The president began his address to the nation Wednesday evening by accepting responsibility for mistakes made in Iraq. But as he outlined his commitment to escalate the war, complete with abundant references to 9/11 and the specter of al-Qaida, George W. Bush demonstrated the same insulation from reason and reality that created this nightmare in the first place.
Full Text of Bush’s Speech:
Good evening. Tonight in Iraq, the Armed Forces of the United States are engaged in a struggle that will determine the direction of the global war on terror—and our safety here at home. The new strategy I outline tonight will change America’s course in Iraq, and help us succeed in the fight against terror.
When I addressed you just over a year ago, nearly 12 million Iraqis had cast their ballots for a unified and democratic nation. The elections of 2005 were a stunning achievement. We thought that these elections would bring the Iraqis together—and that as we trained Iraqi security forces, we could accomplish our mission with fewer American troops.
But in 2006, the opposite happened. The violence in Iraq—particularly in Baghdad—overwhelmed the political gains the Iraqis had made. Al-Qaida terrorists and Sunni insurgents recognized the mortal danger that Iraq’s elections posed for their cause. And they responded with outrageous acts of murder aimed at innocent Iraqis. They blew up one of the holiest shrines in Shia Islam—the Golden Mosque of Samarra—in a calculated effort to provoke Iraq’s Shia population to retaliate. Their strategy worked. Radical Shia elements, some supported by Iran, formed death squads. And the result was a vicious cycle of sectarian violence that continues today.
The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people—and it is unacceptable to me. Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely. They have done everything we have asked them to do. Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me.
It is clear that we need to change our strategy in Iraq. So my national security team, military commanders, and diplomats conducted a comprehensive review. We consulted Members of Congress from both parties, allies abroad, and distinguished outside experts. We benefited from the thoughtful recommendations of the Iraq Study Group—a bipartisan panel led by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Congressman Lee Hamilton. In our discussions, we all agreed that there is no magic formula for success in Iraq. And one message came through loud and clear: Failure in Iraq would be a disaster for the United States.
The consequences of failure are clear: Radical Islamic extremists would grow in strength and gain new recruits. They would be in a better position to topple moderate governments, create chaos in the region, and use oil revenues to fund their ambitions. Iran would be emboldened in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Our enemies would have a safe haven from which to plan and launch attacks on the American people. On September the 11th, 2001, we saw what a refuge for extremists on the other side of the world could bring to the streets of our own cities. For the safety of our people, America must succeed in Iraq.
The most urgent priority for success in Iraq is security, especially in Baghdad. Eighty percent of Iraq’s sectarian violence occurs within 30 miles of the capital. This violence is splitting Baghdad into sectarian enclaves, and shaking the confidence of all Iraqis. Only the Iraqis can end the sectarian violence and secure their people. And their government has put forward an aggressive plan to do it.
Our past efforts to secure Baghdad failed for two principal reasons: There were not enough Iraqi and American troops to secure neighborhoods that had been cleared of terrorists and insurgents. And there were too many restrictions on the troops we did have. Our military commanders reviewed the new Iraqi plan to ensure that it addressed these mistakes. They report that it does. They also report that this plan can work.
Let me explain the main elements of this effort: The Iraqi government will appoint a military commander and two deputy commanders for their capital. The Iraqi government will deploy Iraqi Army and National Police brigades across Baghdad’s nine districts. When these forces are fully deployed, there will be 18 Iraqi Army and National Police brigades committed to this effort—along with local police. These Iraqi forces will operate from local police stations—conducting patrols, setting up checkpoints, and going door-to-door to gain the trust of Baghdad residents.
This is a strong commitment. But for it to succeed, our commanders say the Iraqis will need our help. So America will change our strategy to help the Iraqis carry out their campaign to put down sectarian violence—and bring security to the people of Baghdad. This will require increasing American force levels. So I have committed more than 20,000 additional American troops to Iraq. The vast majority of them—five brigades—will be deployed to Baghdad. These troops will work alongside Iraqi units and be embedded in their formations. Our troops will have a well-defined mission: to help Iraqis clear and secure neighborhoods, to help them protect the local population, and to help ensure that the Iraqi forces left behind are capable of providing the security that Baghdad needs.
