August 23, 2006

If Iraq Can’t Make It, Tom, Let’s Give Up On Detroit As Well

Thomas Friedman of the New York Times, who previously “supported” President Bush’s Iraq policies – even if only in an I’m-no-Cindy-Sheehan sort of way – has thrown in the towel. On Iraqi democracy. On Iraqi self-determination. On America’s ability to sow the seeds of democracy in the Middle East.

And that can only mean one thing. Detroit’s days are numbered.

Come to Detroit and drive around the neighborhoods. Well, drive really fast and by all means pay no attention to stop signs. It’s a dangerous place. Fewer than 300 murders is a good year for a city whose population has shrunk in a generation from more than 2 million to less than 1 million. 

That happens when people keep getting killed. They stop answering the census, which is a bummer because you lose federal funds.

Having grown up in the Detroit area and having lived all my life in Michigan, I have probably heard every suggestion imaginable for how to fix Detroit. But I’ve never heard this one:

Give up on democracy. It’s not working.

Or this one:

Let the suburbs run Detroit.

Even in one of the most troubled cities in America, no one would seriously suggest the denial of self-rule or the disenfranchisement of the people.

But then, I’ve never heard the how-to-fix-Detroit suggestions of Thomas Friedman, who some people think is serious. Follow Friedman’s logic, though, and one would have to conclude that with all the violence, the elected officials’ inability to govern and antagonistic citizens not cooperating, democracy has failed in Detroit.

Here’s his take on Iraq:

“It seemed to me over the last three years that, even with all the Bush team’s missteps, we had to give our Iraqi partners a chance to produce a transitional government, then write a constitution, then hold an election and then, finally, put together their first elected cabinet. But now they have done all of that — and the situation has only worsened. The Sunni jihadists and Baathists are as dedicated as ever to making this U.S.-Iraqi democracy initiative fail. That, and the runaway sectarian violence resulting from having too few U.S. troops and allowing a militia culture to become embedded, have made Iraq a lawless mess.”

That’s it. They’ve failed. After three freaking years, game over. That’s all you get to pull it together after more than 30 years under a murderous, tyrannical dictator. And the U.S. must be the problem, because Friedman wants us to pull out in favor of someone else.

Who else? Everybody else! The solution to the problem, says Tom, is (you knew this was coming) an “international conference” of all the countries who would be affected if Iraq goes to pieces. But, you ask, isn’t that pretty much everyone? Yep. Pretty much. Actually, just Russia, Europe, Japan, India, China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Syria and Jordan. The U.S. can participate if it must, but really, haven’t we caused enough problems? (I could have sworn that this Hussein guy had something to do with it, but never you mind.)

Of course! By all means, give Syria and Iran a seat at the table. And why leave out Cuba? Has the entire idea of democracy not been sufficiently slapped in the face by inviting Hezbollah’s two leading benefactors to take part in the proceedings?

When Coleman Young was dragging the rest of Metro Detroit kicking and screaming through his 20-year reign as mayor of the fair city, he often accused suburban leaders of trying to run Detroit. Well hey, why not? Grosse Pointe and Bloomfield Hills have a stake if Detroit goes in the tank! OK, deeper in the tank. Why not give them a vote? What’s good for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is good for Muffy and Biff. Clearly, democracy has failed in Detroit. It’s time to try something else.

In President Bush’s latest weekly radio address, he talks of the “unstoppable power of freedom” and its ability to transform the Middle East. Freedom is indeed power, and it is rarely won easily. Iraqis wouldn’t have even had a chance to try if Bush hadn’t ordered their national oppressor-in-chief toppled. A new constitution and several huge election turnouts later, they’ve had their good days and their bad days, but they’ve still got a fighting chance.

Oh, but Thomas Friedman has given up. After all, if you can’t build a free nation in three years, what good are you? Granted, those Washington and Jefferson dudes took a hell of a lot longer than that, but they didn’t have Hummers!

Those who truly appreciate the power of freedom don’t flyspeck it every few weeks to see if it’s “working.” Freedom, by definition, is working. It has its shortcomings, but it is the highest and best system of governance on earth, and given time, always leads to better lives for those who enjoy it.

Anyone ready to throw in the towel now never understood the fight. And anyone who thinks some international conference is going to make things better has probably never understood anything at all.

This is Column # DC47.  Request permission to publish here.