Turkey Uses "For Us Or Against Us" Argument

By Cernig

Turkey will choose its own moment for an invasion of Iraq:

The news that Ankara will strike regardless of the international community came after crisis talks with an Iraqi delegation failed.

Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said: "We are in the middle of a process and within this process we are having ... consultations.

"We will launch an operation when it will be necessary, without asking for anybody's opinion," it was reported.

(Notice that's "when", not "if".)

But what is really rich is that Bush and others who parroted his rhetoric are now hoist by their own petard:

Earlier Erdogan took a swipe at western countries for not cracking down on PKK members.

He told a conference in Istanbul, that calling the group a terrorist organisation, as the United States and European Union do, was not enough.

"We want action, and if you can't show action, you fail the sincerity test," he said. "Those who overlook terrorism are in cooperation with terrorism."

Erdogan had also claimed that the country is in a "constant state of alert" and warned that "those who support terrorists and even those who turn a blind eye to them, are partners in crime.

"They share the responsibility for bloodshed and killings."

Remember this from 2001?

"A coalition partner must do more than just express sympathy, a coalition partner must perform," Bush said. "That means different things for different nations. Some nations don't want to contribute troops and we understand that. Other nations can contribute intelligence-sharing. ... But all nations, if they want to fight terror, must do something."

Bush said he would not point out any specific countries in his speech.

"Over time it's going to be important for nations to know they will be held accountable for inactivity," he said. "You're either with us or against us in the fight against terror."

It turns out Dubya was "against us" all along. Color me surprised...