NEW YORK -- How the many intelligent people in U.S. President George Bush's administration can continue to make so many enormous blunders both astounds and dismays. Two examples:

Australia is facing a tight electoral race between Conservative Prime Minister John Howard, who eagerly sent troops to Iraq, and Labour party challenger Mark Latham, who, like Spain's new PM, vows to bring his nation's troops home from Iraq. A majority of Australians opposes the Iraq war.

U.S. Ambassador Tom Schieffer, a Texas pal of Bush, warned Australians of "serious consequences" if they elect Latham.

Australians love America, but any worldly person knows you do not threaten Aussies. They will come out swinging. Schieffer should be fired.

Disastrous mistakes

Far worse, however, is America's ham-handed Iraq proconsul, Paul Bremer. A neo-conservative ideologue, Bremer was responsible for two of the Bush administration's most disastrous mistakes in Iraq: Disbanding Iraq's army, and firing tens of thousands of government bureaucrats because they were Baath party members.

Any junior imperialist knows the first thing you do when you conquer someone's country is to buy the loyalty of its existing armed forces, government and police. Otherwise you will have armies of angry, unemployed potential rebels roaming the streets -- Iraq today being Exhibit A.

Bremer's third horrible blunder came last week. The U.S. pro consul, who is supposedly bringing the light of democracy to Iraq, shut down a tiny, 10,000-circulation Shia newspaper and arrested its editor for "spreading anti-American views" and calling Bremer rude names. The paper's publisher was firebrand Shia mullah Muqtada el-Sadr, who has been calling on Iraqis to resist U.S. occupation.

Bremer turned Sadr, a little-respected junior cleric with a limited following, into an overnight hero to restive Shias, and a new American villain.

Bremer's latest imbecility caused Iraq's Shia majority, which was simmering with anti-American passions, to explode into violence. Washington and U.S. forces were caught totally by surprise, though warnings abounded.

'Collision course'

This writer, for example, said on CNN's Paula Zahn show -- exactly three days before the explosion of Shia rage -- "the Shia and the U.S. are on a collision course ... their younger mullahs are calling for armed resistance ... what we've seen so far (Sunni resistance) is only a foretaste of the violence to come."

For months, Iraq's Shia have heeded calls for patience from their spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. He tried to get Washington to agree to genuine democratic elections in January, 2005. But it's painfully clear the U.S. will not allow Iraq's Shia majority (60%) to gain real political power, and intends to keep troops based there indefinitely.

The Bush administration's definition of "democracy" in Iraq means a puppet regime that goes through the motions of democracy, "invites" U.S. troops to stay on, permits U.S. business to exploit its oil riches and co-operates with Israel.

An interesting side note: Reza Pahlavi, pretender to Iran's throne, opined to me recently in Washington that Iraq's Ayatollah Sistani actually outranks all of Iran's clergy, including Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, and Iraq's holy city of Najaf outranks Iran's theological centre, Qum.

Revelations of Washington's plans to colonize Iraq, and Israel's assassination of the Palestinian leader, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, intensified pent-up Shia fury.

West Bank and Gaza

Americans can thank Bremer and his bosses in the White House for opening this two-front war in Iraq and driving the Shia and Sunnis together.

The savage punishment of the rebellious city of Fallujah after the brutal killing of four U.S. mercenaries ("civilian contractors") there sharply recalls Israel's ravaging of the rebellious West Bank town of Jenin.

As this column predicted a year ago, "liberated" Iraq has become a copy of the strife-torn Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza.

All who oppose U.S. occupation are branded "terrorists."

Iraq is not going to be "liberated" or taught democracy by means of American heavy tanks and helicopter gunships. Quite the contrary. What we have seen this week is the sowing by heavy-handed U.S. occupation forces of a whole new crop of terrorist dragon's teeth in Iraq's bloodstained soil.

The only bright note for the Bush White House: If it can't kill Osama bin Laden in time for November's elections, then maybe pesky Mullah Muqtada will do.

Copyright 2004 Toronto Sun

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