1 Boring Old Man

For the last six or seven years, a lot of us have howled that the Foreign Policy espoused by the Bush Administration doesn’t make a bit of sense – that what they tell us is full of holes. The Bush Administration has treked forward, unsullied by our complaints, exuding confidence that they are on the right path. A whole industry has grown up around this scenario – "liberal bloggers" – an industrious group that never tires of pointing out that what the Bush Administration says and reality are at odds, almost always discordant. But, more or less, our current government continues to march down its confusing path with a tenacious strength of purpose. There’s another way to look at things. What if we assume that where we are is exactly where this Adminisration was headed from the outset? What if we throw out what they’ve said as only rhetoric, and look at what they’ve done as if it reflects exactly what they intended to do from the start? Would it make their path make more sense?

Bush to address war-weary Americans on Iraq

President George W. Bush will address a war-weary American public next week to "lay out a vision" for the U.S. role in Iraq as he tries to sell his strategy in the wake of a crucial report to Congress.

Heading home from an overseas trip on the eve of a political showdown over the unpopular war, Bush used his Saturday radio address to appeal for patience from Democratic lawmakers demanding a timetable for troop withdrawal.

Bush is under mounting pressure to change course in Iraq as top commander David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker prepare to testify about a troop buildup the president says is making progress but which critics call a failure.

"I urge the members of Congress to listen to these two well-respected professionals — before jumping to any conclusions," he said.

Fresh from a surprise visit to Iraq, Bush announced he would make his case in a televised address after Petraeus and Crocker deliver much-anticipated assessments starting Monday. CNN said the president would speak in prime time on Thursday.

"Next week," he said, "I will speak directly to the nation about the recommendations General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker have presented to me.

"I will discuss the changes our strategy has brought to Iraq. I will lay out a vision for future involvement in Iraq — one that I believe the American people and their elected leaders of both parties can support."

So, where we were headed all along is where we are now – occupying Iraq. As Bolten said yesterday:

Bush wants to make "it possible for his successor — whichever party that successor is from — to have a sustained presence in the Middle East," Bolten said. "And have America continue to be a respected and influential power in the Middle East."

If you sit down and think through the last six years and all the paradoxical things that have happened as I did yesterday, this notion fits them all. I’ll not list them. It’s a good nostalgic exercise for you to review these frustrating years. I expect that Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney are sitting on the edge of another version of this logic. Iran is messing with nuclear power. "We can’t let them get away with that. It’s our duty to bomb their entire military and nuclear machine into the stone age, because the American people and Congress just don’t understand how important it is. Again, we’ll just have to do what’s necessary because they don’t have enough sense to do it themselves".