Michael Yon: Moment of Truth in Iraq
Blogger Michael Yon has spent the past few years in the Middle East providing independent journalism on the war. I have to admire Yon's fortitude--how many journalists are willing to spend months and more of their lives living in Iraq and Afghanistan to report the news? He has now written a new book, Moment of Truth in Iraq: How a New 'Greatest Generation' of American Soldiers is Turning Defeat and Disaster into Victory and Hope,
in which he shares his insights from his time in Iraq. Yon talks with us today about his new book, the war, and what he thinks the presidential candidates need to know.You can listen directly -- no downloads needed by going right here and clicking on the gray Flash player. You can download the file and listen at your leisure by clicking right here. And you can get a lo-fi version suitable for dialup, etc., by going here and selecting "lo fi." As always, you can get a free subscription via iTunes, and never miss another episode.
Show archives are at GlennandHelenShow.com, and music is by Mobius Dick.
Labels: Podcasts
posted by Helen at 8:00 PM
6 Comments:
Oooh, this one sounds like a winner. I'll have to listen.
Regardless of one's opinion of whether or not the war should have been authorized, I don't see how any decent person could want America to lose in Iraq. If America wins, the world and the Iraqi's will be better.
Full disclosure: After 12 years of playing footsie with Saddam, and decades of him decimating his own people, I did support removing him. If there is anything I hate more than how this war is going, it is the thought of tyrrants like Saddam and the woman-beating Taliban thinking they can murder and maim without consequence. It's a shame the US is losing the propoganda war (with help from its own media, nonetheless). Saddam himself said he was misleading everyone because he didn't think Bush would actually follow through on his threat (in other words, he had no intention of cooperating), yet somehow, the left is bent on painting the Bush as the villian.
Okay, I'm done. Support our troops!
Why is your husband obsessed with having sex with robots?
Jay,
The war has killed more Iraqis in a few years than Saddam did in a decade. Perhaps the American torture rooms, as supported by Michael Yon - who thinks the Geneva Conventions are obsolete, are a little more comfortable than Saddams?
What is winning? Oh I understand, it's what John McCain said.
McCain wants to stay in Iraq until no more Americans are getting killed, no matter how long it takes and how many Americans get killed achieving that goal—that is, the goal of not getting any more Americans killed. And once that goal is achieved, we’ll stay for 100 years or more after that.
McCain and wingnuts don’t seem to realize that what fuels the violence is not some abstract concept of chaos. Iraq is volatile and unstable almost entirely because of our presence; not despite it. The NIE puts it most succinctly:
"The Iraq conflict has become the ’cause celebre’ for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of U.S. involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement."
In short, they hate us because we’re there. No “surge” or “100 years” presence will change that. In fact, it will only exacerbate it. But McCain doesn’t get that, nor to most who think 'might makes right.' How can anyone talk about progess when a US Colonel get killed in the Green Zone this month?
The past few weeks, Iraqis have refuseed to fight the Shiite militias leaving Ameicans without help. Sgt. George Lewis, Company B, Third Platoon, First Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment said, “We don’t see any progress being made at all…” regarding Iraqis stepping up to defend their country.
William,
I understand your concerns, but your information is simply not accurate. Saddam murdered, according to the New York Times, 1.1 million of his citizens. Repeat: the NY Times, hardly an outlet dedicated to ending his bloodbath.
I understand Iraq is a mess now. But I really wish there would be a distinction between the number of Iraqi's killed by us accidentally, and the number of them killed by terrorists. It is not only unfair, it is dangerous to blame terrorists murder on the US. Unfair becaues it is the US's enemies, not the US doing it. Dangerous because it encourages more of it--imagine the terrorists glee when they not only murder and maim, but when they see a cover on the NY Times blaming their enemies for it. They think it works, so they do more. And judging from how many do their bidding, sadly you included, they seem to be right.
Saddam may have killed a million people, but it took him 2 deacades, Bush invaded, and due to incompetence and lack of planning, lost control of the country which resulted in estimates of well over a half million deaths in just a few years. NYT cited 600,000+ over two yrs ago. Bush is war criminal - according to many constitutional lawyers.
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