Bush Has Busted

[This article was originally posted here, in 2006].

I can't help but chime in and set down my thoughts on the growing national and global hostility Bush administration's core beliefs aren't new, as any reader of Machiavelli or Cesar can attestbeing directed at the United States, regarding how we are prosecuting the war on terror. It's starting to feel like a heat wave in the middle of winter, and like melting snow, America's credibility and influence are fast-flowing into the gutter.

There has been a lot of discussion about whether the Bush administration, and the American people for that matter, truly understand the stakes in Iraq. The sitting president, like most monarchs, expects unquestioned devotion to both his vision and his plan for carrying it out. The to, and that the frightening truth is that unitary executive has its allies both at home and abroad. At home, the dwindling cabal of NeoConservatives are still standing with the president, and around the world, most dictators respect his style, if not his strategy. Its the free world that thinks Bush has busted.

The stakes are high. Still, as reported by MSN, et al., the Administration may be surprised to discover that the American people may not be in sync with the President's personal and political assessment:

"Polls show Americans are against the war in Iraq and do not see it as part of the war on terrorism, so will the Republican strategy of equating anti-war dissent to defeatism and appeasement work?"[1]

Protecting the homeland has got to be the first priority of the national government, whether governed by Democrats or Republicans. Our security is more important than health care, education and especially tax cuts for Republican contributors. Bush got it right on the first two.

For the Bush administration, defending our country clearly begins with waging war in Iraq. The President reminds us everyday. Recently, on the five year anniversary of 9/11, the president gave yet another speech reiterating the connection between the invasion of Iraq and the global war on terrorism. Not everybody agrees. Bob Shrum of MSN didn't mince words remarks which reflect the thoughts of most Americans:

"I think he was not only political. I think he lied. I think he wrapped the whole Iraq war in 9/11, when every piece of evidence we have - and they keep coming out - says that Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11. And, frankly, I think it is obscene for the president of the United States, on what should be a sacred and nonpartisan day, to wrap an Iraq war that is a disaster in the shrouds of the victims of 9/11."

The cost has been tremendous in life, reputation and treasure. Deserving notice are the debt to our slain and maimed soldiers who are dying every day, and the debt to our grandchildren, who are too young to object, both of which are growing rapidly. The campaign in Iraq is unstable and unpredictable, and according to some soldiers on the ground, in the throws of a civil war[2].

The President; however, rejects the notion that Iraq is entering into civil war. While the verbiage may change from speech to speech, the heart of Bush's argument can best be summed up in the following Presidential remarks,

"Our commanders and diplomats on the ground believe that Iraq has not descended into a civil war. They report that only a small number of Iraqis are engaged in sectarian violence, while the overwhelming majority want peace and a normal life in a unified country."

While the President may be factually correct in so far as the numbers are small, relative to the 25 million who live in Iraq, most say that he far too eagerly dismisses the impact that these few "hanger ons" are having in the Oil Wars of the 21st Century. Whether Iraq is in a civil war is an argument of degrees, but it is hard to endorse the President's judgment, for failure to see it coming. The developing civil war has been brewing for generations, and is spilling over nearby borders into neighboring countries. Radicalism is being legalized in Lebonon, and Hizbollah is "flexing its muscles." David Shenker writes for the Washington Institute's policy Watch, and reports, "To some degree, of course, the trend in Lebannon reflects wider regional developments..."[3]

'Nuff said...





REFERENCES

[1] 'Hardball with Chris Matthews' for August 31.

[2] Iraqi civil war has already begun, U.S. troops say, By Tom Lasseter of McClatchy Newspapers, Fri, Aug. 04, 2006

[3] PolicyWatch #1114 "One Year after the Cedar Revolution: The Potential for Sunni-Shiite Conflict in Lebanon By David Schenker June 20, 2006