Many listening tonight will ask why this effort will succeed when previous operations to secure Baghdad did not. Here are the differences: In earlier operations, Iraqi and American forces cleared many neighborhoods of terrorists and insurgents—but when our forces moved on to other targets, the killers returned. This time, we will have the force levels we need to hold the areas that have been cleared. In earlier operations, political and sectarian interference prevented Iraqi and American forces from going into neighborhoods that are home to those fueling the sectarian violence. This time, Iraqi and American forces will have a green light to enter these neighborhoods—and Prime Minister Maliki has pledged that political or sectarian interference will not be tolerated.
I have made it clear to the Prime Minister and Iraq’s other leaders that America’s commitment is not open-ended. If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people—and it will lose the support of the Iraqi people. Now is the time to act. The Prime Minister understands this. Here is what he told his people just last week: “The Baghdad security plan will not provide a safe haven for any outlaws, regardless of [their] sectarian or political affiliation.”
This new strategy will not yield an immediate end to suicide bombings, assassinations, or IED attacks. Our enemies in Iraq will make every effort to ensure that our television screens are filled with images of death and suffering. Yet over time, we can expect to see Iraqi troops chasing down murderers, fewer brazen acts of terror, and growing trust and cooperation from Baghdad’s residents. When this happens, daily life will improve, Iraqis will gain confidence in their leaders, and the government will have the breathing space it needs to make progress in other critical areas. Most of Iraq’s Sunni and Shia want to live together in peace—and reducing the violence in Baghdad will help make reconciliation possible.
A successful strategy for Iraq goes beyond military operations. Ordinary Iraqi citizens must see that military operations are accompanied by visible improvements in their neighborhoods and communities. So America will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it has announced.
To establish its authority, the Iraqi government plans to take responsibility for security in all of Iraq’s provinces by November. To give every Iraqi citizen a stake in the country’s economy, Iraq will pass legislation to share oil revenues among all Iraqis. To show that it is committed to delivering a better life, the Iraqi government will spend 10 billion dollars of its own money on reconstruction and infrastructure projects that will create new jobs. To empower local leaders, Iraqis plan to hold provincial elections later this year. And to allow more Iraqis to re-enter their nation’s political life, the government will reform de-Baathification laws—and establish a fair process for considering amendments to Iraq’s constitution.
America will change our approach to help the Iraqi government as it works to meet these benchmarks. In keeping with the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, we will increase the embedding of American advisers in Iraqi Army units—and partner a Coalition brigade with every Iraqi Army division. We will help the Iraqis build a larger and better-equipped Army—and we will accelerate the training of Iraqi forces, which remains the essential U.S. security mission in Iraq. We will give our commanders and civilians greater flexibility to spend funds for economic assistance. We will double the number of Provincial Reconstruction Teams. These teams bring together military and civilian experts to help local Iraqi communities pursue reconciliation, strengthen moderates, and speed the transition to Iraqi self reliance. And Secretary Rice will soon appoint a reconstruction coordinator in Baghdad to ensure better results for economic assistance being spent in Iraq.
As we make these changes, we will continue to pursue al-Qaida and foreign fighters. Al-Qaida is still active in Iraq. Its home base is Anbar Province. Al-Qaida has helped make Anbar the most violent area of Iraq outside the capital. A captured al -Qaida document describes the terrorists’ plan to infiltrate and seize control of the province. This would bring al-Qaida closer to its goals of taking down Iraq’s democracy, building a radical Islamic empire, and launching new attacks on the United States at home and abroad.
Our military forces in Anbar are killing and capturing al-Qaida leaders—and protecting the local population. Recently, local tribal leaders have begun to show their willingness to take on al-Qaida. As a result, our commanders believe we have an opportunity to deal a serious blow to the terrorists. So I have given orders to increase American forces in Anbar Province by 4,000 troops. These troops will work with Iraqi and tribal forces to step up the pressure on the terrorists. America’s men and women in uniform took away al-Qaida’s safe haven in Afghanistan—and we will not allow them to re-establish it in Iraq.
Succeeding in Iraq also requires defending its territorial integrity—and stabilizing the region in the face of the extremist challenge. This begins with addressing Iran and Syria. These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq. Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops. We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq.
