Doing the right (and left) thing on Iraq

5 March 2007, 2255 EST

I missed Alex Harrowell’s important February 24 post at a Fistful of Euros. The essence?

First, Americans and Europeans need to protect those, such as translators, who’ve helped us in Iraq.

Second, a basic implication of the “Pottery Barn Rule” is that the US–and the other members of the “Coalition of the Willing”–should be taking in a great many more refugees.

So it’s time to talk seriously about the people who have worked for us in Iraq. The Americans are only accepting risible numbers of refugees. 50 per cent of Iraqi refugees in Europe are in Sweden. It won’t do to claim that the situation is peachy in Iraq. The interpreters, for example, are marked men.

Maybe this is something that bloggers and blog-readers of all political stripes can get behind? If you’re in the United States, how about writing the White House and your local congressperson? If you’re residing elsewhere, choose whatever political office seems appropriate.