After getting to watch a re-air of this debacle tonight, I’ve got to wonder what planet George Bush and Tony Blair are living on. Even the British press which is a lot tougher than the lap-dog White Press Corps completely missed the points of the big elephant in the room, which why we went to Iraq to begin with, and just what have we done wrong since we’ve been there which took this war from being a debacle to a complete fiasco. I think the first thing we need to do to ever fix this mess is to QUIT LYING about what we’ve done, why we went there, and what we’re left with now. The type of comments coming out of Bush’s mouth on just what we’re dealing with now are beyond the pale, and beyond any semblance of reality today.
First off, when talking about a need for some bi-partisan unity about how to "move forward", their new buzz phrase for the week, George said that we need to support the "Democrat" government of Maliki. He talked about not supporting extremists in the Middle East. That we need to build there what our citizens have here. That we cannot live in isolationism since this is a "global war" and that there have been "difficult moments’ with this war. He also said we have the "capacity to prevail" in this "first war of the 21st Century" and that we need to "secure peace for millions including our own citizens". With all respect Mr. President, which you don’t deserve, give me a break.
He continually talked about a "way forward". I would ask, forward into WHAT? It means nothing. He said we cannot fail. Just what does he think has happened already, and if it’s not failure, what is? I guess it will be when the government completely falls apart, and the Green Zone is stormed by one of these radical groups that have enough people to take it. He says there are three elements to move us forward. One is to make sure the government is non-sectarian. To that I’d say too late. Another is to make sure that the other countries in the region own up to their responsibilities to support the government of Iraq. I would say that maybe if we’d had some of their support BEFORE we went in there, we would not have to be either asking for it, or demanding it now. The third is to bring about peace between the Israelis and Palestinians with their two state agreements. I haven’t seen that looking like a high priority for this government with their unilateral support of Israel from day one with whatever they’ve decided to do.
Bush said we need to send a strong signal that we’re even handed. With who exactly, and how does invading a country to steal their oil supplies for our American and British oil companies ever look "even handed". He said the "only path to security is the path to spreading democracy". I’d be extremely happy if he decided we needed a little bit more of it at home here and a little less of his idea of George Orwell’s book coming to life with our "democracy". You’re free to speak as long as you agree with us. I would not wish that on another country right now.
He continued on with this "way forward" rhetoric, and talked about the ISG’s report being a way forward, and the Pentagon report coming as a way forward, but still hung on to this notion that we needed to "achieve our objective" and make Iraq an "ally in the war on terror". Then he went on to say how we need more bi-partisanship to achieve our "objectives" and talked about all of the nasty name calling during the last election cycle. As someone who has used the likes of Karl Rove to get where he has, I wonder just who he thinks is to blame for the name calling. It’s just amazing now that the Dems got back into power how many calls there are for bi-partisan solutions, and for working together. A far cry from ‘stay the course’, "cut and run", and the Democrats love terrorists and want to give them therapy that was running out of their mouths before the election. Now it’s "can’t we all get along?"
Bush said we need to "empower the Maliki government". Empower them how? He said we need to help with their economy there. How? By putting all of their army, and police, and oil workers out of work so they don’t have anything better to do than lob bombs at us, and kill each other? By running the entire middle class and upper class out of the country where there’s little more than the poor or unemployed there? By hiring workers from other countries from around the region for substandard wages instead of Iraqis to rebuild their own infrastructure?
He then goes on to blame Iran, Syria, and terrorists for this holy hell we opened up with no plans for peace, and no plans to put Iraqis to work, and with us thinking they’d just be all hunky dory about us building Vatican sized embassies over there which are the only places with things like electricity turned on and running water 24/7. I cannot imagine given them seeing those structures go up how they’d ever think we went in there not meaning to EVER leave.
Bush was so upset with one of the British reporters today that he literally went into a rant after the guy asked him a reasonable question about how he looks like he’s not connected to reality or willing to change, and was rude enough to call the man a "lad" later on. He also looked the guy in the eye and said he talked to "the families who die". I am wondering just who these entire families are who’ve given their lives in Iraq. He went on to start railing about how we’re going to succeed, and prevail, and how "hard" it is to prevail and that "failure is to quit, and not adjust".
All I know is that this man continues to scare the living hell out of me after watching him in action tonight. He's completely disconnected from reality, and with what's going on in Iraq, and I've got to wonder if those around him have even let him know all of just what we've done there with making sure the country falls into chaos.