I don't know about you, but I am mighty tired of the warmongers making constant comparisons between Germany 1939 and Iraq 2003. This is not only disingenuous, it is dishonest.
Germany in 1939 had built a military arsenal second to none. Germany was mass-producing aircraft superior to any of the allied nations. Germany was mass-producing armored divisions that far outranked any of its neighbors. Its infantry was the best-equipped in Europe.
Iraq of 2003 doesn't have the infrastructure to build one tank, let alone divisions of them. Iraq lacks the infrastructure to build a jet engine, let alone the airframe to put it in. The Iraqi air force, according to Jane's Defense Weekly, is only 30% operational due to constant cannibalizing of the fleet, to say nothing of their aircraft being 1980s and earlier vintage.
While Germany of 1939 was able to mass-produce its war materials, Iraq has to buy everything. Iraq can't even manufacture aluminum tubes!
After the first Gulf War, the United States and Great Britain unilaterally imposed a "no fly zone" on 40% of Iraq, and within which the U.S. and Britain bomb with impunity. Any Iraqi aircraft that enters the no-fly zone is subject to being shot down. The no-fly zone is neither authorized nor sanctioned by any UN resolution.
In Germany 1939 no outside force dictated the allocations of the German budget. The "oil for food" program for Iraq is estimated to generate 80% of Iraq's budget. This program is run totally by the UN. Iraq's oil exports have diminished steadily over the last 12 years as the UN has withheld oil drilling and maintenance equipment from the Iraqis. Thus, by design, the UN has slowly decreased Iraq's ability to feed and maintain itself.
In 1939 Germany was clearly on the path of empire. While those thoughts are also attributed to Hussein, Iraq barely has the wherewithal to maintain itself. Illusions of empire building are the prerogative of the strong.
I harbor no illusions about Saddam Hussein; he is very likely a murderous dictator, just as was Hitler. And, just as was our WWII ally Joseph Stalin, or as President Roosevelt preferred, "Uncle Joe."
Always on the lookout for sympathy, the warmongers have added a twist to their emotional appeals. Their original demands were to destroy Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, then they demanded a regime change. They have now added that the allies (the best allies money can buy) are there to liberate the Iraqi people. I have no doubt the Iraqi people will be liberated alright, they'll be liberated of 20 billion barrels of oil.
If the US and Britain are liberating the Iraqi people, I am hard pressed to understand why the Army chief of staff, General Eric Shinseki, estimates that "Something on the order of several hundred thousand soldiers…" will be needed in post-liberated Iraq.
Well, I've got to run now. I'm off to the store to get some Maurice's BBQ sauce and a bottle of French wine.
February 27, 2003
