Spying on Our Allies

 

While most Americans are focused on the economy, there is still that Iraq thing going on over there. For over 4,150 American families whose loved ones died, it will never be over. Nor will it ever be over for the thousands more injured and their families and friends.

Meanwhile, there have been negotiations between Washington and Baghdad about when the rest of our forces will leave. The Maliki government wants sooner than later. Bush-Cheney are resisting. According to reports, the top military man is recommending a go-slow on withdrawal, with the first step being to pull our forces out of Iraqi cities next summer and reposition them on the huge mega-bases that American taxpayers have built at a cost of tens of billions of dollars.

There’s some irony in the fact that our government is insisting on staying when their government wants us out, and a new book by Bob Woodward may ratchet up their insistence that we leave more quickly. According to Woodward, who once again had extraordinary access to the White House, including the president, the United States was conducting extensive spying on Iraqi government officials.

Privately, the Iraqis have expressed considerable distress about the revelations, and their unhappiness is even louder in public. The White House attempted to blow off the story, with the spokeswoman implying that there wasn’t a need for spying, saying, "We have a good idea of what Prime Minister Maliki is thinking because he tells us, very frankly and very candidly, as often as we can."

Hey, I just read the stuff. I don’t make it up, especially when it doesn’t make sense. And what really doesn’t make sense is why they told Woodward that they were spying on the Iraqis. Surely they knew that it would not sit well with our puppet-allies. What possible sense could it make to embarrass Iraqi leaders, especially when the administration is desperately trying to solidify a security deal with them.

No, it doesn’t make sense. It never has.
 

Home

©2008 SetonnoteS

.