Et si l’Irak était la Chapelle Sixtine en cours de finition ?

C’est, selon Julian Borger du Guardian, — et on le suit volontiers — «one of the most extraordinary attempts by the US military leadership to put a positive spin on the worsening violence». Bien sûr, il s’agit de la situation en Irak, comparée à “une œuvre d’art en cours d’élaboration”.

Brièvement présentée par un Borger au souffle coupé et à la plume qui lui tombe des mains, la déclaration est, en effet, extraordinaire. Elle ne demande aucun commentaire. Sa simple existence mesure une fois de plus, mais spectaculairement dans ce cas, le degré de désarroi et de ridicule auquel les Américains officiels sont parvenus dans leur mission de peindre (c’est le mot), au moins jusqu’au 7 novembre, un chaos infernal en une situation pleine d’espérances et de joies cachées.

Quelques extraits :

«An American general in Baghdad called Iraq a “work of art”in progress yesterday in one of the most extraordinary attempts by the US military leadership to put a positive spin on the worsening violence.

»On a day in which 49 people were killed or found dead around the country, Major General William Caldwell, the chief military spokesman, argued that Iraq was in transition, a process that was “not always a pleasant thing to watch.

»“Every great work of art goes through messy phases while it is in transition. A lump of clay can become a sculpture. Blobs of paint become paintings which inspire,” Maj Gen Caldwell told journalists in Baghdad's fortified green zone.

»“The final test of our efforts will not be the isolated incidents that you report daily, but the country that the Iraqis build.” Perceptions of how the war is going have become a central factor in next Tuesday's congressional elections, which could determine President George Bush's freedom of manoeuvre in his last two years in office.»

Mis en ligne le 3 novembre 2006 à 07H50