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'Shock And Awe' Meets 'Peek A Boo'
Posted: Wednesday, July 23, 2003
by Ben Roberts
It was a beautiful evening as the sun sank behind the rooftops. Many walkers were about, strolling around the serene lake, trying to milk the last bit of delight from a pleasant day, as it was coming a close. As I walked by a Daddy pushing his young daughter in a stroller, the child erupted in constant giggles of delight, mixed with trepidation, as Daddy treated her to a game of Peek A Boo. As he came from this way and then that, the child waited in nervous anticipation, then burst into giggles of laughter as Peek A Boo loomed suddenly out of nowhere. She continued to be awed by this no matter how many times he did it. I passed by smiling, lulled by the child's giggles into thinking how serene, calm, and innocent the world was. Then stark reality hit me! I realized that Daddy's game of Peek A Boo, with his awed and constantly surprised daughter, was real life. The events leading up to the war in Iraq with claims of weapons of mass destruction and terror links, the destructive war itself, and the post war nightmare, could be boiled down to one phrase: 'Shock And Awe Meets Peek A Boo.' Just as in the game Daddy had been playing with his daughter.
In its obsession to get American citizens, and the world, behind an attack on Iraq, Bush and Co. pulled out all the stops, putting on a Shock and Awe show like nobody's business. Remember Bush addressing the United Nations claiming to have 'pictures' of weapons of mass destruction sites. Next came Secretary of State Colin Powell, also at the United Nations, pulling from his grab bag of magic tricks. He showed 'pictures' of weapons of mass destruction sites and mobile labs. He played 'tapes' purporting to be of Iraqi commanders in the field ordering that incriminating evidence be destroyed. He showed 'photos' of Iraqi aircraft, that he claimed were capable of spraying biological material. He claimed that Baghdad was a hotbed of terror networks, repeatedly referring to a 'mastermind' and malcontent named Al Zaqarwi. He showed 'vials' that could harbor anthrax. It was a memorable show. Then everyone got into the act. Bush made the shocking claim that Iraq had in its arsenal drones that could deliver chemical weapons on the US mainland. In one of his most important speeches to his fellow citizens he claimed that Iraq had attempted to obtain 'nukular' materials from a West African nation. Then came British Prime Minister Tony Blair with his shocking allegation that Iraq had the capacity to launch a nuclear attack in under forty-five minutes. Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge shocked us repeatedly with news that 'a terrorist attack was imminent,' and could come from anywhere. From airports, bus and train terminals, apartment complexes, shopping malls and, what the heck, even the All Star Basketball Game. Not to be outdone, Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, informed us of the shocking 'turn of events' where Iraqi forces had been distributed chemical warfare suits, and were deploying in city centers for urban warfare and usage of their people as 'human shields.' All of this was maximum Shock and Awe directed at the American people, and the world. But when we begged for explanations and clarification on any of these issues we got, you guessed it, Peek A Boo. Here's what I mean:
When questioned or taken to task on the credibility of these shocking revelations that could result in our demise, Bush and Co. informed us that they had 'other sensitive information' that could not be divulged for 'national security reasons.' They used 'unnamed sources.' They referred to 'non specific increased chatter in the Muslim world.' They used forged documents. They 'redacted' documents that would implicate them, deciding it was better we not see it. Powell insisted that his sources were 'credible' defectors who could not be revealed, so we should take his word for it. He admitted that the satellite pictures were 'grainy' and difficult to decipher, but we should take his word for it. Bush said we had to attack Saddam Hussein because we were in imminent danger of attack from him with weapons of mass destruction. Then he said we should attack to 'liberate the Iraqi people.' Tony Blair plagiarized a student paper claiming it as definitive evidence from his intelligence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. In a funny quote Jack Straw, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Secretary, referred to this information as the 'dodgy dossier.' How fitting. Now we have the 'sixteen word' reference to nuclear materials from Niger that Bush used in his State of the Union speech. He presented it as definitive evidence from another intelligence source. Now the British say the French gave them the spoilt goods. Then we hear a Nigerian diplomat provided it. Then the culprit was Italian intelligence. Then it was an Italian news reporter who gave it to one of our embassies. And today it's a CIA agent. In other words, Peek A Boo.
