PRO-U.S. MAYOR HAS TARGET ON HIS BACK
Well, having a functioning intellect and a grip on reality is highly overrated for politicians- whether in Washington or Baghdad.
I can understand why Iraqis might be grateful to be rid of the tyrannical Saddam Hussein. Replacing Hussein with George Bush, 150,000 American troops, and a homicidal Islamofascist insurgency hardly seem like a recipe for excessive displays of gratitude, but welcome to Iraq, where everyday is another trip down the rabbit hole.
BAGHDAD ó The man replacing the mayor of Baghdad ó who was assassinated for his pro-American loyalties ó says he is not worried about his ties to Washington.
In fact, he’d like to erect a monument to honor President Bush in the middle of the city.
“We will build a statue for Bush,” said Ali Fadel, the former provincial council chairman. “He is the symbol of freedom.”
Right. And I’m the Queen of England. Of course, Iraq is a better place for being rid of Saddam Hussein, but the cost has been horrific- upwards of 100,000 Iraqi civilians and 1400+ American soldiers. Given that this war was sold to Americans as necessary to rid us of the threat of Iraqi WMDs, should Bush’s lies and deceptions reasonably be rewarded? I think not.
Regardless of Fadel’s obvious case of political penis envy, commemorating a war criminal with a statue would be, well, criminal. Of course, given the current atmosphere in Iraq, I’d hazard a guess that it wouldn’t be too long before some terrorist blew it up.