Victory in Iraq?

This week witnessed an election in Iraq. The administration and its allies - among whom are many in the media - declared a major victory. For me all of this begs one question: What constitutes a victory? What are we victorious over?

The answer is undoubtably dependent on what the objective is. If the objective was to invade Iraq, depose Saddam and set up a Baskin Robbins, then, yes, we have been victorious. However, if the objective is, say, set up a stable democracy, then, no, I do not believe we have been victorious.

This entire operation - Give Bush His Legacy - has been marked by a non-ending series of small victories. We invaded. Mission Accomplished. We toppled a statue. We caught Al Qaeda's #2. We caught Saddam. We caught another one of Al Qaeda's #2s. We built a school. We caught a #2. We restored an electric grid - that we previously destroyed - to a city. We caught another #2. We held an election. We wrote a constitution. We caught another #2. We held another election.

In retrospect all of these small victories amount to next to nothing. If the grand objective was to set up a stable democracy in Iraq, then we are not yet victorious. The administration and the press has been spoon feeding us little tidbits every day. A new school, another group of insurgents wiped out, a group of children vaccinated. When the right wing and their apologists like to say the media - and anyone who disagrees with them - is too negative, they technically have a point, albeit a point that uses a very twisted logic. They would point to these small victories and have us believe that therefore we are victorious in Iraq. Yet in doing so they miss the grand objective of this endeavor. As far as that objective goes, we have fallen short by a mile. What they are doing is similar to a company's management trumpeting their new vending machines while ignoring that they are bankrupt.

I cringe at making this comparison, but today on CNN's Late Edition, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) commented - he cringed at it too - that while the U.S. was fighting a war in Vietman the country held elections, and each time President Johnson delcared victory and that the troops would come home, but we all know where that eventually went. The point of this is that despite the baby steps Iraq seems to be making towards real democracy, we know that they are only possible because someone is gingerly holding it each step of the way. The real sign of a stable democracy is when the government can govern effectively with minimal problems and corruption. I consider an army of insurgents making continued, coordinated attacks on the country, billions of dollars disappearing and a country armed to the teeth and ready for civil war to be more than minimal problems and corruption.

Right wing apologists will no doubt complain that we are on track to complete this objective; however, it is something that will take time. Our country was not built overnight, how can we expect Iraq to be picture perfect? Well, I understand that every well-laid plan takes a while to unfold and mature, but I cannot see this plan ever achieving its objective. I am not sure if the objective was fatally flawed from the start, but I am sure that we could have come a lot closer to hitting the mark had the people who drew up the plans for this war actually put some thought into it and planned it through.

The Bush administration is no different from the boy who cried wolf. The next time they would like to trumpet their latest victory, we must stop them short and ask how they are coming along with the grand objective, the only thing that constitutes victory, because they cannot answer that question in a positive light. While they declare victory, both our troops as well as Iraqis are being killed with no end in sight. This election will not end the fighting. At best it is another band aid on the gaping wound we call Iraq.

If we ignore all the facts at hand and instead cherry pick them - much like the pre-war intellgience - we may be fooled into thinking that we are victorious. But to do so is both irresponsible and negligent. As a country - including the media - we must face reality and recognize that we have fallen far short of anything resembling victory.