We are also taking other steps to bolster the security of Iraq and protect American interests in the Middle East. I recently ordered the deployment of an additional carrier strike group to the region. We will expand intelligence sharing—and deploy Patriot air defense systems to reassure our friends and allies. We will work with the governments of Turkey and Iraq to help them resolve problems along their border. And we will work with others to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating the region.
We will use America’s full diplomatic resources to rally support for Iraq from nations throughout the Middle East. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the Gulf States need to understand that an American defeat in Iraq would create a new sanctuary for extremists—and a strategic threat to their survival. These nations have a stake in a successful Iraq that is at peace with its neighbors—and they must step up their support for Iraq’s unity government. We endorse the Iraqi government’s call to finalize an International Compact that will bring new economic assistance in exchange for greater economic reform. And on Friday, Secretary Rice will leave for the region—to build support for Iraq, and continue the urgent diplomacy required to help bring peace to the Middle East.
The challenge playing out across the broader Middle East is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of our time. On one side are those who believe in freedom and moderation. On the other side are extremists who kill the innocent, and have declared their intention to destroy our way of life. In the long run, the most realistic way to protect the American people is to provide a hopeful alternative to the hateful ideology of the enemy—by advancing liberty across a troubled region. It is in the interests of the United States to stand with the brave men and women who are risking their lives to claim their freedom—and help them as they work to raise up just and hopeful societies across the Middle East.
From Afghanistan to Lebanon to the Palestinian Territories, millions of ordinary people are sick of the violence, and want a future of peace and opportunity for their children. And they are looking at Iraq. They want to know: Will America withdraw and yield the future of that country to the extremists—or will we stand with the Iraqis who have made the choice for freedom?
The changes I have outlined tonight are aimed at ensuring the survival of a young democracy that is fighting for its life in a part of the world of enormous importance to American security. Let me be clear: The terrorists and insurgents in Iraq are without conscience, and they will make the year ahead bloody and violent. Even if our new strategy works exactly as planned, deadly acts of violence will continue—and we must expect more Iraqi and American casualties. The question is whether our new strategy will bring us closer to success. I believe that it will.
Victory will not look like the ones our fathers and grandfathers achieved. There will be no surrender ceremony on the deck of a battleship. But victory in Iraq will bring something new in the Arab world—a functioning democracy that polices its territory, upholds the rule of law, respects fundamental human liberties, and answers to its people. A democratic Iraq will not be perfect. But it will be a country that fights terrorists instead of harboring them—and it will help bring a future of peace and security for our children and grandchildren.
Our new approach comes after consultations with Congress about the different courses we could take in Iraq. Many are concerned that the Iraqis are becoming too dependent on the United States—and therefore, our policy should focus on protecting Iraq’s borders and hunting down al-Qaida. Their solution is to scale back America’s efforts in Baghdad—or announce the phased withdrawal of our combat forces. We carefully considered these proposals. And we concluded that to step back now would force a collapse of the Iraqi government, tear that country apart, and result in mass killings on an unimaginable scale. Such a scenario would result in our troops being forced to stay in Iraq even longer, and confront an enemy that is even more lethal. If we increase our support at this crucial moment, and help the Iraqis break the current cycle of violence, we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home.
In the days ahead, my national security team will fully brief Congress on our new strategy. If Members have improvements that can be made, we will make them. If circumstances change, we will adjust. Honorable people have different views, and they will voice their criticisms. It is fair to hold our views up to scrutiny. And all involved have a responsibility to explain how the path they propose would be more likely to succeed.
Acting on the good advice of Senator Joe Lieberman and other key members of Congress, we will form a new, bipartisan working group that will help us come together across party lines to win the war on terror. This group will meet regularly with me and my Administration, and it will help strengthen our relationship with Congress. We can begin by working together to increase the size of the active Army and Marine Corps, so that America has the Armed Forces we need for the 21st century. We also need to examine ways to mobilize talented American civilians to deploy overseas—where they can help build democratic institutions in communities and nations recovering from war and tyranny.
In these dangerous times, the United States is blessed to have extraordinary and selfless men and women willing to step forward and defend us. These young Americans understand that our cause in Iraq is noble and necessary—and that the advance of freedom is the calling of our time. They serve far from their families, who make the quiet sacrifices of lonely holidays and empty chairs at the dinner table. They have watched their comrades give their lives to ensure our liberty. We mourn the loss of every fallen American—and we owe it to them to build a future worthy of their sacrifice.
