Channeling Sunni Rage Into Iraqi Political Clout – New York Times

In an article from today’s New York Times entitled Channeling Sunni Rage Into Iraqi Political Clout we learn that Iraq’s politically disenfranchised Sunni sheiks are starting to unite politically within the political system to subvert the system itself. They are interested in establishing ongoing obstructionist government to subvert the will of the Shia majority in Iraq. Now, what does this resemble?

If this is what "exporting democracy" looks like, we need to take a look at ourselves. These people did not learn this on their own, they looked at us before they attempted to hobble together such a misuse of democratic political machinery. We have to take some of the responsibility here.

We taught them this technique of fifth columnist, obstructionist nonsense. It is ongoing now at a fever pitch in our own government. Shame on us. Do you see what people do when they watch how we operate on Capitol Hill?

The next time we decide to go out "nation building" we had better hope that we are not being watched as closely as the Sunni’s have watched us while they construct their own deliberate attempt to subvert their own government. This is a mildly violent attempt by Sunni fat cats and former big-deals to deny their own people a free and open society where the will of the people and the needs of the people are paramount.

They are angry because they have lost influence and power that was out of proportion to demographics.  Their day is over. They now see it in their interest to form a confederacy within the Iraqi government for the sole purpose of bringing it to its knees.  This is treason.

This did not occur in a vacuum. And now all of us are going to pay a price for the lessons we have taught them.

Don’t you feel proud?

CWO3 Tom Barnes, USCG (Ret.)