Meet the new plan, it's the same as the old one
Last night President Bush announced his “new” plan for Iraq. A somber George Bush gave his speech. For once he wasn’t cocky and he didn’t smirk once. That alone should indicate to everyone that we’ve already lost Iraq and that Bush knows it. With Bush though, why let facts interfere with your fantasies.
Bush began talking about the Global War on Terror. He knows the American people aren’t happy with the way things are going and he isn’t either. If there is any blame, he’ll accept the blame. He wasn’t saying he is the blame for the problems, just that as the head honcho he’ll take one for the team. If he wasn’t so defeated now I’m sure he would have smirked. He informed us that after consulting with a bunch of people he has devised a new strategy. Bush gives his interpretation on why things went wrong. After the Iraqi elections, instead of everyone celebrating their new vibrant democracy, the insurgents increased the violence to set back the elections. It seems it was a good strategy in their case since things are worse in Iraq now. Bush reminds us that failure in Iraq would be a disaster for America. Bush goes to his default statement and mentions 9/11. To keep us safe here we have to keep them unsafe there, or something like that. We are given a new definition for what victory is. It’s getting a stable Iraq democracy that fights terrorist. So we won’t see any enemy surrendering or any cool photo ops of Bush on another aircraft carrier accepting his enemy’s defeat, but you settle for what you can get.
The plan is basically things he’s been doing or floating out there for sometime. Security has to be established in Baghdad, (either the rest of Iraq is secure or screw’em). He acknowledges we’ve gone this route before but he explains why it didn’t work before. We’d clear out a neighborhood of insurgents, we’d leave and they’d take it back. That was because there weren’t enough troops and there were restrictions on US troops. His solution is to increase American force levels in Iraq by 20,000 (21,500) with most of those troops assigned to Baghdad. Our troops will be embedded with Iraqi forces and they’ll clear out neighborhoods of insurgents and hold the neighborhoods. The Iraqi government is going to cooperate with us and give us the green light to go into neighborhoods held by Shiite militia. Our mission will be to help and protect the local population and insure that the Iraqi force left behind can protect and provide the security that Baghdad needs.
Bush is also planning to send 4000 troops (this is probably Marines) to the Anbar province the most dangerous area outside of Baghdad in Iraq. This is when things get really interesting. Instead of talking to Iran and Syria and getting them involved in a peace process like the Iraq Study Group suggested, Bush is sending a carrier group to the region to deal with Iran’s helping groups in Iraq. Bush is very belligerent when he talks about the trouble Iran and Syria are causing in the region. Now this seems more like the W we all know. Instead of looking for a way to stabilize the area and bring our troops home, he wants to take the fight to Iran.
He again plans on advancing liberty in the region and for that to happen we have to stand by Iraq. He says our patience with the Iraqi government is short but he doesn’t place in time tables on their government. He again states that a victory in Iraq, a democratic Iraq insures our safety. If we start to pull out now it’ll going to cause a collapse in Iraq and will only force us to stay longer.
So Bush interpreted the October elections to mean that the American public wants victory in Iraq, and even though we won’t stay there forever, it appears we’ll stay until the job is done. Basically what he has been doing since we invaded Iraq. Bush acknowledges the next year will be bad and we’ll take heavy casualties, but he’s willing to make those sacrifices. He’s of course isn’t willing to do any of the sacrificing or sending his kids or other members of his family to make the sacrifices either. Its clear Bush has learned nothing and it’s up to Congress to try to slow him down. The last two years of this administration are going to be long and bloody.
Bush began talking about the Global War on Terror. He knows the American people aren’t happy with the way things are going and he isn’t either. If there is any blame, he’ll accept the blame. He wasn’t saying he is the blame for the problems, just that as the head honcho he’ll take one for the team. If he wasn’t so defeated now I’m sure he would have smirked. He informed us that after consulting with a bunch of people he has devised a new strategy. Bush gives his interpretation on why things went wrong. After the Iraqi elections, instead of everyone celebrating their new vibrant democracy, the insurgents increased the violence to set back the elections. It seems it was a good strategy in their case since things are worse in Iraq now. Bush reminds us that failure in Iraq would be a disaster for America. Bush goes to his default statement and mentions 9/11. To keep us safe here we have to keep them unsafe there, or something like that. We are given a new definition for what victory is. It’s getting a stable Iraq democracy that fights terrorist. So we won’t see any enemy surrendering or any cool photo ops of Bush on another aircraft carrier accepting his enemy’s defeat, but you settle for what you can get.
The plan is basically things he’s been doing or floating out there for sometime. Security has to be established in Baghdad, (either the rest of Iraq is secure or screw’em). He acknowledges we’ve gone this route before but he explains why it didn’t work before. We’d clear out a neighborhood of insurgents, we’d leave and they’d take it back. That was because there weren’t enough troops and there were restrictions on US troops. His solution is to increase American force levels in Iraq by 20,000 (21,500) with most of those troops assigned to Baghdad. Our troops will be embedded with Iraqi forces and they’ll clear out neighborhoods of insurgents and hold the neighborhoods. The Iraqi government is going to cooperate with us and give us the green light to go into neighborhoods held by Shiite militia. Our mission will be to help and protect the local population and insure that the Iraqi force left behind can protect and provide the security that Baghdad needs.
Bush is also planning to send 4000 troops (this is probably Marines) to the Anbar province the most dangerous area outside of Baghdad in Iraq. This is when things get really interesting. Instead of talking to Iran and Syria and getting them involved in a peace process like the Iraq Study Group suggested, Bush is sending a carrier group to the region to deal with Iran’s helping groups in Iraq. Bush is very belligerent when he talks about the trouble Iran and Syria are causing in the region. Now this seems more like the W we all know. Instead of looking for a way to stabilize the area and bring our troops home, he wants to take the fight to Iran.
He again plans on advancing liberty in the region and for that to happen we have to stand by Iraq. He says our patience with the Iraqi government is short but he doesn’t place in time tables on their government. He again states that a victory in Iraq, a democratic Iraq insures our safety. If we start to pull out now it’ll going to cause a collapse in Iraq and will only force us to stay longer.
So Bush interpreted the October elections to mean that the American public wants victory in Iraq, and even though we won’t stay there forever, it appears we’ll stay until the job is done. Basically what he has been doing since we invaded Iraq. Bush acknowledges the next year will be bad and we’ll take heavy casualties, but he’s willing to make those sacrifices. He’s of course isn’t willing to do any of the sacrificing or sending his kids or other members of his family to make the sacrifices either. Its clear Bush has learned nothing and it’s up to Congress to try to slow him down. The last two years of this administration are going to be long and bloody.
posted by kbear | 9:28 AM
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