George Bush's Foundation of Peace

Today George Bush said of those that have died in Iraq:

And I guess my one thought I wanted to leave with those who still hurt is that one day people will look back at this moment in history and say, thank God there were courageous people willing to serve, because they laid the foundations for peace for generations to come; that I have vowed in the past, and I will vow so long as I'm President, to make sure that those lives were not lost in vain, that, in fact, there is a outcome that will merit the sacrifice that civilian and military alike have made...

And from the Washington Post we get the story of  Col. Faisal Ismail al-Zobaie, former insurgent and current police chief of Fallujah, a city that the U.S. military showcases as "a model city where U.S. policies are finally paying off."  

... the security that has been achieved here is fragile, the result of harsh tactics recalling the rule of Saddam Hussein...Even as they work alongside U.S. forces, Zobaie's men admit they have beaten and tortured suspects to force confessions and exact revenge.

His men, he added, abuse suspects because "they don't surrender easily. They don't confess. They say: 'I am innocent. I haven't done anything.' They start to defend themselves."

He has also launched a network of intelligence operatives around the city, a system that was the backbone of Hussein's security apparatus, police officials said.

That is how Zobaie's men control Fallujah. With two U.S. Marines a few feet away, Fezaa said that if he caught a criminal or terrorism suspect in front of people, he would not hurt him. And if he captured him alone? "I wouldn't even let him walk afterward," he said. He pulled an electric stun gun from his leg holster. "I've used this before," he declared.

Capt. Mohammed Yousef, a ruddy-faced police investigator in another joint security station, said he sometimes has to beat suspects to make them confess. He has interrogated suspects since 1994, he said, and sees no need to change his methods.

"Since Saddam Hussein until now, Iraq obeys only the force," said Yousef. "We are practicing the same old procedures."

With American help, Zobaie's influence is growing. He presides over school graduations and launches municipal projects. He helps approve reconstruction contracts and meets with tribal sheiks. Last week, a member of parliament visited his office: He needed Zobaie's help to settle a land dispute.

"This politician came to me to solve the problem and not the city council," Zobaie said, beaming. He was wearing a dark suit with a black and silver tie, not his uniform.

What Zobaie wants is for the U.S. military to hand over full control of Fallujah. He believes Iraq's current leaders are not strong enough. Asked if democracy could ever bloom here, he replied: "No democracy in Iraq. Ever."

"When the Americans leave the city, I'll be tougher with the people," he said.

This is the foundation that has cost  4,000 U.S. lives, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives and $500 billion.  Just imagine how much more "success" like this we could have with John McCain carrying out Bush's third term.