Fellow citizens: The year ahead will demand more patience, sacrifice, and resolve. It can be tempting to think that America can put aside the burdens of freedom. Yet times of testing reveal the character of a Nation. And throughout our history, Americans have always defied the pessimists and seen our faith in freedom redeemed. Now America is engaged in a new struggle that will set the course for a new century. We can and we will prevail.
We go forward with trust that the Author of Liberty will guide us through these trying hours. Thank you and good night.
More Coverage
Military Action Against Iran ‘Would Destabilize Iraq’
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By John, January 15, 2007 at 4:08 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
You lied....you democraps claim Bush lied and so did you. You promised the American people if you were elected you would get us out of Iraq. Well now your in and all you can say is “John there is only so much we can do”....is that what you told the American people before the last election? People there is only so much we can do but vote for us?
Report thisCut off the funding and demand as a majority in Congress that we immediately leave Iraq. We are not going to help those people because they don’t want to be helped. For 2000 years they have lived this way so let them clean themselves up.
At the very least you Democraps should at least tell the truth..."American people,,,vote for us and we will get us out of Iraq.......just kidding.
BTW you and others can save the snide sarcastic remarks///you should has take the cotton out your ears and put it in your mouth. Those comments only go to prove that you have no mature answers to our problems.
By Goffredo, January 15, 2007 at 1:40 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
John,
The errors of your right-wing hateful brethren cannot be undone in 10 days. You do know that the new congress was just sworn in 10 days ago, right? I mean, tell me that at least I am not replying to someone who either didn’t know that or is too stubborn to face reality?
And here is the dilemma, John. The ONLY thing the Democrats can do is to cut off funding for the war. If that happens, you can bet Bush and Cheney will not hesitate to keep our men and women in uniform there to die so that the country can assign the entire blame on the democrats.
Where are the WMD and where is Bin Laden? Didn’t they mention something about those things in the days/weeks/months after 9/11? Why/when did it switch to “freeing Iraq from a tyrant”?
Take the cotton out of your ears and put it in your mouth.
Report thisBy Anthony, January 14, 2007 at 6:10 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
IMPEACH! IMPEACH! IMPEACH!
Report thisBy Robert, January 12, 2007 at 8:32 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Comment #47068 by Kellina on 1/11 at 5:39pm
Kellina...your analysis on what AIPAC may have on George “W”, Cheney, Rumsfeld & the rest may be correct.
It is really very strange NOT to hear anyone from George Bush’s administration who dares to criticize Israel’s brutal policy against the Palestinians & the latest war on Lebanon.
Everyone from this administration is silent as if nothing was happening. The destruction, the killings of hundreds of innocent lives by the IDF, using American made weapons, is OK by this administration. Israel has George’s full support & many secret smart bombs shipments via Scotland & British airfields made their way to Israel to kill more innocent people.
Israel’s Mossad is active in Iraq & Israelis were also involved with the Abu Ghuraib prison ordeal.
We did not hear any details about the Israelis involvements on our US mainstream news media.
Why is everyone in George Bush’s administration silent when it comes to Israel & its powerful lobby, AIPAC?
Is it blackmail, bribes, threats and manipulations?
AIPAC must know several “huge secrets” on George “W”, Cheney & others. These secrets may be personal and/or political.
Just look out for presidential pardons for some or all of the following AIPAC’s favorites:
Jonathan Pollard (Israel’s American Jewish zionist spy).
Scooter Libby, Jack Abramoff & others in that zionist gang’s circles.
AIPAC is manipulating & is in-charge of the U.S. foreign policy!
WHY THIS BIG SILENCE?
Kellina...the TRUTH will eventually surface.
Report thisBy John, January 12, 2007 at 5:16 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
What a lot of people do not realize is that there is only so much the Democrats can do as far as stopping this war.
