![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ITEM: Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) goes to Iraq with some other Congresspersons, meets the govt, and says that once Iraq becomes prosperous enough, it can start repaying the US back for the billions it spent liberating them from Saddam Hussein.
No, really.
To which various Iraqi govt officials said, “Excuse me?”
Which is, of course, the only reasonable and proper response to anyone who says, in effect, “Hi, we just invaded yr country, killed yr leaders and at least 100,000 of yr people and handed you a fragile democracy and daily bombings. Yr welcome. That’ll be $2 trillion, please.”
Well, actually, the reasonable and proper response is “Fuck YOU”, but that’s undiplomatic.
The best part, of course, is where Russ Carnahan (D-MO) – who was on the same trip as Rohrabacher – stepped up to defend Rohrabacher’s request, saying there is precedent for this kind of thing:
Which would be a somewhat more accurate analogy if France had invaded the US on false pretenses and temporarily taken us over in order to kick the British out – all without bothering to ask us first.
But the great thing about history is details don’t matter. So, you know, whatever,
Pay me now or pay me later,
This is dF
No, really.
"Once Iraq becomes a very rich and prosperous country ... we would hope that some consideration be given to repaying the United States some of the mega-dollars that we have spent here in the last eight years," said Rohrabacher, according to the Agence France-Presse news agency.
To which various Iraqi govt officials said, “Excuse me?”
"We as a government reject such statements, and we have informed the American embassy that these congressmen are not welcome in Iraq," said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh on Sunday.
The head of the Iraqi parliament's foreign affairs committee, Humam Hmoudi, called his comments "stupid" and said it is the Iraqi people who should be demanding compensation.
The head of the Iraqi parliament's foreign affairs committee, Humam Hmoudi, called his comments "stupid" and said it is the Iraqi people who should be demanding compensation.
Which is, of course, the only reasonable and proper response to anyone who says, in effect, “Hi, we just invaded yr country, killed yr leaders and at least 100,000 of yr people and handed you a fragile democracy and daily bombings. Yr welcome. That’ll be $2 trillion, please.”
Well, actually, the reasonable and proper response is “Fuck YOU”, but that’s undiplomatic.
The best part, of course, is where Russ Carnahan (D-MO) – who was on the same trip as Rohrabacher – stepped up to defend Rohrabacher’s request, saying there is precedent for this kind of thing:
“Back in our own revolution, our democratic movement was financed by France… Congress at least partially paid them back,” Carnahan told reporters Friday. “There is certainly precedent for that sort of thing happening.”
Which would be a somewhat more accurate analogy if France had invaded the US on false pretenses and temporarily taken us over in order to kick the British out – all without bothering to ask us first.
But the great thing about history is details don’t matter. So, you know, whatever,
Pay me now or pay me later,
This is dF
