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Comments

• [1] eva June 02, 2008 - 12:47PM

  As part of the media that was in support of the Iraq invasion and continued US presence in Iraq, will George Packer be donating any of the proceeds from his book and his play to either US veterans or to Iraqis?

  If so, what percentage?

  If George Packer continues to assert that we have a moral obligation to stay in Iraq, as he has said before, would he be willing to trade places with a U.S. service person now on their umpteenth tour?

  
  
• [2] eva June 02, 2008 - 12:48PM

  "I was, I have, and I am." (laughs)

  glad you can laugh about it, George.

  I'm sorry, but this is sickening.

  
  
• [3] Marco from Manhattan June 02, 2008 - 12:51PM

  Most Americans are clueless about the rest of the world. It's not just George Bush...Obama has never been to Continetal Europe, for example. There are few Arabic speakers in the FBI and CIA (few English speakers as well it seems).

  
  
• [4] marisa from CA June 02, 2008 - 12:55PM

  Can't believe we have two back-to-back guests saying "we didn't know." I hope that despite the media blackout, that in the future we will all remember that the proposed invasion led to the largest international protest in history. Hundreds of thousands of us marched in the US alone. If we all knew, how did these "average Americans" who actually knew considerably more than the average, allow themselves to not THINK enough to KNOW? Well, here we are now, with all the repercussions sown in to our future.

  
  
• [5] Chris O from New York City June 02, 2008 - 12:56PM

  Marco - I agree that UnitedStaters are clueless about he rest of the world. But just because you've never been to other countries does not mean you know nothing about them. And just because you have visited other countries does not necessarily mean you know more or that your opinions, etc. are somehow automatically valid.

  Here is a vivid example: no living person has ever been to 18th Century Paris. Yet some people know a lot about that time and place and others know nothing.

  
  
• [6] eva June 02, 2008 - 12:57PM

  Marisa, you are right. And frankly it is grotesque that people are making money (and doing resume-enhancement) off of books and "plays" based on the tragedy they helped create.

  
  
• [7] Amy from Manhattan June 02, 2008 - 12:59PM

  Why would the Iraqi government that was set up w/the help of the American forces, which is supposed to be an ally of the US, be opposed to Iraqis who work with the Americans?

  
  
• [8] Marco from Manhattan June 02, 2008 - 12:59PM

  My point is that people like Bush have no curiosity about the rest of the world. Only 20% of Americans have passports. No wonder American foreign policy is a blundering mess.

  
  
• [9] eva June 02, 2008 - 01:08PM

  #8, Marco, good point, but the fact is you could be entirely solipsistic and uncurious about the world, and still have enough sense to accept the reality that the invasion was a LUXURY. a war of luxury, that is, not essential to our survival, and, as it appears from the "collateral damage", not essential to anyone else's.