How DAMN lame is this Casey? I dont’ recall ONE democrap that run for election who said “well you should vote for us but there is only so much we Democraps can do to end the war. YOU DEMOCRAPS ARE NOW IN A POWER POSITION AND YOUR ONLY ACTIONS SO FAR ARE TO CONTINUE TO PUT BUSH DOWN AND CALL BUSH AN IDIOT AND A LIAR. YOU DID THAT BEFORE THE ELECTION. YOU IMPOTENT LIARS. YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO THE PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR YOU.
Report thisI predicted this would happen and I am so glad to see you didn’t let me down. Democraps said they’d get us out the war.....IF Bush lied
SO DID YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Eleanore Kjellberg, January 12, 2007 at 3:40 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
“Iraq is a shit situation that resulted from a slew of bad decisions, but it is not a mess we can turn and run from . The consequences of failure will be far worse than the loss of life that has already occured.”
Frank,
We could de-escalate and redeploy the troops, let the Iraqis have their civil war, and let the dust settle—-U.S. troops can stay in Iraq, but in the outskirts, and only intervene if there is intervention from another sovereign power, or if there is an attempt to bring down Maliki’s government.
If we redeployed we would probably only need 20,000 troops to stay within Iraq, but to suppress the civil war you would need more than 500,000 troops to be deployed to Iraq—-in fact, we currently have 100,000 mercenary troops and 130,000 volunteers, so with 230,000 troops there is still chaos; to deploy another 500,000 troops to Iraq to suppress the insurgency we would need to reinstate the draft; maybe we should do that, so patriots like yourself could serve.
Report thisBy Casy, January 12, 2007 at 6:34 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
What a lot of people do not realize is that there is only so much the Democrats can do as far as stopping this war. Yes they do have the power of the purse. But what happens if they tighten or even stop the flow of funds and this president still refuses to bring back the troops? He will then send out his minions like Condi Rice, Tony Snow, Dan Bartlett, and the rest of the sycophants to try to paint the Democrats as unpatriotic, when all they did was try to impose the will of the majority of Americans who want the troops back home. This president has already exhibited quite convincingly that he cares not for the welfare of the troops than for his legacy, a legacy already in tatters purely of his own doing.
Bush has to be stopped. His ego has no bounds. Iran is the next target and I think most Americans know his finger is just itching to pull the trigger. Senator Joe Biden said that they (Congress)will not authorize a use of force against Iran. But Bush was never one to follow laws; he just pretends to. He will have Alberto Gonzales come out from under the rock he lives in and declare to the American people that he “believes” the president has the authority to engage in war against Iran arguing that the authority was granted by Congress by the original authorization for Bush to invade Iraq and go after Saddam, the Baathists, Al Quaeda terrorists and foreign fighters. He bastardizes the American legal system to pursue his goals while the legality of his actions are still being litigated in the courts.
If you think this is far-fetched you need not look any further to what he has done to enemy combatants (holding them indefinitely without recourse to any form of legal system), the warrantless wire-tapping and data mining of our phone conversations and records, and now the further erosion of our privacy by having given himself access to our emails. In each case he has trotted out his Attorney-General to make the case that he has the authority to do all that, and pursues it while different groups try to battle it out in the courts.
I really wonder what the Elder George and Barbara Bush must be thinking of their son? I know there is great tension there even if they try their best to keep appearances to the contrary. Dubya has completely pooh-pooed the advice of Colin Powell, Brent Scowcroft, and even James Baker, the Elder Bush’s closest political adviser. Their son has completely dragged the Bush name through the mud, acting like a spoiled child who has to have his way. But the stakes here are far too great for a child’s tantrum. The security and stability of the world is at stake; and he has brought the US and the greater Middle East to the precipice of a larger conflagration.
George W. Bush may no longer be a drunkard in the literal sense. But no rational person will disagree that he is drunk with power.
Report thisBy Davr, January 12, 2007 at 4:50 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Bush is a liar, of course.
Bush and all of his minions need to be punished for their crimes against the United States of America and their crimes against humanity.
Report thisBy Michelle, January 12, 2007 at 3:16 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
1-2-3-4, what are fighting for?
I don’t give a damn
next stop is Iran.
5-6-7- open up the Pearly Gates!
Ain’t no time to wonder why,
WhooPiE we all gonna die!
