"Cut & Run" or "Stay & Die"

[Karmageddon]

"Cut & Run" or "Stay & Die"
By Scott Shuster
December 2, 2005

http://www.dubyad40.com/html/guests/scott12022005.html

There’s been a lot of rhetoric these past few weeks from both sides of the debate about the ‘conflict’ in Iraq. I won’t refer to it as the ‘war’ because, as we know, the war is over. At least that’s what we were told when our President stood on the USS Abraham Lincoln and declared that the mission was accomplished and that major military operations were over.

Recently the debate was fueled by Congressman John Murtha, who put his reputation on the line to call for a troop withdrawal plan. Even that was preceded by Congressman Harry Reid who brought the Congress to a halt demanding a response on the pre-war intelligence investigation.

Surely the heat is being turned up on the Busheviks, and they’re feeling it as evidenced by their penchant for going on the offensive and criticizing their critics. Shame on all of you who dissent and disagree with the neocons’ scheme to profitize from global war! How unpatriotic!

As Jean Schmidt has parroted, we know that pulling our troops out of Iraq would be considered “Cutting & Running”. And that’s cowardly, of course. “Cut & Run”…. “Cut & Run”… It sounds like another one of those neo-con euphemisms to sell or un-sell one of their evil plans. As I’ve said before - it’s all about marketing & perception.

What does “Cutting & Running” actually mean? I’m thinking it’s a relative concept. You know - it means different things to different people, depending on their perspective. So, I thought it would be fun to theorize what “cutting & running” means to the different people in our news today:

To George W. Bush, it means cutting taxes for rich people and running the country into the sewer.

To Dick Cheney, it means cutting no-bid contracts to Halliburton, and running to the bank to cash one of his big compensation checks from Halliburton.

To Tom Delay, it means cutting back on lavish lobbyist-paid-for trips, and running to Jack Abramoff for another kickback. Or perhaps it means cutting a huge corporate check to the RNC, and running it over (i.e. laundering) to his Republican friends in the Texas state races.

To Bill Frist, it means cutting profits from his lucrative family business, and running for president (don’t waste your money, Bill).

To Karl Rove, it means cutting short the career of a CIA agent, and running another smear campaign against a war hero or anyone else who dissents.

To Rick Santorum, it means cutting his political career short (I heard he’s way behind in the polls) and running to the nearest lobbyist (or to God) for a new job. Sure Rick… run on ‘morals’… that always works.

To Bill O’Reilly, it means cutting the truth out of everything he says, and running an attack on anything (and anyone) that makes sense.

To Rush Limbaugh, it means cutting down his Oxycontin intake, and running more alcohol in his veins.

To Pat Robertson, it means cutting down foreign dictators, and running the country’s moral thermometer into the toilet.

To Scooter Libby, it means cutting a deal with Patrick Fitzgerald, and running from being someone’s bitch in the prison shower.

To Ann Coulter, it means cutting all calories out of her diet, and running the word ‘liberal’ out of the vocabulary.

To Wal-Mart, it means cutting worker’s benefits & salaries, and running every mom & pop store out of business.

To Cindy Sheehan, it means cutting short the life of her beloved son, and running a corrupt president, who lied & cajoled us into his war of choice, out of office.


To me, “Cutting & Running” means cutting our losses in a war that never should have been started in the first place, and running our country the way it should be – with humanitarianism instead of conquering, humility instead of arrogance, sensibility instead of greed.

The alternative to cutting & running is staying & dying. Unfortunately, that’s the only path our President sees to “complete & total victory”. What he fails to realize is that this isn’t a competition. There is no victory. There is no championship ring. There is no trophy. There is no pennant. There is no winner’s circle. Just people dying. Lots & lots of people dying. And, what are they dying for? Are they dying to protect their country? Or, are they dying to conquer someone else’s country?

So, when will the dying stop? When everybody’s dead, of course.



