Technorati tags: politics; war; military; polls; diplomacy; foreign policy; Bush has been absolutely clueless about Iraq since day one
The guy who's responsible for getting us out of Iraq told reporters thursday, "Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die." I'm sure he does...Bush often says he 'understands' things he doesn't really understand. "I understand there's sectarian violence. I also understand that we're hunting down al Qaeda on a regular basis and we're bringing them to justice," he continued, "I understand how hard our troops are working. I know how brave the men and women who wear the uniform are, and therefore, they'll have the full support of this government. I understand what long deployments mean to wives and husbands, and mothers and fathers, particularly as we come into a holiday season. I understand. And I have made it abundantly clear how tough it is." The president is clearly a man of great understanderation.
For our part, we do understand. And, according to an Associated Press/Ipsos poll, we want to get the hell out. 71% of respondents disapprove of Bush's handling of the war and 63% thought that it was unlikely that a stable, democratic Iraq will exist when the smoke clears.
We also understand that getting out is a good idea. Asked if we should leave within six months, 60% said yes. Within two years (as the Iraq Study Group recommends), 71%. We also understand that leaving Iraq will require diplomacy and give and take -- only 9% expect a clear-cut victory while 87% believe there will be a comprise settlement of some kind.
This wasn't the message Bush was sending at his understanderatin' press conference with Tony Blair.
I like to remind people it's akin to the Cold War in many ways. There's an ideological clash going on. And the question is, will we have the resolve and the confidence in liberty to prevail? That's really the fundamental question facing -- it's not going to face this government or this government, because we made up our mind. We've made that part clear. But it will face future governments. There will be future opportunities for people to say, well, it's not worth it, let's just retreat. I would strongly advise a government not to accept that position because of the dangers inherent with isolationism and retreat.
The cold war? You're freakin' kidding me, right? The USSR was a nuclear armed superpower, the insurgents in Iraq are a bunch of lunatics with guns. Like his comparison of Islamic extremism with fascism, it's way off. How can someone who's seeing things so unrealistically understand anything at all?
He can't, which is why Iraq has been a screwed up mess since day one. Not a single premise for the war still stands -- no WMD, no ties between Hussein and al Qaeda, no grateful nation greeting us a liberators. Bush and company were wrong about everything and the people who's patriotism they smeared, who were called 'appeasers,' who were called 'unamerican,' were right. There will be no shining beacon of democracy in the middle east; there will only be a smoking hole, chaos, and a lasting hatred of the US. Bush's foreign policy is based almost entirely on fantasy and we're seeing the results.
"In Iraq, we try to win the hearts and minds of [the] population," 1st Lt. Gerard Dow, stationed in Iraq, told AP. "They want Americans out of here. They blame us for all their problems. They look at us as the terrorists and then they turn around and help the terrorists who are trying to kill us."
He understands, you understand, I understand -- Bush is clueless. And he's still convinced he knows best.
--Wisco
