic world view is right, Dubya is almost certainly the AntiChrist.
You never did find my book, did you? Spend all that time hanging out with your wife and kids, you probably never even looked. :-P
BTW, I'd vote for the guy too. Notice how quickly the Religious Reich moved to 'Swiftboat' him? He _must_ be worthwhile.
Zach, I hope Hackett wins. It'll be tough because the republicans are such expert propagandists (more evidence that they're fascists after all!), but he seems sincere and he's certainly telling the truth, which ought to win him some votes. Hopefully we'll see more vets coming home to get into politics and writing about their experiences (hint hint;>).
Have you seen what Op Truth has been up to lately? They ran an ad asking Bush and his party to live up to their promise to "support our troops" by fully funding the VA this year. Seems they actually read the ad...how cool!
Take care, stay safe --
"Well, those views are not in line with the Iraqi's that I lived with and worked with for a year."
Did it occur to you that an Iraqi who had such opinions probably wouldn't choose to live and work with Americans? This is called a 'selection effect', just so you know.
" They are also not in line with the Iraqi translators that I still email on a regular basis. In fact they don't believe that the sections I cut and pasted to them were written by an Iraqi female."
She was _ON_TV_. She's been interviewed by Newsweek. Do you really think that the big bad media conspiracy just made her up?
FWIW, I've spoken to many Iraqis who've had similiar opinions. Usually after we've raided their houses. :-P
Back on Zach's original track, here's a rather more sceptical view of Mr Hackett's candidacy: http://www.counterpunch.org/walsh07302005.html
Are there any real anti-war politicians in the US party machines? As a foreigner, I find it hard to tell the difference between all these rightwing Republocrats...
Taff
Hurria,
What are you wearing?
Hurria, I think you completely misread Mike's comment. Go back and read it again. He's saying that Riverbend's author is a real Iraqi woman and that her views are not so different than those of many other Iraqis. He is agreeing with you.
You dissect Mike's comment, Hurria, in a disagreeing, argumentative way. This seems about argument for argument's sake. How does it further the discussion when you agree with him but present something new only through argument? An example:
"They are also not in line with the Iraqi translators that I still email on a regular basis."
How very surprising that Iraqis who have chosen to work with the people who violently invaded and still violently occupy their country do not express to you the same thoughts and feelings as those who have chosen not to work with their conquerors. And of course, you do not hear at all what some of them, at least, say outside your hearing, but we do. Even Kurds are not all so enthralled with your presence.
Sorry, Hurria, but this analysis of Mike's statement is a misread of his comment. It doesn't make sense and it doesn't add to the discussion, it just makes the forum more combative with no purpose. I don't see how this is "adding" as much as arguing. Perhaps, though, these sort of circular, meaningless exchanges will make the comments less a part of this blog and put the focus back on Zach's writing. Perhaps, too, it will encourage commenters who don't already have their own blogs to start their own so the dialogue can be between different blogs where each writer can flesh out their discussions in thoughtful, meaningful ways.
Zach, it's as if your comments have a life of their own, separate from your posts. I hope that doesn't discourage you from writing what you want to write, about any subject you want. Try not to let the "audience" guide you too much. We are really just interested in your thoughts!! What you have to say about your own experiences and observations!
Take care --
Hurria: OTOH, the polls also show that most Iraqis think that the country would collapse into full-scale civil war if we puled out too quickly. Believe me, I want to leave as much as you want me gone, but do you want me gone so badly that it'd be worth another Rwanda as the price?
I realize you believe that life under Saddam's regime was better than it is now, but us pulling out too soon won't restore that regime. It'd be years before another government solidified control out of anarchy, and in the meantime the slaughter would get much worse. If we stay, it's just barely possible that a decent government might be put into place.
Er...not sure how far this fits into the current discussion, but here goes - Zach can always delete me if he wants!
Just wanted to respond to Kate's remarks concerning Hurria's "argumentative" approach to the discussion here.
I don't know Zach, but as one of the ordinary trolls/lurkers/nerds who regularly checks in on his blog, I would like to say that I really appreciate his efforts to communicate his own (sadly censored) thoughts on the Iraq war from his all-too close perspective, and to leave an open field for others to engage in the discussion and take it in often unexpected directions. It's been especially instructive to read the thoughts of an ordinary Iraqi like Hurria, whose forceful and articulate defence of her country's right to decide its own fate has added greatly to my own appreciation of the horrors of what we (the US/UK) have done to Iraq in the last 2 years. It's also interesting to read the informed and intelligent comments of people like "snag", who seem happy to engage in the debate in robustly "argumentative" fashion.
So as long as Zach seems happy to let the debates and arguments continue, I hope the rest of us will be able to make good use of his generosity. Which means, Kate, I profoundly disagree with your apparent urge to persuade Hurria to shut up and not be "argumentative" (or "uppity" as they used to say of women and non-white people in the bad old days). Aren't we supposed to be the ones pushing democracy and freedom of speech?
"We" (the US and UK) have betrayed her country for decades, we supported a brutal dictator as long as he was our SOB, until he was suckered into invading another of our undemocratic little protectorates in Kuwait, then we trashed his army, betrayed the Shia uprising against him, launched murderous sanctions that UN officials described in terms of genocide but which Madeleine Albright considered a "price worth paying", continued bombing Iraq throughout the 1990s while US companies led the sanctions-busters for their own benefit. Then we lied to "justify" an illegal invasion and occupation of her country, where we trashed the entire civil infrastructure, opened our own torture chambers at Abu Ghraib, protected the oil ministry while hospitals were looted, privatised Iraqi assets, destroyed an entire city in Fallujah, and tried to impose a series of puppet leaders before staging some vaguely democratic elections for a puppet regime, killing tens of thousands of civilians in the process. I don't know about you, but I cannot discern any strand of sanity or basic humanity in our treatment of Iraq.
