NOT IN REALITY

The fiction about Iraq began with fake reports of lethal weapons, and continued with "Mission
Accomplished" followed by rosy reports of school openings, elections, transfer of authority, a
parliament, a constitution, and so on. The reality was, and is, that there were no weapons
stockpiled, the mission wasn't accomplished, the schools had no water or electricity, and students are afraid to attend anyway.

The elections were strictly according to sectarian instructions, and intensified sectarian divisions. They caused sectarian strife that quickly escalated. No authority was transferred, because authority requires control, and there wasn't any. The Constitution expresses majority determination to have religion the final rule. All of this was misrepresented to the American public, as was the growing insurgency as well. And the brewing showdown between the Sunni minority and the developing Shia-led rule. We are now caught in the middle of a civil war that is still not fully acknowledged by our national leadership. THAT IS THE REALITY!

The only real question about the coming "surge" (escalation) is, according to Paul Krugman in
today's N. Y. Times, " whether its proponents are cynical or delusional. As for "cynical," he
points to Sen. Biden's charge that they are just buying time (with blood), hoping to hold out
until they can hand off the problem of getting out to the next administration. That way, they
were not defeated, somebody else was.

Daniel Kahneman, an expert on irrationality in decision-making, thinks they are delusional, says Krugman, ". . . that the administration's unwillingness to face reality in Iraq reflects a basic
human aversion to cutting one's losses -- the same instinct that makes gamblers stay at the
table, hoping to break even. . . . Of course, such gambling is easier when the lives at stake are
those of other people's children," adds Krugman. He goes on to observe: "Well, we don't have
to settle the question (cynical or delusional). Either way, what is clear is the enormous price
our nation is paying for President Bush's character flaws." And the consequences, I might add,
of letting national elections be determined by issues like God, guns, and gays!

There may be another explanation for the administration's mind-set. Ron Suskind reports that a senior adviser to Pres. Bush told Ron: "that guys like me were 'in what we call the reality-based community,' which he defined as people who 'believe that solutions emerge from our
judicious study of discernable reality.' I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment
principles and empiricism. He cut me off. 'That's not the way the world really works anymore,'
he continued. 'We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. . .We're
history's actors. . .. and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do." Perhaps this
explains Bush's remark that the Iraq war will ultimately be just a comma in history. They are
creating their own reality! Facts don't matter. Evidence can be ignored. Casualty figures are
irrelevant in the big picture of remaking history! Unfinished paintings can look messy. We
have to finish the painting, bloody as that will turn out to be. Or is it, as Paul Krugman opines:
"Iraq has become a quagmire of the vanities -- a place where America is spending blood and
treasure to protect the egos of men who won't admit that they were wrong. We'll see what
Mr. Bush has to say tomorrow evening. Is he creating his reality, or ours?

jgoodwin004@centurytel.net