On May 1, 2003, George W Bush declared victory in Iraq aboard an aircraft carrier to an audience of the world news and 5,000 Marines and sailors, "Iraq is free," *Bush said, "The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror." It was at an end that day by public declaration, the Iraq War. Iraq's army was disbanded, their government leaders captured, their weapons silenced, and much of the country in ruins. We were in control of the cities, the towns, the prisons, and the countryside. The Iraq War was over, but what a mess that has enfolded in Iraq since that day in May of 2003.
What we have in place of war is a mess in Iraq that must be called an occupation not a war. There is no organized military facing us. There are instead Insurgents, for we have already won that war, but lost that peace. Insurgents and people that Bill O'Riley recently described as deserving a bullet to the head if they violate a 7PM curfew, no questions asked. Yes, we control Iraq, now how do we ever leave?
We won the War, yet; we continue to have over 140,000 troops in Iraq. We continue to pour billions of dollars and supplement that each year by over $100 billion more. We have spent hundreds of billions of dollars and over 3400 lives after we won that War and spending may eventually reach over 2 trillion dollars in cost of materials, replacements, and Veterans benefits plus hospital care for the wounded. How many more Americans will be wounded or die? What a glorious victory!! How can we ever afford such success?
There was once an exit strategy for Vietnam that was simply declaring a victory and withdrawing our troops before we lost. We were fighting a war for the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese. We were in Vietnam fighting an organized government in the North Vietnamese army and a guerrilla army in the Viet Cong. We did not declare a war over, and then when the peace failed due to incompetence, say we can't leave because we're in a war. Never was there a suggestion that we declare a victory and stay there until we bankrupted America and then ignite a civil war because we had neither the competence nor the ability to nation build. The Republicans withdrew after they declared that war over. One day, we left and gave the country back to the Vietnamese.
Despite Mr. O'Riley's combat analysis, we are the occupying force. We have tortured prisoners at Abu Grave Prison, we have incarcerated people without trial in Guantanamo, and we have left a country in worse structural shape than when we started. We have disrespected their rights and their sovereignty, and we have a mess in Iraq. We have already won the War now we need to win what George H W Bush called exit strategy. The House and the Senate gave a real debate and an intelligent analysis of the situation. There was a discussion and analysis how we get out of this mess in Iraq, and a detailed plan of milestones and bench marks that was vetoed by George Bush on the very anniversary of the Mission Accomplished speech of May 1 four years ago.
The best the President can offer is stay the course. Well, like the Captain of the Titanic who stayed the course, stay the course at some point, when the course is disaster means doing the same thing and hoping for a different result, and that is the classic definition of insanity.
* http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2989459.stm
__._,_.___on Accompli
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