This BBC byline:
That’s correct, but a more accurate description would be: “Iraqis have voted in large numbers for their first full-term government for FOURTY YEARS”
Goalpost moving amongst the anti-war camp has already begun, including a slightly ridiculous letter to the Times. We are hearing the beginnings of a timid “Life wasn’t so bad under Saddam…” arguments being tested in the waters of public opinion. It sounds ridiculous and it is ridiculous but honestly, some people are trying it out if only to see if they can get away with it - this BBC headline more or less sweeps thirty five years of oppression, murder and genocide under the rug.
Bush laid it out and David Aaronovitch wrote in the Times yesterday on the subject - yes we accept the failings of the post-war situation but at the same time the anti-war group need to accept 2 facts:
1) Without the war, Saddam Hussein would still be in power.
I’m ASTONISHED how often I hear people trying to worm out of this one! It’s honestly disgusting! I had to put up with it on Radio 4 last week.
2) Democracy in Iraq is the product of the invasion and nothing else. Saddam not only had a regime that was almost immovable, built on a foundation of fear, intimidation and oppression, but he also had bought-off dozens of international political figures (as evidenced by the Volker report) and had 2 heirs to his bloody throne. The Baath party wasn’t going anywhere.
After the results are published later in the month, every single day the Iraqis live under a democratically elected government, which respects the rule of law, will be a victory. In ten, twenty, thirty years time that will be an awful lot of victory compared decades of poverty, ruin, oppression and death that they would be enjoying were it not for the invasion.
We have sacrificed political capital, international opinion and beyond anything else - thousands of lives for this. It’s a painful price to pay but I’m reminded of the words on the Colchester memorial to the Glorious Dead:
“We gave our today, for your tomorrow”
The Iraqi people have a tomorrow now and it will last a lot longer than the 3 years of blood it cost us.
Later
John
Posted by John Swaine at December 15, 2005 03:52 PM