Office of the Independent Blogger

There’s a day for everything, and today’s “thing” seems to be the Art of Asking a Stupid Question and Writing a Poor Article. First we turn to RealClearPolitics, where Ian Bremmer asks, What Would Civil War in Iraq Look Like? Maybe something like this, with more bodies? Seriously, what type of question is that to lead your article off with, especially when your piece is better titled, What Could Cause a Civil War in Iraq, And Then What Might Happen? since that, more than the “appearance” of a Civil War, is the subject of the article.

The article’s first point is that a Civil War in Iraq would only happen if all of that nation’s institutions collapsed. Oh really? I thought that Civil Wars occurred at times when the Government is strong and popular, and the nation’s institutions are well-rooted and accepted? That’s quite a thesis!

His second point is that a Civil War in Iraq might lead to Turkish intervention in the North, which is a fair and interesting point, I concede. Although I will say that, if he expects the EU and the United States to give their blessing to any foreign intervention in Iraq, he’s mad. Americans already are trying to deal with covert infiltration by Iran and Syria into Iraq — if the United States opened the door for Turkey to create a “buffer zone” in Northern Iraq through Invasion, it would lead to Iranian and Syrian claims to be able to do the same and compromise the mission.

Finally, he makes the point that “an Iraqi civil war would increase the risk of terrorist attacks in the region, but is unlikely to produce any sudden, dramatic surge in their number or intensity.” Very insightful. But not as insightful as his closing.

Civil war in Iraq is not inevitable. If Iraq’s newly elected leaders can form a government that the majority of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds can accept, and if they can revise the Iraqi constitution to better fulfill the needs of all three groups, they can reduce the risk of widespread sectarian conflict. But the risk of civil war is growing. Understanding what an Iraqi civil war does and does not imply is important for preparing for this worst-case scenario, one that only Islamic radicals hope will come to pass.

A Civil War does and does not imply three things? Just three things? And what of the fact that his first point is explicit in discussing Iraq? And that the third one, too, is self-evident? And that the second one is unlikely? Oh, well. Today’s not the day for answers, it seems, or for a coherent, well-thought out article, either.

When you ask a stupid question, there’s only one thing that can redeem you: whether or not you get the right answer. There’s nothing worse than asking a stupid question and having the wrong answer. The Washington Post poses, Could Sanctions Stop Iran? and then answers, in effect, “Maybe. But probably not.” That is the right answer, with the “Maybe” in there only so as to note that it is possible, although highly improbable. The fact is that something has to be done about Iran, and espousing new “rules” that are intended to disrupt their Economy just won’t cut it.

But at least they got the Right answer.

In his latest article, former Congressman John Kasich displays insight typical and untypical of a Republican. His typical Republican insight is here, in his article where he basically recounts the recent collapse of the Ohio Republican Party as being a story of two parts: Republicans get happy, then corrupt; voters dislike it. The moral of that story? Keep Republicans unhappy — vote Democrat!

The untypical Republican insight can be found toward the end of his article, where he discusses the Political Winds in this Nation:

The biggest advantage going for Republicans, in purely electoral terms, is the ineptness of the Democrats. They have a long tradition of turning sure things into might-have-beens. This, however, is simply not enough. Democratic incompetence has led to Republican domination, which, with no effective opposition, has untethered the GOP from its first principles. In the absence of these, corruption has reigned. The political lens might be clouded and growing darker; but Ohio Republicans need to decide whether or not they want to stand for something.

He’s right, to the extent that Democratic incompetence leads to Republican incompetence. Democrats have a knack for failure in regard to getting elected — Republicans have a knack for failure once they’ve gotten elected. If one thing saves the Republican Party from humiliating itself this election year, it’ll be that Democrats fail to capitalize on the GOP’s lack of ability. But the Republicans aren’t getting a free ride this time.

Yesterday, Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats unveiled a list of things that they would do, in regard to Security, to make America safe. Pelosi was holding it upside down. Seriously, turn on CNN and watch the footage get played again, and laugh. Then read the actual document, and realize that the Truly Funny Thing is that George Bush hasn’t done the things the Democrats seek to do. Or, it’s funny until you really think about it, and then Bush’s failure to secure the Homeland successfully gets scary. There really is a day for everything, and the day to start setting things right comes this November.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 30th, 2006 at 1:23 pm and is filed under Outside Retort (Current Affairs).