Why Bush Wants Us To Believe Iran's Our Enemy

Short story: I think the Bush administration might switch from the Shi'ite's side to the Sunni's side in Iraq and in the Middle East region.

Before I start, a few things you need to know:

Iran = Shi'ite

Iraq's Government = Shi'ite

Saudi Arabia = Sunni

bin-Laden and Al Qaeda = Sunni

Al Anbar province = Sunni

So General Petraeus gets up and testifies that we need to stay in Iraq. Big reason: things are working in al-Anbar province. Their story has been that this one sheik's tribe struck a deal with group Bush calls "al-Qeada in Iraq" and violence there has gone way down, due to (of course) the Americans.

Of course, it's total bullshit. The violence stopped when we paid the local Sunni's to stop it. We also sat by while they killed and forcibly removed (aka ethnic cleansed) the Shi'ites in al-Anbar. Oh yeah, and that sheik that shook Bush's hand wasn't a sheik at all. For being a phony and helping Bush sell his story, he was assassinated on Thursday, September 21st, the same day Bush bullshitted all of this to the American public .

Anyway, the curious thing, and the reason the al-Anbar story worked so well for the Bush administration, is because both sides were Sunnis. We've basically been fighting Sunni's in Iraq for four and a half years. Sunnis are Al-Qaeda, the insurgents, Saddam Hussein, and the 19 hijackers. Now we are able to create conditions where they are cool with us? How? Why?

Meanwhile, Iraq's government takes a stand and tells Blackwater to get the hell out. The most interesting thing about the Blackwater situation is not that they would randomly kill a bunch of people. Their penchant for disgusting acts of violence has been known for a long time. The most interesting thing is the fact that the Iraqi government is standing up to the United States. Why are the Iraqis standing up now?

Could it be because they are ready for us to leave?

With the official line of bullshit that we've been fed for the past 5 years, this should be a glorious day. The Iraqi government is standing up! They are ready for Americans to leave the country! Right? This is an indication that they are prepared to take the first step in getting us out of Iraq. Sweet. Our boys can come home now since "When Iraq stands up, we'll stand down."

Um, nope. The Bush administration doesn't want to leave Iraq. Are you kidding? They have built the largest embassy in the world there. They've got their military bases in the heart of the Middle East. We've lost 3,798 soldiers, 201 journalists, and 800 contractors . They want the power, oil, money and puppet government that they forced us to sacrifice so much for.

So, this "standing up" thing is a problem. Iraq's government officials, the stander uppers, are Shi'ite. Iran's government is also Shi'ite. Iranians are supporting the Shi'ite's in Iraq, the country right next door (and why wouldn't they? Wouldn't we support Americans living in Mexico if they were caught in a war zone?). If Bush needs to change the current Iraqi government, he might have to flip to partnering with the Sunnis and make Shi'ites the enemy. Iran's government will not sit idle and stay silent if the Shi'ites in Iraq go back to being slaughtered, like they were under Saddam Hussian. Ethnic cleansing of Shi'ites in al-Anbar certainly couldn't have eased that fear.

So, the Bush administration must make Iran an enemy.

And Iran, unlike what the mainstream media keeps saying, is not trying to pick a fight. Quite the opposite. Ahmadinejad is in the United States today. He is having a Q&A at Columbia University, something our president would never do. He said he is not looking to build a nuclear bomb. At the very least, a sign that he is willing to negotiate. He also wanted to pay his respects at the World Trade Center. This has been presented as an outrage (outrage!), but it isn't. His country didn't attack us, he helped us in Afghanistan to hunt down the people who did, and this is America. If a leader of another country wants to visit our historical sites, we should welcome the opportunity to have him understand our history, and get an appreciation of our pain.

Even if he might say things the President doesn't like.

But it plays out like this: The Bush administration wants our military to stay in Iraq but won't tell us their true motivation. They need the Iraqi government either on board with the administration's plan or the current government might need to be demonized and replaced. Iran has been supporting Iraq's Shi'ite government (like we ordered the whole world to do) and will continue to support them. Bush needs to make an enemy out of Iran.

You think this makes sense? Please share your thoughts.

*Big thanks to Cenk Uygur from The Young Turks for helping me to connect some dots with his words this morning on his Air America (AM 1150 in Los Angeles) radio show.