RE: [Marxism] Re: response to Fred (by Steve Gabosch)

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

David McD wrote:
> As I have argued before, it appears that the collapse of the Iraqi army in
> the period immediately before the taking of Baghdad, was at least partially
> planned, in what can reasonably be called a mousetrap strategy that has
> worked like a charm. You don't have to be a Saddamite to acknowledge this
> reality. Who could know that the US would help spark the resistance by
> allowing Iraq's (and humanity's) cultural heritage to be trashed and looted,
> Iraqi civilians to be shot on sight because they didn't respond to orders in
> a unknown tongue, unarmed demonstrations to be shot up with machine guns (as
> in Fallujah), or any of its other shoot-yourself-in-the-foot mistakes the US
> made to jump start the resistance?

As comrades may recall, I have been quite critical of Christian Parenti's
reporting from Iraq, particularly his observation that Iraqis would gladly
trade their oil in exchange for safe streets, clean water, electricity,
etc. This remark and early polls were interpreted by Doug Henwood as
supporting the occupation. This interpretation overlaps with the alternet
article I posted yesterday, which calls for a more humane occupation.

Recently Parenti has changed his tune. In an Nov. 11 interview he gave with
Henwood on his WBAI rado show that was recently archived, Parenti basically
said that the USA has already lost the war. Reporters like him who used to
be able to go out and prepare these sorts of "what is the average Iraqi
thinking" articles can no longer venture outside their heavily-guarded
hotels. The resistance basically controls Iraq today, not the US military.

The interview can be heard at: http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html

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