http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4628695.stm
It will not come as much of a surprise [ that Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that it could take up to 12 years to defeat the Iraqi insurgency ] to the Iraqis either. Even the optimists here in Iraq - and there are surprisingly many - do not expect life to improve for many years.
The problem is with the American public. They have simply not been prepared for this sort of long-term commitment.
Which American Public is he talking about? The majority, that voted for Bush -- because they knew he would carry out our responsibility to the Iraqis, or the minority (of whom at least 80% of the press are card-carrying members) that voted for Kerry, who for all of his pre-election posturing would surely have long ago put forth a timeline for withdrawal thus insuring defeat. Most of the Leftists even agree that pulling out now would be a mistake. People calling for withdrawal are a freakish minority.
The White House can either prepare Americans for a very long haul - or it could start work on an exit strategy, with all the humiliation that would entail, [em. mine] and the very real danger of an Iraqi civil war.
For all President Bush's recent expressions of resolve, it is still not entirely clear which option he is going to choose.
What planet have you been living on? It's entirely clear to me. The White House has been very clear from the beginning that this was a long haul committment. Bush has always said "As long as it takes." And he refuses to lay down a timeline for withdrawal in the face of demands from the left that he do so. He won't do it because it would be wrong, and dispite the slanders of MoveOn.org & Michael Moore, the man has too good a moral center to do it.
I love the little freudian interjection of "and all the humiliation that would entail" because that's excactly what the columnist and his peers are salivating to see, never mind the horrible suffering of the Iraqis for generations to come if that happened. No, far more important to skewer Bush at every opportunity.
George W. Bush:
"We are there to complete a mission, and it's an important mission." "A democratic Iraq is in the interests of the United States, and it's in the interests of laying the foundation for peace."
"The way ahead is not going to be easy."
''I recognize that Americans want our troops to come home as quickly as possible. So do I. We will stay in Iraq as long as we are needed -- and not a day longer."
I've been hearing and reading him say things to this effect since before we went in to Iraq. I simply don't understand how anyone can dismiss so cavalierly that the president has repeated this message again and again -- unless that person is knowingly trying to paint a different picture to continue grinding a political axe that has already worn very thin.
It is the press that is the the willing mouthpiece of the resistance(s), stressing the negative and largely ignoring any positive with headlines of terror and fear, and gloom and doom at every attack by the enemy. If there is demand for withdrawal it is coming from the very political sector to which most members of the press lay their allegiance, not from the White House. The only people demanding withdrawal are mindless peace-at-all-cost-nicks and people whose highest goal is to damage Bush politically over the lives of Iraqis and Americans and others.
I can see it now... the press's daily blow by blow coverage of the building of the Empire State building.
"397 bolts were dropped or broken today on the construction of the new building, a monument to American Corporate Greed. 40 welds were re-done when it was found they didn't meet the standards of the welders. A fourth builder fell to his death today, plunging the project further into quagmire. There were 3 bruised fingers, and 14 scrapes and cuts. It is doubtful as to whether this project will ever successfully completed. And if it is it will take a very long time."
Or how about this for England during WWII?
"Another bomb exploded today killing 17 Londoners. Parliament was warned that bombing the Germans in response to attacks would only bring more attacks. Protesters are urging the Prime Minister to stop the cycle of violence."
In their world, continuing=increasing, and repetition=truth .
And don't they love the word "Quagmire"?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4692881.stm
No comments:
Post a Comment