Deja Vu
Report thisBy old benjamin, January 11, 2007 at 11:21 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
What we need is a President who never makes mistakes, someone like Washington or Lincoln or Roosevelt. Everyone knows war is a fine science, like chemistry. You measure out the right chemicals and get the desired result every time. No mistakes were made in the Revolutionary War or the Civil War or WWII. I agree that Bush has made a mess of it. We should have elected Al Gore. A guy that invented the Internet and was the hero of “Love Story” obviously had the right stuff. At least we should have got it right the second time with JFK II. Now there’s a guy who could inspire the troops. And he would have certainly never have made a mistake, because he was against it before he was for it. Or was he for it before he was against it? I forget. Anyway, Bush doesn’t have the sense to just cut and run from Iraq. He really wants to see democracy take hold in that benighted country, and he feels an obligation to those people that we put in office. That’s his biggest mistake yet. What a bloody fool. Who elected him President anyway?
Report thisBy Tobias, January 11, 2007 at 11:00 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Clear message ...
If you want to have a life, a wife, a family ...
GET THE HELL OUT OF THE GUARD! Or disappear.
Like everything else the non-thinkers in Washington D.C. do when they take their marching orders from Israel, (after clearing it with Cheney’s Energy Profit, Oooops, I mean Energy Control, or ... oh you know what I mean) this reflects a level of stupidity that rivals the determined effort to walk on water ... absent you-know-who’s steadying hand. Besides which, I think putting allegiance to a foreign nation ahead of allegiance to your own is treason, isn’t it ... anybody?
While we all wait and watch for the non materialization of the droves rushing to sign their future away, I hope those who qualify for the coming draft disappear too!
Mission accomplished president George W. Bush. Single handed you have managed to destroy our military, destroy our optimism, destroy our faith in one another, destroy our reputation in the world, destroy our freedom, destroy our safety, destroy our future ... what else, anybody keeping score?
Play soldier sir. Pretend when your people order a ‘command performance’ and the troops rally round you (as commanded) that you are one of their comrades in arms. Pretend. Play-act. Delude yourself. You will have to you know, because you aren’t.
Mission accomplished sir. By the way, we have decided you no longer have our permission to call yourself “the decider.” We have decided “the deceiver” fits you much better. And if you are even half the despot you appear to be that should please you, as should the following comments .... yeh, I lifted them, but they’re so great.
“The purpose of Bush’s speech was to announce that the U.S. and its proxy Israel are going to attack Iran within the next few months.” (#46819 by NABNYC)
AMEN!
“Shorter Bush Speech: We must struggle harder in the quicksand’s of Iraq” (#46807 by Propagandee)
Would have saved a lot of paper ...
“Why the carrier strike group? Are we gearing up to bomb Iran?” ( #46831 by Shawn)
See above.
“minus Ritalin, plus Botox, multiples of Ativan” (#46982 by GW=MCHammered)
Might be why
“His usual “smirk” was missing throughout much of his speech” (#46816 by dreaming of peace)
Or the surgery failed.
“This speech is truly scary: clearly Bush is planning to nuke Iran. For all our sakes, can you Americans not impeach him? A Canadian wants to know.” (#46853 by val)
I think most of us would like to, what’s
missing are the balls.
Do you have any extras up there?
“George “W"… Never brings up or mentions Israel’s “WMD’S” ( #46989 by Robert)
There might be a half dozen people who
still dont know who calls the shots.
“I keep reading all these anti Bush comments and still no one answers this question. Where are the Democrats who ran on ending the war when they took over Congress?” (#46950 by John)
On the phone with AIPAC!
“It’s time for this administration to be physically removed from office. The danger we face as a nation is not in Iraq but in D.C.” (#46876I by Jaded Prole)
I second that motion, shall we take a vote?
“I amazed that you people could even watch Bush. I knew what he was going to say and could not stomach looking or listening to him.” ( #46974 by RSP)
We cant watch either ... it curls our
toenails!
But we read fast!
“Bush should be impeached and tried for treason.” (#46828 by Goffredo)
The line forms here ...
“This movement is consistent with all the rest of his movement: pure shit.” (#47006 by hnp)
Report thisNow that’s plain beautiful.
By The Truth Troops, January 11, 2007 at 7:39 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Anyone can get away with anything on his second term.
