David Petraeus Kicked Upstairs

Today General David Petraeus turned over command of Iraq after 20 months to General Ray Odiemo, who was his second in command. Most commentators feel that the two think alike and that there will not be much change in the American military policy towards Iraq. So, we are in a holding pattern until we elect a new President. 

But that won't stop the Iraqi people from blowing each other and our soldiers up, until it will become a country filled only with maimed and crippled folks. Perhaps the 80 billion dollars in oil revenue sitting in New York banks will be enough to buy wheelchairs and crutches for them all.

Trying to stop uneducated, fanatical bombers from killing innocents isn't why we are there. Evidently, deposing Saddam Hussein wasn't the reason either, since he's been tried and hanged some time ago. Maybe we will begin to leave after the oil pipeline has been successfully built through Afghanistan and into Turkey. Maybe we will leave after the Iraqi government has asked us to if Obama wins; it certainly won't happen under McCain's watch.

The reason we are there is an experiment, to spread our version of democracy and political ideals throughout the world. Two hundred years ago it would be called imperialism, so see how far we have advanced as a civilization? I find it ironic that we are using our weapons of mass destruction advance our agenda, and not the peaceful way that we say things will happen under a democratic government.