Date:   4/5/2003 11:30:34 AM ( 21 y ago)
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URL:   https://www.curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=451466

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By Molly Ivins
Creators Syndicate

See if this doesn't make you wince: The Washington Post reported recently on how the Bush
administration's attempts to bully Turkey had backfired.

Courtesy of Josh Marshall's www.TalkingPointsMemo.com, I found this paragraph: "But one
senior U.S. official acknowledged that U.S. pressure in recent months has backfired, saying
that at one point Pentagon officials insinuated to Turkish politicians that they could get the
Turkish military to back the request for U.S. troop deployments in Turkey. 'It was stupid
stuff. These are proud people,' he said. 'Speaking loudly and carrying a big stick wins you
tactical victories from time to time, but not a strategic victory.'"

Marshall explains: "The backdrop here is that the military pushed out an Islamist
government only a few years back. Going over the civilians' heads to the Turkish General
Staff would inevitably raise the specter of a repeat of those events."

Think about it. We're supposedly fighting a war to bring democracy to Iraq, and we threaten
one of our strongest democratic allies with a potential military coup? Is this nuts, or what?

A decent respect for the opinions of mankind seems to have escaped many of us lately. A
pop-eyed reporter on Fox News, assigned to watch the war on Arab television, said: "They
are reporting it completely differently. They are reporting this as an unprovoked war of
aggression to gain control of the Iraqi oilfields and dominate the Middle East."

Just like when Iraq invaded Kuwait, and we headed a worldwide coalition to repeal that
invasion.

Gee, I wonder where people in that region could have gotten the impression that we don't
give a rat's behind about democracy?

Marshall also reports the head of the Turkish General Staff (a pro-American outfit), Gen.
Hilmi Ozkok, saying: "I have difficulty understanding those who claim there is a threat to
them across the ocean. And when Turkey says the same threat exists on the other side of our
border, this is found to be unbelievable."

From reading newspapers in French and Spanish, as well as round-ups of opinion from other
countries, I would have to say that we are not winning the battle for hearts and minds around
the world, and we'd better be prepared to deal with that when this is over.
 

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