February 3, 2007 10:17 AM

Another DUMB@$$ AWARD wiener

Hadley Ignores NIE, Says White House Will Still Not Call Iraq A ‚Äö√Ñ√≤Civil War’

DUMB@$$ AWARD wiener #518: Stephen Hadley (D-DE)

At a press briefing this morning, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said the White House will continue to avoid using the term “civil war to describe events in Iraq, despite the findings of the new National Intelligence Estimate. Hadley was pressed on the issue by ABC News’ Martha Raddatz: “Why do you go out of your way not to use that word? The president goes out of his way as well. You say labels are difficult, but is it not important ‚Äö√Ñ√Æ certainly any military strategist will tell you it’s important to know what kind of fight you’re in…..Hadley justified his position by pointing to the new NIE. He said the White House will not use the term “because it’s not an adequate description of the situation we find ourselves, as the intelligence community says. He added, “We know what kind of fight we’re in. We know the facts.

Yes, I suppose Stephen Hadley DOES know what sort of war we’re embroiled in. Unfortunately, it’s a semantic war, and what Hadley either doesn’t recognize or is too craven to admit is that it doesn’t matter what name you attach to it. People are still dying senseless, violent deaths for no discernible reason. Whether you call it a “civil war” or a “mild disagreement among friends”, the end result (and the body count) is still the same.

While Hadley is focusing on spinning the media coverage of the catastrf—k in Iraq, there’s a very good chance that upwards of a hundred Iraqis will have died over this weekend simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Imagine living in a world where the simple and necessary act of going to the market can get you killed. Even while exercising all due caution, going out to buy groceries from your family can be a fatal decision. It’s a helluva way to live, yet if you live in Baghdad, this is the daily reality faced by Iraqis of all stripes and affiliations.

In fact, the NIE says that Iraq is worse than a civil war. Specifically, it says the term “civil war “accurately describes key elements of the Iraqi conflict, but does not “capture the complexity of the conflict, which also includes “extensive Shia-on-Shia violence, al-Qa’ida and Sunni insurgent attacks on Coalition forces, and widespread criminally motivated violence.

I hear frequently that members of this Administration are frustrated that there is not more coverage of the “good news” from Iraq. While I’m certain that there is “good news” to be reported, the constant drumbeat of death and destruction pretty much shuts everything else out. From where I sit, until people are no longing dying because they had to buy food for their families, nothing else really matters.

Stephen Hadley can argue all he wants over the semantics of how the reality in Iraq is described, but he’s whistling past the graveyard. Events in Iraq, if he bothered to read the NIE, are apparently already much worse than a mere civil war. In fact, the NIE describes four separates wars being conducted concurrently in Iraq:

  1. The armed conflict between Shia and Sunni.

  2. Armed conflicts within individual groups.

  3. Al-Qaeda violence against Shia.

  4. Violence based on simple criminality.

Would that things were just as simple as a “civil” war. At least then, you might be able to figure out a way to separate the combatants and maintain that segregation (e.g.- Cyprus). Perhaps then Stephen Hadly could focus on enjoying the fruits of his (not so) hard-won DUMB@$$ AWARD.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on February 3, 2007 10:17 AM.

And the winners of a one-way trip to Club Gitmo are.... was the previous entry in this blog.

Or, you could have just left well enough alone..... is the next entry in this blog.

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