So instead of preaching to someone whose suffering and loss most of us can barely comprehend, surely the very least we can do now - as long as Zach is willing to accommodate us - is allow people like Hurria a little virtual space to tell us what she thinks of our gift to her country, and take it on the chin when she disagrees with any of us? She shares Zach's unfortunate distinction of being brutally close to the action, after all.
Finally, it would be interesting to know if Zach feels he is getting any benefit from his blog. I hope so, whatever form it may take, and wish him well. I think it was General Patton who said the art of war was not about being ready to die for your country, but about making the other poor b****rd die for his. My own feeling is that when it comes to an unjust war, the over-riding duty is to *live* for your country, because right now America needs people like Zach at home, not in Iraq. And Iraq will need all the intelligent, articulate and democratically-minded Iraqis like Hurria that it can find in the difficult years ahead.
So, peace and a safe home-coming to all in Iraq.
Taff
Hurria,
What are you wearing?
I'll reserve my judgement till I'm there, but I certainly don't think any Democrats have the solutions to the problems our nation faces. Communism Lite doesn't work for me. Which is why I have mostly scorn for both of the "big two." They are both filled with scam artists.
Hopefully Hackett isn't another one waiting to happen. That would be nice.
I agree with Trevor.
I think Hackett is another liberal trying to win an election by hiding behind the military uniform. Hell, in his TV AD he used quotes from Bush, a man he called the singlemost worst threat to US security, Then he did not have the guts to be honest about his party affiliation or ideology.
I hear that as of Jul 24th, he is already setting up for claims of voter fraud if he doesn't win. With only 20% expected voter turn out, and he's worried about voter fraud? The typical claim from a bunch of losers who want to establish at the get go that when they lose, that there had to be some fraud involved. Once again, they don't trust you, the voters. They're going to demand a recount or what have you. They don't want to trust you, the voters.
Anyhow....
Here is some info I found on Voter Fraud.
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=>>>Nation>>>archive>>>200508>>>NAT20050802b.html
http://press.arrivenet.com/pol/article.php/677278.html
Just read the Newspaper here,
Ohio 2nd District election results,
*(R) Schmidt: 57,974 =54%
(D) Hackett: 54,401 =48%
Schmidt wins with a 3500 margin
out of 112,000 voters.
They both supported Our Gun rights.
Hackett picked up 18 points in a consistently 70-30 Rethuglican district. This does not bode well for the GOP, especially the scandal-ridden Ohio GOP. This means my congressional district is safely Democrat next year. Roamer is going "kossack" next year to wreak havoc in the pukebag Rethuglican district next to mine. The '06 battle is ON.
-roamer in mich
I am so sick of these war profiteers like paul reikhoff and hackett claiming to speak for all troops! Some "informed person" actually said that the majority of troops are moderate dems. Please! Did you look at the exit results from active duty and vets during the 2004 election results. I served in Op Desert Storm and hope that you whiners are not reflective of the military at large today. Obviously form the exit polls of 04, you are not! We lived in tent cities, had no alcohol, lived on MREs, and had only a few hours of sleep per night. Yet some of these so-called soldiers seem to be whining and crying about doing their duty and fulfilling their oath. What an outrage. Maybe they should exchange there bdus for skirts. People like this have feminized the military. Do your duty and shut up and drive on. Like soldiers, not like whining females. I did my time. I made my sacrifices. I question your patriotism, manhood and dedication to the the troops. col. Hackworth was right in his assetion that the military has been feminized. I am glad, howver, that these small bunch of whining, cowardice "soldiers" comprise only a small minority of the military! Reickhoff: wkd warrior, investment banker, war profiteer, and probably a butter bar punk from west point. Hackett- a trial lawyer, wkd warrior, war profiteer, and now a LOSER in the House race!! One message to all fo you so called soldiers now: suck it up an drive on! That is what we used to do. We fulfilled our oaths w/o crying about it you cowards!
Well, I know my constitutional right to free speech can be rejected and deleted on this page, which isn't American by the way if this is done, but i'll give it a shot anyway.
First of all, I normally don't post comments on forums, but I see alot of people with glasses half-empty, that never see the good in the world, specifically the United States. Secondly, I thank all of those who serve in uniform like Sgt. Scott-Singley, and my Dad currently on a remote assignment in Korea for a year.
Next, from my personal experiences talking with many returning OIF and OEF vets on base and post here, including a marine cousin, and USAF uncle, I have found many opposites to many of the posts on this site. For example, I have heard that while only some Iraqis want us there, many do not, but understand why we there and that we need to be there until the Iraqi gov't can defend itself and continue to rebuild without our help. I mean think about it, if your country was being occupyed you would want them out of there as soon as possible, no matter how much good they are doing.
Another thing, stop saying Iraq is Bush's war, democrats and republicans both voted for it, and the night of the invasion, Pres. Bush said we are invading with the intent to free the world of tyranny and oppression, rid saddam hussein of WMDs, and liberate the Iraqis. Yeah Yeah, no WMDs, but I wonder what Saddam used to murder thousands of innocent Iraqis with (not laughing gas... not supposed to be funny by the way). And if some of you idiots from cloud 9 start looking at reality and see that America doesn't brutally murder innocent women and children, and cut off heads on TV, you will see that 1,818 brave Americans and many more brave Iraqis didn't die for oil or some crusade.
Also, I just don't get why some of you people keep slandering the USA which many men and women have fought and died for, if you have a problem with it, just leave and never come back, no real Americans will miss you. America will continue to be the best country on earth without you.
P.S.- I am not some right-wing conservative, I am a newly registered independant. And yes, all of politics will have its problems, not just Republicans.
Post a Comment