Then we move to the actual war in Iraq. Bush and crew promised Shock and Awe as never seen before, with bombs and missiles at such a rapid fire pace the Iraqis would have no choice but to promptly shout 'No mas!' They promised 'bunker busters,' 'mother of all bombs,' you name it. They promised Shock and Awe. They delivered Shocking and Awful. Up to 10,000 Iraqis dead. One man lost 26 members of his family when our missile hit his neighborhood. Little Abu without arms. The lifeless little child's body on a cold hospital slab after a US missile struck a Baghdad marketplace. The attack in the upscale Al Mansour district to get Saddam in which a restaurant was obliterated, leaving a mother with the torso of her child in one place and the head in another. All this while we, in America, gathered nightly around our TV sets, watching the unfolding of this latest video war game and, as weariness set in, hugged and kissed our precious kids and tucked them in for a good night's rest. What a shocking distorted world.
But in all this what did the Iraqis do? They played Peek A Boo. Their army divisions did not engage our Shock And Awe. They melted away into the shadows. Saddam Hussein no doubt enjoyed his Peek A Boo game on us. 'Saddam is over there. Okay get him. Fire! Kaboom! Oops that was not him. Maybe a double. Too bad we got some collaterals. We'll bag him next time.' 'Peek A Boo. Oh there he is. Get him. Now! Now! Kaboom! Darn we missed again. Okay let's go decapitate his statue, or occupy a palace or something. That should do it.' Hussein is still playing Peek A Boo. We have not found him yet. Now we wind down to post war Iraq and peacekeeping. A piece of cake right. Wrong! Now it is the Iraqi military playing Peek A Boo and Shock and Awe with us. You see Bush and Co. can play dual roles of Shock and Awe and Peek A Boo on the American people and the world. Now the Iraqis are playing that dual role on them, but we citizens are the ones paying the price. The Iraqi military and paramilitary melted in the shadows rather than fight us. Now they shock us at will, popping up Peek A boo style, with their rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and bombs, killing our soldiers at will everyday. We now have lost as much soldiers in this post war Iraqi version of 'Shock And Awe Meets Peek A Boo,' than we did in the war itself. Americans are losing their sons, fathers, and husbands. The only thing George Bush is losing is his ratings.
And now based on late breaking news today our soldiers might be in even more trouble. It seems that our troops killed Oudai and Qusai, Saddam Hussein's two sons, along with the teenage son of one of the men. We used Shock and Awe. Kiowa helicopters, TOW antitank missiles, and two hundred heavily armed soldiers to obliterate a house and kill three men and a child who, according to the Associated Press, put up fierce resistance. The story doesn't even sound right. A number of people living in close proximity to the battle were seriously injured and taken to the hospital. Some might have died. My guess is that if Saddam had any reservations about fighting dirty, pulling out all the stops, and allying himself with terror groups, now they are gone. Now we might have to brace for stepped up Shock And Awe and Peek A Boo by the Iraqis as they take reprisals on us.
Last weekend Donald Rumsfeld was on George Stephanopolous Sunday show. I lost count of how much times he said 'I don't know,' in trying to evade questions. He did admit that the occupation of Iraq was consuming $4 billion dollars a month. He described this expenditure as 'a burn rate of $4 billion dollars a month.' What a description. I have to wax Bernie Mackish and ask, 'America, can you believe that? Millions of us are out of work, and we are spending money at a burn rate of $4 billion a month to get our boys killed. What is this? As the show wrapped up Rumsfeld had a wolfish, pleased-as-punch look on his face. His face screamed 'Suckers,' as if he had just offloaded a lemon on the American public. The same look Colin Powell had when he 'redacted' the Iraqi inventory document. The same look from John Ashcroft and his Justice Department minions when they announced a freeze on approving new immigration for Haitians because 'Al Qaeda was using that nation as a springboard for its terrorist activity.' And the same look Bush had when he tried to take us for a ride with those sixteen words about 'nukular' material from that 'West African nation.' In other words the Peek A Boo routine. What say you we in America play Peek A Boo with George Bush and his entourage, and leave them in a state of Shock And Awe in 2004, looking for new jobs the night the polls close?
Ben Roberts is a newsletter editor, freelance writer and published author. His book, Jackals of Samarra, was published in January 2001. Ben can be contacted by email at: grandt730@aol.com
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