Does President Bush really believe what he said last night? In reading the transcript, several things struck me. First, as he so often has done in the past, Bush tries desperately -- and inaccurately -- to make the Iraq war about 9/11. It is not. Saddam Hussein was certainly evil in many ways, but, as Bush should know, he had absolutely nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks on America. So, when Bush says "The war reached our shores on September 11, 2001," I would just like to know which "war" he is talking about, and how that has anything to do with Iraq, a country that never attacked us, had no plans to do so, and did not support Al Qaeda.
Second, Bush lumps together all of "the terrorists" into a single, coherent entity. That is utterly, completely, ridiculously false. And the President of the United States should know that. So why is Bush continuing to mislead us over two years after our invasion of Iraq? Although he mentions it himself later in his speech, I wonder if he truly understands that "the terrorists" are actually a mixture of a) Sunni Iraqi nationalists who want to drive us out of their country; b) former members ("remnants," as Bush calls them) of the Ba'ath regime who fear that the country will be dominated by their archenemy the Shi'ites (who they brutally oppressed for years), who fear and oppose the loss of their own former power and privileges, and who see U.S. forces as allies of their enemies; c) criminals and thugs who take advantage of disorder in their country to kidnap and commit other crimes for money; and d) a few thousand foreign "jihadists" drawn to Iraq, mainly from our great "ally" Saudi Arabia, by the presence of U.S. forces there. So how are all these people lumped together as monolithic "terrorists" by President Bush, when they clearly are not "monolithic" or, in many cases, "terrorists" in the common meaning of the term. And, again, what on earth did these people have to do with 9/11?
Third, Bush tries to argue that what we are doing in Iraq is "vital to the future security of our country" because it is "a central front in the war on terror." Now this claim actually has a measure of truth in it, but only in a "circular reasoning" kind of way. The thing is, Iraq was not "vital to the future security of our country" or a "central front in the war on terror" before we invaded it. Now that our presence there has drawn several thousand foreign "jihadists" to the country, we have made the place a major battleground with what can arguably be called "terrorists." Even worse, our presence in Iraq has actually created thousands of battle-hardened "terrorists" (or whatever you want to call them) that didn't exist before. In fact, the Saudi royal family reportedly is worried that these people will return eventually to the Kingdom and use their new-found fighting skills on them. Wonderful. And this is "worth the sacrifice" of 1,700 Americans killed, many more thousands wounded, and hundreds of billions of dollars spent so far? Wow.
Fourth, the whole thesis that we are going to turn Iraq into a beacon of democracy and freedom "in the broader Middle East" is completely absurd. In fact, the recent Iranian election of a hard-liner as President was partly a reaction to Bush's negative comments about Iran's "sham elections" and support for "spread[ing] terror across the world." The election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as President of Iran was also, arguably, a reaction to the perceived threat coming from the U.S. military presence right across their border. So how is our presence in Iraq spreading democracy and freedom in the Middle East? Short answer? It's not.
Fifth, Bush had absolutely nothing new to say in his speech last night. In fact, what is striking is the amount of repetition, like a mantra, of the same words over and over and over again: "freedom," "terrorists," "mission," etc. In other words, the same old same old. No success strategy or exit strategy. No specifics on how we're going to achieve our goals. No new ideas. And, revealingly, no call to sacrifice by the American people despite the fact that we are supposedly in a "global war on terror." Let me think, the last time we were engaged in a true World War, we had gasoline rationing, "victory gardens," a draft, and sharply higher taxes. Now, we have $60 per barrel oil, entreaties to go shopping, a military that's badly missing its recruiting goals, and huge tax cuts for rich people. It's a bizarre combination, but as I mentioned, it's nothing new for the Bush Administration. The bottom line is that, nearly four years after 9/11, the Bush Administration and Republican Congress have no plan for winning the "war on terror," other than bankrupting our nation while tying us down in a nasty, grinding, probably-unwinnable guerilla war in Iraq. Great job, guys.
Finally, I found it striking how President Bush cynically tried to tie support for our troops with support for his policies. That is despicable. Everyone supports our troops, their courage and sacrifice. It's the mission that Americans are questioning in large majorities. (Oh, and by the way, I found it fascinating the troops' lack of applause last night for their Commander in Chief to be rather, uh, interesting.)
And, by the way, if President Bush really honors the sacrifice of our fighting men and women in Iraq, then why has he not yet attended a single military funeral of our fallen heroes in Iraq? Does he need directions to Arlington National Cemetery, located just two miles from the White House? Or is he too busy flying around the country trying to sell his unpopular Social Security privatization plans, or taking yet another vacation at his ranch in Texas, to show up once in a while and pay his respects to those Americans - overwhelmingly working class folks - who have paid the "ultimate sacrifice" for his war in Iraq? Apparently, Bush is too busy courting (and raising money from) the rich and powerful who helped put him in power.
In sum, President Bush's speech last night offered nothing new, just the same old generalities, platitudes, lack of vision, and - frankly - the lies we've been hearing for several years now. Unfortunately for George W. Bush, the American people are on to all this, disapproving of his handling of the war in Iraq by large margins.
And, no matter how hard Bush and Rove try to talk their way out of it with speeches like last night's, the American people ain't buying what they're selling. As the saying goes: "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me." Message to Bush and Rove: we are not fools.
Bush's words would be bitter gall indeed to the millions of Iraqis who have never lifted a weapon, who did not invite the American-led "liberation" of their country, and whose lives are shattered by the grotesque and unrelenting violence that have prevailed since the war began. Their losses (multiplied tens of thousands, but tellingly, Americans aren't counting) completely overwhelm those of the US military, and must also be accounted when anyone assesses the worth of the conflict as Bush did in his speech.
As to the rationale for the war, Kaine stops short of asking the most important question: Ultimately, if the war in Iraq was not about WMDs and 9/11, then what was it really about? Americans need to discover the truth behind the war in Iraq for themselves. As a non-American, I defy you to prove that you really are the "home of the brave, land of the free," and NOT a pack of button-eyed fools. If there are war-mongers and deceivers in your midst, search them out, even if it takes you to the White House itself.