Let us ‘support’ Bush here:
http://corruptlist.com/george_w_bush
Report thisBy Mark Robert Gates, January 11, 2007 at 7:33 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
THE PLAUSABLE DENIABILITY SWEEPSTAKES, FILL OUT YOUR ENTRY TODAY
© 2007 Mark Robert Gates
We all know how this works, we send in our operative, with an agreement, if caught we in America will deny all knowledge of this person having any existence. In Iraq, and given today’s Iraq policy, it is time we “We American’s” fall back on this, plausible deniabilty, as, there is still time and, as, there is still a possibility of maintaining, America’s pristine, war image, by denying any involvement, by those past operative’s now caught, in Iraqi war failure’s, and involved in our current Ameri-government affairs. So, lets get our stories’ straight and make sure we do not spill our guts, in a mistaken fear of loss, of our credible use of plausible deniability. Please, fill out your, Plausible Deniabiltiy Sweepstakes, entry, and send it in today, “We” could be America’s next big winner.
We simply, all deny together, there is anyone, we know of, named, George W. Bush, who ever was, or who is now, an American president.
-Mark Robert Gates
http://lokieponaphoenix.blogspot.com/
Report thishttp://wellnessempowered.blogspot.com/
By Jeanne, January 11, 2007 at 7:21 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
I keep hearing about the war on terrorism and Iran financing that war. Take a look at this article.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7119752/
Halliburton operates in Iran despite sanctions
How do U.S. contractors legally do business there?
MARCH 7, 2005
Why should Americans even care if U.S. companies circumvent the sanctions?
“The purpose of these sanctions is to dissuade Iran from supporting terrorism and from seeking to acquire weapons of mass destruction,” says Comras.
There’s a move in Congress to close the loophole.
“We don’t want American companies propping up a government that’s dedicated to our destruction,” says Sen. Collins.
Halliburton says it is unfairly targeted because of politics, but recently announced it is pulling out of Iran because the business environment “is not conducive to our overall strategies and objectives.”
However, that exit will be slow. Halliburton announced it was leaving Iran only three weeks after Iran announced the lucrative new gas deal, which industry sources say will take three years to complete.
------------
Report thisOk, lets do the math. March 2005 to March 2006...that’s one year. March 2006 to March 2007...that’s 2 years...they have one year left on that deal....hmmmm. Ok so lets see...Cheney is itch’n to get into Iran because Iran is the enemy and his “company” is still doing a deal in Iran.
By kath cantarella, January 11, 2007 at 7:10 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
re: Freidenschaffen
Report thisWe here in Australia have been known to smoke the occasional bong, and hand out the reefers with the beers, snags and sangers at beach BBQs, however, i haven’t smoked anything for quite a while and all the polls i’ve read and almost all the Aussies i’ve spoken to are dead-set against the war in Iraq, and especially an escalation of it. Like Mr Bush, John Howard doesn’t appear to listen to his constituency.
By Janet Comyn, January 11, 2007 at 6:56 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
“Comment #46980 by Friedenschaffen on 1/11 at 11:28 am
According to a German news source:
http://www.n-tv.de/23.html
both Britain and Australia Cheered the Bush decision.
What are they smoking?”
Must be the Germans who are smoking something. I haven’t heard any cheering here (Australia)
Report thisBy Kellina, January 11, 2007 at 5:39 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Yep, we have already attacked Iran (the embassy in Kurdistan). The boats are in the Gulf. The “surge” is about widdening the War on Terror to encompass Iran and Syria, too. Paul Craig Roberts is right. He also said, I think correctly, that the entire War on Terror was always about strengthening Israel.
===
Re: Comment #46989 by Robert on 1/11 at 12:08 pm
You’re right, Robert, and I bet I know what AIPAC has on Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and the rest: 9/11. An inside job with a little outside help.
===
Here’s a lovely article about how to impeach Bush:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/eddlem/eddlem13.html
Report thisBy Icethor, January 11, 2007 at 5:32 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
One point Bush and co are missing: Insurgents and terrorist grow in numbers every day (for obvious reasons in my view). To add more more troops in Iraq will only escalate that trend.
Report thisUS stragety and foreign policy should be aimed at finding ways to reduce the number of these “bad people”, by other means than just killing them.