Scott Shuster can be reached at [e-mail].


(Reprinted in full with permission)

[Bluerthanblue]

1. I looked

up the phrase 'cut and run' - interestingly it's a nautical term- Meaning to cut the sail lines, or the anchor line, and allow the ship to run free- usually because to stay where you were meant disaster-

Cut and run, is being used to mean something cowardly- when in fact, it may be a brave, if humbling action. If America is so concerned about 'saving face' that it is willing to sacrifice unknown thousands of future lives, (ours and theirs) rather than "look bad" then we are lost indeed- and worthless.

Our presence there, will NOT ultimately bring peace, unless we make Iraq the 51st state- and even then, it will not exist in peace- any more than the Israeli occupation of Palestinan land has brought anything more than continual strife, sorrow, loss and death.

We need to admit we were WRONG- There were no WMD's- and stop trying to shove our way of 'life' (death) down the throats of others-

Isn't that what we accused the soviets of wanting to do??? Isn't that what our funding of so many hell holes in this world is/was about? Vietnam, Afganistan, Korea etc???

[Karmageddon]

2. Good point. Cutting & running means admitting to the mistakes...

...that put us in the situation where cut and run is the only good option. As we all know, admitting mistakes is something that will NEVER happen with this admin. It also means that bush, as the "captain of the ship" screwed up by getting us here, and he'd rather smash the whole country into a reef than admit that he was wrong.

It's not that America is concerned with saving face, it's that bush is so weak and insecure and cowardly that he is utterly incapable of admitting error, and the rest of the country will pay the price.

Thanks for looking that up.

[cliss]

3. Interesting! I didn't know it was a nautical term.

I posted extensively on this very subject on another thread.

Regarding the "cut and run" term, I wrote that Bush is using this to bait people. He's acting just like the 10 year old, out on lunch recess at the playground. He wants to fight. The other boy doesn't want to.

How to provoke him? Call him a coward. Taunt him, tell him that if he walks away, he's "cutting and running". It's manipulation. Psychologists recognize this immediately, and urge people to get away, quickly.

[Bluerthanblue]

5. thanks to both of you-

bush calls it 'cut and run'- but even some of the less ...(wow, this is hard to quantify) less ignorant- more mature (??) voices in power say- "If we leave now, it will show others we're cowards.." or words to that effect- when in reality, the cowardly thing is sometimes NOT to continue on a path that clearly is leading to destruction, but to have the courage to take a path that others may indeed 'see' or 'cry' 'quitter' at you for, but which shows the maturity to stop being so fricking stubborn.
I've read alot about R.E.Lee, and his surrender at Appromattox, and found a profound wisdom in his CHOOSING to 'end the fighting'- something that he didn't HAVE to do- and was actually vilified for doing-

I also believe that Native Americans, who made the choice to "fight no more forever" may in the long run, be the ones whose wisdom, and willingness to 'quit' will win out over those who refuse to 'look' bad.
(although they have lived through hell, and then some, I sincerly believe they will not only survive as a people, but have much to teach this world- and WILL)

I guess if little georgie-porgie needs to have a 'cutsie phrase' to help him 'save face' we could offer him "those who fight and run away, live to fight another day".

or, while he's taking us to hell in his handbasket, he might need to remember "the road to hell is paved with 'good intentions'".


Where the f---k are the 'grown-ups'?

[realFedUp]

4. Cutting your losses

seems more appropriate and prudent, at least to
businesspeople.

[Bluerthanblue]

6. I agree, and

as i wrote several weeks ago- while i abhorr the conotation that life=things, this war, as most wars often are, is a kind of

"death pit"- similar to the "money pit" when a car, or house, or business or endeavor of any kind is hopelessly doomed-

When is enough, enough??

[classysassy]

7. Love of country

to die or not to die for a lie.?I am sure most of the troops in this phony war,love their country dearly,but I am sure its an undying love,they don't want to die for a phony presidents lie.