5 Years of War

I was going to write a rant about the war for this anniversary, but I stopped myself. What is the point? I am likely just preaching to choir here, and lord knows I don't need to convince myself that this is one big mistake that never seems to end.

Anyone who, at this point, still supports the war is probably never going to change their mind. They're invested in it, they don't want to believe that their country made a mistake. The idea that we face some sort of overpowering existential threat and that nothing less than the most ferocious, uninhibited response is required is ingrained in many Americans, including in some members of my family who are otherwise rational people. Try and debate them and you will likely only get hyperbolic patriotism in return (and faux-concern from politicians about the troops, and the hypothetical dangers of withdrawal).

So, instead, I am just posting some links to some recent stories on Iraq that I feel are of consequence. A few I've posted before, but deserve another plug. My reader(s) are free to come to their own conclusions. I'm tired of ranting.

Salon: The cold price of hot blood-- A devastating new book reveals that Iraq will cost the U.S. at least $3 trillion. Will Americans check their pocketbooks the next time a president tries to sell them on a cheap, glorious war?

Washington Post: Public Is Less Aware of Iraq Casualties, Study Finds

TPMMuckraker: Pentagon Tries to Squelch Report Showing No Link Between Iraq-Al Qaeda

Mother Jones: The Iraq Follies--
Eighteen things you've already forgotten about the media's flawed coverage of Iraq.

McClatchy Newspapers: Iraq war's cost: Loss of U.S. power, prestige, influence

Washington Post: Petraeus: Iraqi Leaders Not Making 'Sufficient Progress'

Rolling Stone: The Myth of the Surge--
Hoping to turn enemies into allies, U.S. forces are arming Iraqis who fought with the insurgents. But it's already starting to backfire. A report from the front lines of the new Iraq