Have You Seen It?
We need to see this Iraqi democracy in action. We need to see when they meet. We need to see where they meet. We need to see and visit the various governmental services established by this budding democracy. We need to see its infrastructure.
And, we need to hear what the Iraqi democracy says, and we need to hear about their issues. We need to hear from Iraqi governmental leaders other than Talibani and al-Maliki? We need to meet their cabinet and see them at work. We need to meet other politicians. We need to meet non-governmental leaders, essential to any democracy, and really get to know them. We want to know what they think.
We need to know what laws they’re considering, and what laws they’ve passed. We need to know who’s supporting this Iraqi government and how they feel about the violence in their country. We need to know of their plans for ending the violence. After all, we’ve been told that unless we stay, the violence will increase. Certainly the government has some plans.
We need evidence now that the Iraqi democracy really exists. And, we need to know just exactly how many of our American taxpayer dollars goes for this government. We need evidence because there's a sneaking suspicion that we have already seen the sinister answer. We suspect that we have seen this ephemeral, phantom, Iraqi government finally take form during it’s finest hour.
Mr. Bush, we think the Iraqi government, the government you said you handed Saddam over to, the ones who cried "Moqtada, Moqtada, Moqtada, as they lynched Saddam; is the real Iraqi government. Mr. Bush, we think this is the government that our soldiers are killing and dying to protect.
Mr. Bush, please tell us this is not the government that you said we must stay to defend until "it can govern itself, sustain itself, defend itself, and be an ally in the War on Terror. If this is the Iraqi government Mr. Bush, then in reality, you have used our tax dollars to establish the very tyranny you said you went to Iraq to defeat.
Mr. Bush, beyond those officials you turned Saddam over to, please provide evidence that we are wrong. Please provide evidence that your Iraq democracy really exists.
We’ll take some video of their deliberations. We’ll take a report from their Congress or legislative body. We’ll even take the word of some men and women on the street concerning how they feel about democracy, freedom, or merely the job performance of their elected representative.
In fact, we'll take any evidence you want to present. Mr. Bush? Mr. Bush? Are you still there?