In other words: A discussion of The Bush Administration
Meet the new boss, not the same as the old boss, certainly, but not nearly as good as the new boss should be
US officials to release more detainees from Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail
Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross says it had visited 107 detainees aged below 18 held by the coalition between January and May this year.
Officials say the juveniles were being held separately from the adult prisoners.
Here's an article from the end of "major hostilities"
Jailed Iraqi children run free as Marines roll into Baghdad suburbs
More than 100 children held in a prison celebrated their freedom Tuesday as US marines rolled into northeast Baghdad amid chaotic scenes which saw civilians loot weapons from an army compound, a US officer said.
Around 150 children spilled out of the jail after the gates were opened as a US military Humvee vehicle approached, Lieutenant Colonel Fred Padilla told an AFP correspondent travelling with the Marines 5th Regiment.
"Hundreds of kids were swarming us and kissing us," Padilla said.
"There were parents running up, so happy to have their kids back."
Here's how the scary neo-cons of the freerepublic (known as freepers) responded (as well they should):
Jesus.
He put kids in prison.
I am not surprised.
and
this took me off guard, what kind of creep puts little kids in jail?
grrrrr.
and
Dear god......he put children in a prison.
But to some it was a further sign that they (the right) were right:
This is the most disgusting thing I have ever read. The pro-Saddam left should be held accountable for their tacit support of this ruthless dictator.
and
It is Hillary's idea of the ideal village.
and
Probably like a scene right out of "Indiana Jones" where he and the Chinese kid go in and free all those youths subjected to slave labour.
How can the liberal scumbags say Bush was wrong NOW!?
"No War for Oil", huhhhh????
and
The American Left is losing credibility everyday. They supported a dictator who jailed kids for not joining a political party.
I wonder if someone is telling the Iraqis about people like Susan Sarandon, Martin Sheen, Mike Farrell, Ted Kennedy, Tom Daschle, etc.... who didnt want the US to liberate Iraq? If we listened to the wacko left, these kids would still be in prison and their parents heartbroken
and
I am compiling a list of things to bring up the next time some liberal doofus starts spewing that "it's all about oil." The torture, the rapes, the imprisonment of children and more--this is what the anti-war people are supporting, whether they are aware of it or not. I plan to make as many of them aware of it as possible.
Yes, let us talk about the torture, rapes, and imprisonment of children. We are a great nation, how dare the President and the right wing lower our country to the point where comparisons can be made between our occupation and Saddam's rule (yes we are better, but is that that great an achievement - we should be so much better that a comparison is impossible). And don't give me that "a few bad apples" crap. Did a few bad apples write the memos that said we didn't have to obey the geneva convention, was it a few bad apples that put the children in the prison in the first place (the vast majority of whom according to the International Red Cross had done nothing). And yes, rapes have been committed in the prisons under our occupation of Iraq (this though could be considered a few bad apples, but if there had been concern about the conditions and treatment of the prisoners this too may have been prevented).
So Freepers, what do you say?
Bremer's priorities in Iraq were to change the tax code, privatize industries, and set up contracts. He himself said that was his priority versus bringing early elections to the "liberated" land.
So I agree the war wasn't about oil, it was about money (and oil). Unfortunately this doesn't seem to have been a war of liberation. Hopefully in the long run that may be the result (which would be great), but that really isn't why the Bush administration was so gung-ho in getting there.
- rob 1:54 PM - [PermaLink] -
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