Problems for The Great Liberator

Wed, 16 Apr 2003 22:02:32 -0600

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ROBERT KUTTNER:=20
"IF DONALD RUMSFELD=20
AND JAY GARNER ARE=20
DEMOCRACY'S EMISSARIES=20
GOD HELP US ALL !!!"=20

ROBERT KUTTNER, BOSTON GLOBE: "Freedom's untidy,'' Defense Secretary =
Donald Rumsfeld airily explained, referring to the anarchy and looting =
in Baghdad, which closed all but one hospital, sacked one of the world's =
most treasured archeological museums, and plundered the homes and shops =
of ordinary Iraqis. Untidy?=20

Untidy  is when your 15-year-old leaves his room a mess. Untidy is =
letting the dinner dishes stack up in the sink.=20

Rumsfeld added that ''free people are free to make mistakes and commit =
crimes.'' By way of further clarification, retired lieutenant general =
Jay Garner, Bush's newly appointed American viceroy in Baghdad, told a =
New York Times reporter, ''I don't think they had a love-in when they =
had Philadephia.''=20

Garner was referring to the American Constitutional Convention.=20

What these people understand about freedom could fit in a thimble. If =
they are democracy's emissaries, God help us all.=20

You may recall that the whole point of the Constitutional Convention was =
to reconcile liberty with order, and the will of the majority with the =
rights of minorities. The founders of American democracy wanted ordinary =
people to be able to pursue happiness, secure in their homes, free from =
Don Rumsfeld's definition of untidiness (anarchy, looting) or Jay =
Garner's concept of freedom (optional lawlessness). Obviously, in the =
aftermath of an invasion one can't expect the usual niceties of =
civility. But that's all the more reason why the chaos in Baghdad should =
have been anticipated.=20

Bush and his critics both agreed that Saddam Hussein was a monstrous =
dictator. It was certainly predictable that once he was toppled, a lot =
of anger would be vented. Yet it didn't seem to occur to Rumsfeld to =
think concretely about the morning after.=20

It's ironic that the war planners took some care to limit civilian =
casualties but overlooked the damage that Iraqis, once liberated from =
Saddam, might wreak on each other. The past week's pillaging has been an =
awful brew of vengeance, opportunism, and just plain rage. It has=20
indiscriminately harmed not just the trophy mansions of Saddam's =
henchmen but vaccines for children, ruined when hospital refrigerators =
were stolen, and Iraq's priceless, ancient patrimony, which had =
miraculously survived countless earlier wars.=20

Rumsfeld's war-on-the-cheap included barely enough U.S. troops to mount =
the invasion, guard supply lines, and mop up the remnants of Saddam's =
loyalists. After a month of lightning attacks, these troops are =
exhausted. But no coherent plan was made to put a constabulary force =
into the streets of Baghdad to keep civil order while the slow task of =
constructing a successor government unfolded.=20

So desperate were the U.S. forces after a week of looting and anarchy =
that they have been reduced to hiring members of Saddam's police force =
to keep order. Some 2,000 of the previous regime's hated police are =
already patrolling Baghdad's streets in their old uniforms.=20

Imagine what signal that sends to ordinary, anti-Saddam Iraqis. =
Evidently it was Saddam's foreign policy that President Bush loathed, =
not Saddam's repression of citizens. Bush has compared Saddam to Hitler, =
but we didn't turn over the policing of postwar Berlin to the Gestapo. =
So much for winning hearts and minds.=20

We are paying one more price for Bush's reckless decision to go it =
alone. If the UN had been involved, it is inconceivable that the need =
for civil order in the aftermath of Saddam's ouster would have been =
overlooked. Precisely because it included people from other nations, who =
evidently have more empathy for the suffering of foreigners than Bush =
has, a UN operation=20
would have imagined the aftermath from the perspective of ordinary =
Iraqis. It would have put the humanitarian mission on an equal footing =
with the military one. A UN constabulary force could also have included =
some Arabic-speaking police.=20

Whatever gratitude Iraqis have for America's toppling their tyrant is =
being rapidly squandered by the Bush administration's disregard for =
Iraqi citizens. Actions speak louder than words. The administration can =
profess its desire for Iraqis to enjoy the blessings of liberty, but its =
failure to=20
plan for civil order leads the average Iraqi to suspect that its true =
priorities are geopolitics and oil.=20

All the wanton, preventable destruction adds not just to the suffering =
of Iraqis but to the bill that will be paid by American taxpayers --- a =
bill that translates into profits to be reaped by private contractors =
like Halliburton, who stand to clean up in more ways than one.=20

As for Rumsfeld and Garner, some remedial instruction is in basic civics =
is in order. The sooner this crowd is replaced by people, foreign and =
domestic, who grasp how democracy really works, the better.=20

Robert Kuttner is co-editor of The American Prospect. His column appears =
regularly in the Boston Globe.

