THE JAMES GANG CAME TO TOWN
I had an epiphany while commenting in another blog. Saddam�s rule of Iraq isn�t really a government. That�s why they all behave so very, very stupidly.
The Gang from Tiklit came to town. Imagine if the James gang had somehow taken over a town, or Al Capone had called his men to war with the forces of the law. That�s what happened to Iraq.
The thuggocracy that is Saddam�s government isn�t a government. It�s a gang, which happens to control a country. They do some things ok, because divvying up the spoils does manage to keep the trains running and the army armed. But when it comes to things like economics and foreign relations, the gang can�t shoot straight.
How many times have we seen Saddam�s regime shoot itself in the foot? Spokespeople who don�t understand what they�re saying. Threats to use the weapons of mass destruction that they supposedly don�t have. Pissing off the Russians by canceling oil contracts. Pissing off the Turks by cutting off their oil. Terrorizing so many of your own countrymen that two thirds of your country is patrolled by foreign aircraft. Loosing two wars that you could have very easily won.
The Gang from Tiklit has gotten rich by running Iraq. Yet they are on the brink of loosing it all, because, as a gang, they cannot rule. A ruler would give up the weapons of mass destruction, claiming a rogue faction did it, in order to remain in power. A ruler would cooperate in every way with the UN, knowing that in a few months the world would loose interest and go away. A ruler wouldn�t pick a fight with the United States, much less a second fight. The Gang from Tiklit�s goal should be to remain in power yet, because they are a gang and not a government, they are unable to do anything to ensure the success of that goal. The only option they have is to bob and weave and come out with guns blazing. It�s all they know how to do.
So here we are, on the verge of a war with Iraq. Let�s look at it as Northfield, Minnesota. When the James gang rode in to town to rob the bank, the citizens grabbed their guns and drove them off. It�s time to drive off the Tiklit Gang.
