KRUGMAN: "Osama bin Laden must be smiling"

[nostamj]

Taking On the Myth

On Sunday, a celebrating crowd gathered around a burning U.S. armored vehicle. Then a helicopter opened fire; a child and a journalist for an Arabic TV news channel were among those killed. Later, the channel repeatedly showed the journalist doubling over and screaming, "I'm dying; I'm dying."

Such scenes, which enlarge the ranks of our enemies by making America look both weak and brutal, are inevitable in the guerrilla war President Bush got us into. Osama bin Laden must be smiling.

U.S. news organizations are under constant pressure to report good news from Iraq. In fact, as a Newsweek headline puts it, "It's worse than you think." Attacks on coalition forces are intensifying and getting more effective; no-go zones, which the military prefers to call "insurgent enclaves," are spreading - even in Baghdad. We're losing ground.

And the losses aren't only in Iraq. Al Qaeda has regrouped. The invasion of Iraq, intended to demonstrate American power, has done just the opposite: nasty regimes around the world feel empowered now that our forces are bogged down. When a Times reporter asked Mr. Bush about North Korea's ongoing nuclear program, "he opened his palms and shrugged."

Yet many voters still believe that Mr. Bush is doing a good job protecting America.

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on edit: fixed formatting

[johnnie]

1. "he opened his palms and shrugged."

Typical shrub.

I can't believe that people are still backing this guy. This whole mess is just starting to erupt, and a large portion of the U.S. are so unaware. It's very frustrating.

[underpants]

2. Man Krugman is writing his a** off

Is that the third column in 4 days? Something like that.

[nostamj]

6. I believe he does two a week

Tuesdays for sure, and maybe Fridays...

[jackofhearts]

3. This is a powerful statement...

Somehow we, as people who are not blinded to the truth, need to pound on Kerry to demand answers to the Iraq nightmare. We need to plead with Kerry to take charge and demand a change in policy to something that resembles a coherent strategy. He should be blasting the bush regime for the absolute failure that is Iraq. He needs to make America aware of the harsh truth...we are losing and people are dying because of the incompetence of the bush regime.

This is the time...this is the issue. I urge all DU to email or phone the Kerry campaign and plead with them to ask John Kerry to make this the issue...to ask John Kerry to TAKE CHARGE sonce no one else will. He has the regime right where he wants them...now is the time to step and their throats and kill them. Iraq is a complete disaster and something needs to be done NOW. John Kerry please take charge!!

[truthspeaker]

5. Kerry HAS been doing that lately. He just doesn't get airtime.

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. The Republican plan: We'll allow 53,000 more American soldiers

to die, in order to ensure that the first 1000 casualties did not die in vain.

[nostamj]

7. kick for K