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Logical Conclusions

The President, speaking a day after attacks in Iraq killed at least 35 people, said such attacks should be seen as a sign of progress because they showed the desperation of those who oppose the U.S.-led occupation. “The more successful we are on the ground, the more these killers will react,” Bush said. “The more progress we make on the groundthe more desperate these killers become.”

–Washington Post, Oct. 28, 2003

“In a long hard war, we’re going to have tragic days,” Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said [after 16 American soldiers were killed when their helicopter was shot down by Iraqi insurgents]. “But they’re necessary. They’re part of a war that’s difficult and complicated.”

— Washington Post, Nov. 2, 2003

“The more successful we are on the ground, the more these killers will react,” said Chicago Mayor William “Big Bill” Thompson the day after members of Al Capone’s gang murdered seven people in a slaughter already being dubbed the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. “The more progress we make on the ground, restoring safety and security to our neighborhoods, the more desperate these killers become. Sure, they’re killing more people now, running more scams, selling more hootch, breaking more legs–but any expert will tell you that the more successful you are in fighting crime, the more, er, crime you have on the street. It’s tragical, but these murders are necessary. It shows we’re doing our job.”

“The more successful we are on the ground, the more these killers will react,” said Japanese Prime Minister Kuniaki Koiso, the day after 100,000 civilians were killed in a single night during the firebombing of Tokyo by American forces. “The more progress we make in our East Asia Prosperity Sphere, liberating nations from their repressive colonial regimes and bringing them the blessings of free trade and open markets, the more desperate these killers become. That flesh-devouring rain of fiery hell yesterday should be seen as a sign of our progress! We mourn for these deaths, of course, but they’re necessary. They’re part of a war that’s difficult and complicated.”

“The more successful we are on the ground, the more these killers will react,” said U.S. General George Custer, in a battlefield interview during a brief lull in what he termed “a light skirmish” with Indian forces at Little Big Horn. “The more progress we make, liberating these poor people from their oppression by unelected chiefs, bringing them all the benefits of democracy, freedom and open markets, the more desperate these ‘dead-enders’ like Sitting Bull become. Sure, we’re losing a few boys here today,” said Custer, pausing to pull a arrow from the bleeding eye socket of his adjutant, “but that’s necessary. It’s all part of a war that’s difficult and complicated.”

“The more successful we are on the ground, the more these killers will react,” said Napoleon Bonaparte, the day after a dawn raid by Russian partisans killed 50 French soldiers in a rearguard action outside Smolensk. “The more progress we make in bringing the Continental system of open markets and free trade to this benighted land, liberating the serfs from their oppression, fostering the development of a thriving modern society–and protecting our own security from the threat of this unstable, autocratic regime–the more desperate these terrorists become. I know the critics out there in the ‘media filter’ say we had no real plan after capturing Moscow, and that our current strategic re-positioning is some kind of retreat or ‘quagmire.’ But I always said regime change in Russia would be a long, hard slog. Sure, we’ll have tragic days like this. But they’re necessary. It’s all part of a war that’s difficult and complicated. And if these so-called partisans want to attack us, my answer is: Bring ’em on. We’ve got the force necessary to deal with the security situation.”

“The more successful we are on the ground, the more these killers will react,” said Prescott Bush, director of Union Banking Corporation, the day after a raid by British bombers damaged operations of UBC’s Silesian American Corporation near Oswiecim, Poland. “The more progress we make on the ground, creating jobs and increasing profits for our German partners and our shareholders in the Homeland, the more desperate these killers become. Our freedom-loving friends in Berlin have liberated this suffering land, bringing the blessings of free trade and open markets to the entire region. No longer are foreign investors bound by the onerous quasi-socialistic labor practices of the dead and discarded past. Instead, the forward-looking liberators are now supplying us with a skilled workforce of non-remunerated employees whose strong ethnic ties make for a happy and enthusiastic workplace. As we like to say at Oswiecim: Work will make you free!

“True, millions of people are dying in the unfortunate misunderstanding that has arisen between our free-market German partners and the pinko scumbags of the Roosevelt Administration,” Bush continued, “but that’s necessary. It should be seen as a sign of progress. I’m sure that whatever happens–even if, say, our assets are seized by the United States government under the Trading with the Enemy Act or some such–we will not be charged as traitors, collaborators or sugar daddies for Hitler, but will actually have our assets returned after the war so we can cash them in and launch a family political dynasty based on war profiteering and military aggression. It’s all just part of a war that is difficult and complicated.”

CHRIS FLOYD is a columnist for the Moscow Times and a regular contributor to CounterPunch. His CounterPunch piece on Rumsfeld’s plan to provoke terrorist attacks came in at Number 4 on Project Censored’s final tally of the Most Censored stories of 2002. He can be reached at: cfloyd72@hotmail.com