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<P><B><FONT size=3D+2>ROBERT KUTTNER:</FONT></B> <BR><B><FONT =
size=3D+2>"IF DONALD=20
RUMSFELD</FONT></B> <BR><B><FONT size=3D+2>AND JAY GARNER ARE</FONT></B> =

DEMOCRACY'S EMISSARIES GOD=20
HELP US ALL !!!"=20
ROBERT KUTTNER, BOSTON GLOBE: "Freedom's untidy,'' Defense =
Secretary=20
Donald Rumsfeld airily explained, referring to the anarchy and looting =
in=20
Baghdad, which closed all but one hospital, sacked one of the world's =
most=20
treasured archeological museums, and plundered the homes and shops of =
ordinary=20
Iraqis. Untidy?=20
Untidy&nbsp; is when your 15-year-old leaves his room a mess. Untidy =
is=20
letting the dinner dishes stack up in the sink.=20
Rumsfeld added that ''free people are free to make mistakes and =
commit=20
crimes.'' By way of further clarification, retired lieutenant general =
Jay=20
Garner, Bush's newly appointed American viceroy in Baghdad, told a =
New York=20
Times reporter, ''I don't think they had a love-in when they had=20
Philadephia.''=20
Garner was referring to the American Constitutional Convention.=20
What these people understand about freedom could fit in a thimble. If =
they=20
are democracy's emissaries, God help us all.=20
You may recall that the whole point of the Constitutional Convention =
was to=20
reconcile liberty with order, and the will of the majority with the =
rights of=20
minorities. The founders of American democracy wanted ordinary people to =
be able=20
to pursue happiness, secure in their homes, free from Don Rumsfeld's =
definition=20
of untidiness (anarchy, looting) or Jay Garner's concept of freedom =
(optional=20
lawlessness). Obviously, in the aftermath of an invasion one can't =
expect the=20
usual niceties of civility. But that's all the more reason why the chaos =
in=20
Baghdad should have been anticipated.=20
Bush and his critics both agreed that Saddam Hussein was a monstrous=20
dictator. It was certainly predictable that once he was toppled, a lot =
of anger=20
would be vented. Yet it didn't seem to occur to Rumsfeld to think =
concretely=20
about the morning after.=20
It's ironic that the war planners took some care to limit civilian =
casualties=20
but overlooked the damage that Iraqis, once liberated from Saddam, might =
wreak=20
on each other. The past week's pillaging has been an awful brew of =
vengeance,=20
opportunism, and just plain rage. It has indiscriminately harmed not =
just=20
the trophy mansions of Saddam's henchmen but vaccines for children, =
ruined when=20
hospital refrigerators were stolen, and Iraq's priceless, ancient =
patrimony,=20
which had miraculously survived countless earlier wars.=20
Rumsfeld's war-on-the-cheap included barely enough U.S. troops to =
mount the=20
invasion, guard supply lines, and mop up the remnants of Saddam's =
loyalists.=20
After a month of lightning attacks, these troops are exhausted. But no =
coherent=20
plan was made to put a constabulary force into the streets of Baghdad to =
keep=20
civil order while the slow task of constructing a successor government =
unfolded.=20

So desperate were the U.S. forces after a week of looting and anarchy =
that=20
they have been reduced to hiring members of Saddam's police force to =
keep order.=20
Some 2,000 of the previous regime's hated police are already patrolling=20
Baghdad's streets in their old uniforms.=20
Imagine what signal that sends to ordinary, anti-Saddam Iraqis. =
Evidently it=20
was Saddam's foreign policy that President Bush loathed, not Saddam's =
repression=20
of citizens. Bush has compared Saddam to Hitler, but we didn't turn over =
the=20
policing of postwar Berlin to the Gestapo. So much for winning hearts =
and minds.=20

We are paying one more price for Bush's reckless decision to go it =
alone. If=20
the UN had been involved, it is inconceivable that the need for civil =
order in=20
the aftermath of Saddam's ouster would have been overlooked. Precisely =
because=20
it included people from other nations, who evidently have more empathy =
for the=20
suffering of foreigners than Bush has, a UN operation would have =
imagined=20
the aftermath from the perspective of ordinary Iraqis. It would have put =
the=20
humanitarian mission on an equal footing with the military one. A UN=20
constabulary force could also have included some Arabic-speaking police. =

Whatever gratitude Iraqis have for America's toppling their tyrant is =
being=20
rapidly squandered by the Bush administration's disregard for Iraqi =
citizens.=20
Actions speak louder than words. The administration can profess its =
desire for=20
Iraqis to enjoy the blessings of liberty, but its failure to plan =
for civil=20
order leads the average Iraqi to suspect that its true priorities are=20
geopolitics and oil.=20
All the wanton, preventable destruction adds not just to the =
suffering of=20
Iraqis but to the bill that will be paid by American taxpayers --- a =
bill that=20
translates into profits to be reaped by private contractors like =
Halliburton,=20
who stand to clean up in more ways than one.=20
As for Rumsfeld and Garner, some remedial instruction is in basic =
civics is=20
in order. The sooner this crowd is replaced by people, foreign and =
domestic, who=20
grasp how democracy really works, the better.=20
Robert Kuttner is co-editor of The American Prospect. His =
column=20
appears regularly in the Boston =
Globe.</DIV></BODY></HTML>

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