| The Smell of Victory on the First Day of Spring |
|
|
|
| Monday, 21 March 2005 | ||||
|
That was Apocalypse Now. Then came Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL). Perhaps we should call this new adventure the Ongoing Apocalypse Project for a New American Century in order to differentiate it from Apocalypse Now, which we tend to think of as ancient American history. With a tip of the hat to Francis Ford Coppola, the director of Apocalypse Now, and in honor of that great Brando performance, let us now gather the Neocon children at our feet and take a look at two items from the March 21, 2005 edition of The New York Times and on this first day of spring, ask each other the question , Does this smell like victory to you? There Are Signs the Tide May Be Turning on Iraq's Street of Fear By John F. Burns Published: March 21, 2005 If Haifa Street is brought under control, it will be a major step toward restoring order in this city of five million, and will send a wider message: that the insurgents can be matched, and beaten back. Still, American commanders are wary, saying the changes are a long way from a victory. They note that the insurgents match each tactical change by the Americans and Iraqi government forces with their own. We know that we face a learning enemy, just as we learn from him," said Maj. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, who left Baghdad recently after a year commanding the First Cavalry Division, responsible for overall security in Baghdad and for the 800-member task force dedicated to Haifa Street. " But I believe we are gaining the upper hand," he said. And from the same edition: 24 Insurgents Die in Attack Near Baghdad By James Wong Published: March 21, 2005 Details about the Salman Pak ambush were vague, but the audacity of the insurgents, on the second anniversary of the start of the American military campaign that toppled Saddam Hussein, showed that the guerrilla war still burns fiercely here, long after President Bush proclaimed major combat operations over and despite a high turnout among Iraqis in the Jan. 30 elections. As the violence persists and as the winners of those elections continue to haggle over a new government, the optimism from the vote is quickly fading among ordinary Iraqis. Since the fall of the old government, American and Iraqi security forces have failed to secure any of the roads out of the capital, and insurgents have been able to attack at will along them. Or: Apocalypse Then and Now. By John McMahon Remember that scene in Apocalypse Now where Brando read newspaper clippings to a captive Martin Sheen about how the war in Vietnam was reaching a tipping point in favor of the Americans? Rather ironic, because, as we all know with the benefit of hindsight, the war was never really on the verge of being won by the Americans. What made the scene all the more powerful and twisted, was that the renegade Kurtz played by Brando seemed to be in a state of grace, like Christ expounding his teachings as the children of the followers of his bizarre cult played at his feet. The movie, like the novel it was based on (Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad), was intended to give its audience pause to consider its own imperial hubris.
Only registered users can write comments. powered by AkoComment Tweaked |
||||
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
