1 Boring Old Man

Bush Says Iraq War Is Part of a Larger Fight

Whatever their ethnic or religious differences, Mr. Bush said, they are united in their wish “to turn back the advance of freedom, and impose a dark vision of tyranny and terror across the world.”

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“And the unifying feature of this movement, the link that spans sectarian divisions and local grievances, is the rigid conviction that free societies are a threat to their twisted view of Islam,” Mr. Bush said.

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“In the coming days, I’ll deliver a series of speeches describing the nature of our enemy in the war on terror, the insights we’ve gained about their aims and ambitions, the successes and setbacks we’ve experienced, and our strategy to prevail in this long war,” Mr. Bush said.

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That September morning brought to the United States “a war we didn’t ask for, but a war we must wage, and a war we will win,” Mr. Bush said. And if the United States tires of fighting in the streets of Baghdad, he said, “we will face the terrorists in the streets of our own cities.”

“So the United States will not leave until victory is achieved,” Mr. Bush said, warning that more sacrifice lies ahead and that the struggle will be a long one.

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“Every element of national power” is being marshaled in “the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century,” Mr. Bush said.

Of course we know that this is an orchestrated strategy. We’ve heard it for six very long years now. All Administration big-wigs making variations of the same speech, filled with contempt for their opponents, reeking with disdain bordering on hatred. I suppose there are people who still listen to such things, either out of misdirected patriotism, ignorance, or likemindedness. But it’s hard to imagine.

"And if the United States tires of fighting in the streets of Baghdad, he said, ‘we will face the terrorists in the streets of our own cities. So the United States will not leave until victory is achieved’.”  I want to change that to "And whether the United States tires of fighting in the streets of Baghdad or not, we might face the terrorists in the streets of our own cities, but I doubt the hell out of it. They want a Caliphate in the Middle East, not Detroit." The Administration is on this kick of saying that our made-up War with Iraq is because of 911. That our War with Iraq is the definitive battle in the War on Terror. That opponents of the War in Iraq don’t realize the danger, or are willing to appease the Terrorists, or any number of other absurd things. And they know these things are not true. They say them in order to avoid the debate that characterizes American Democracy.

But while most of us know that this is simply a mid-term election media blitz trying to hold on to their control of Congress, it’s also something else. It’s an incredibly irresponsible stance. They are keeping our young people in harm’s way to justify their failed foreign policy decisions and avoid exposure. They are keeping our young people in harm’s way to make political gains for their Republican Party. They are keeping our young people in harm’s way to press an ideology that is inconsistant with American values. They are keeping our young people in harm’s way and killing Iraqis for reasons other than the best interests of the United States or the world. So they are irresponsible people as well as incompetent leaders. And they hate American Democracy because they hate and trivialize their opponents. They seem to want a Republican Caliphate from sea to shining sea. They make a mockery of "of the people, by the people, for the people."

I hope there are enough awake alert Americans around to hear him clearly. It’s not going to be political bloggers who bring him down. He’s going to do it all by himself. He still hasn’t figured out what the first Republican President meant by, "but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time."