Friday, July 07, 2006

My Momma Says, Colonialist Is as Colonialist Does

In the news this morning I read that yesterday our president was briefed by our ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad. According to the president, Khalilzad delivered information about Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's recent trip to several Persian Gulf nations. Khalilzad was in position to give this information because he had accompanied al-Maliki on the trip.

I had to read that part again. The leader of a country, making a three nation tour to neighboring heads of state took along the ambassador from a nation thousands of miles away. How likely is it that when Bush goes to Mexico he will take with him the ambassador from China?

Looked at in this light, one might get the impression that the people al-Maliki visited had greater interest in a little face time with the U.S ambassador to Baghdad than with the leader of Baghdad. Yet, we are not to believe that Iraq is a colony of the United States.

We should be realistic about it. Not long ago our president had a weekend of meetings with his brain trust, so to speak, at Camp David. We were told the principal topic was the Iraq situation – the war, the insurgency, the blossoming of freedom. [My guess is that the principal topic was actually how to cover up our total incompetence in fighting the war, overcoming the insurgency, and planting democratic freedom. But that’s just my opinion.] According to the stories released by the White House, Bush cleverly retired early (if only) on the last evening of the meeting, only to sneak out of the compound and hop a flight to Baghdad.

The story goes on that he flew without incident through Iraqi airspace, arrived unannounced at Bagdad’s airport, was whisked by chopper to the American embassy in the Green Zone, and from there telephoned al-Maliki to announce his arrival and tell al-Maliki to come over to the embassy for a meeting, and to bring his cabinet. I should not have been as surprised as I was that al-Maliki complied. My surprise arose from the notion that a head of state would fly unannounced in to the airspace of a sovereign nation and make a demand that the host head of state come to the visitor’s embassy, along with the cabinet.

Could we imagine Putin, for instance, getting into Russia’s embassy in Washington by helicopter from Dulles airport without NORAD and the air traffic controllers knowing about it, and then demanding that Bush, Rice, Rumsfeld an the gang, come over to the embassy for a sit down? No, probably not. But then, we are not a colony of a superpower.

Iraq is.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Community Theatre

Support for community theatre in Loudoun County should not slip.

What can you do? Make it a point to attend "The Odd Couple" at Old Stone School in Hillsboro for one of the performances July 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30.

And above all, read the reviews of local theatrical performances in The Purcellville Gazette.