By TAO Walker, January 11, 2007 at 5:02 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Well, Casy (#46995), stick around. ‘Cause in the immortal words of Ronnie Ray-gun, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”
George W. Bush, whose Skull-and-Bones nickname is said to be “Temporary,” is a goner. Judging by the ragged look of him last night he knows it, too. He’s been set-up to take the fall, and now he’s being hung out to twist in the wind awhile ‘til “....the moment is right.”
What continues to puzzle this Indian is the (congenital?) inability of the “civilized” peoples to recognize and acknowledge the plain fact that they are being manipulated and exploited (and not infrequently mass-murdered) according to a ‘program’ running on a multi-milennial timetable that is now also officially proclaimed to be even greater than merely “global” in the scope of its territorial ambitions.
What part of their “Project for a New American Century” do you think these gangsters in the neoCONs piracy were only kidding about? And since you’ve so punch-drunkenly handed them the “keys” to the national armory, and volunteered (on the lick-and-promise of keeping your profligate lifestyle fueled-up) the warm bodies of your own next-of-kin as “boots-on-the-ground” to do their bloody business in The Cradle of Civilization, how could you possibly expect they wouldn’t take full advantage of your fear-induced gullibility and go after the Assyrians and the Persians, too?
Can you continue to believe for even a moment that your shadowy tormentors will hesitate to string you along some more by handing you one fine day the hollow husk of George W. Bush to saddle with your national sins before driving America’s own “village idiot” out into the desert of failure and disgrace? And then, if your blood is sufficiently aboil, that they’d quail at letting you stone the fool to-death, too?
After all this time you still do not KNOW your adversaries. They sure as hell have you pegged, though......as why wouldn’t they, since you domesticated “individuals” are mere artifacts of their “civilization” process anyway. So go ahead and take out all your anger and frustration on this pitiful excuse for a “president” that you pretty much picked for yourselves in any event, if only by failing to banish him to west Texas in 2004.
Any of you who want off this trainwreck-in-progress are just going to have to take your chances (which are only “slim to none") and jump. If you want to lean a little more toward the “slim” end, you might find some “nothing-left-to-lose” family, friends and neighbors and all of you take the plunge together.
There is no help for you in the conglomeration of institutions, attitudes, and beliefs that make-up the barb-wired concentration camp of your captivity. Your only help is in each other, where you live, right now....and in your Mother Earth and her other children, all your relations.
On that you have the word-of-honor of this free wild primitive savage. You better believe, too, that
THIS IS NOT A TEST! THIS IS THE ACTUAL EMERGENCY!
HokaHey!
Report thisBy G Andersen, January 11, 2007 at 4:47 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Comment #46907 by John
Niiice…
First you support bush and his incompetence. Now, you do not support his war and it is the dems fault that they can not clean up you and you presidents mess fast enough.
This is the type of horse shit America is getting used to. Bush took us to war, you supported him and now you want to pull out troops within 48 hours and if this does not happen the dems. are liars and worthless.
Heck, the white house probably takes longer to decide which Christmas card to send out to their corporate friends, or what type of toilet paper to use in the white house bathrooms!
It took us 5+years to get into this mess and you want out in 48 hours.
Me thinks you want to see the dems pull us out so you can then throw stones at the dems for the collapse and chaos that will follow!
As usual, you are as wishy washy as any politician repub. or dem.
Be realistic, you helped bush put the troops there if you supported bush, so do not blame anyone else for the speed at which they are brought home.
Bush is just keeping them there for two reasons
1.) he can not win, but as long as we do not pull out on his watch he does not have to take blame for loss(we have already lost.)
2.) if he leaves the poor troops their he can use it as leverage in the next presidential election. (he will create a mess, if we pull out he can blame democratic leadership, if we stay he can blame them.) either way he has a scapegoat.
Of course, this is all at the expense of our dear soldiers and their families.
Get a clue!
Report thisBy 127001, January 11, 2007 at 3:02 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Has anyone noticed that this president claims to represent freedom via “democracy” which is government of the people and by the people, yet he is essentially doing what leaders in non-democratic countries have done: take actions against the express wishes of the people?
I have a horrible image that I can’t seem to shake.
If an American president will go to these lengths against the voice of the people he represents on a global scale; if the military, law enforcement and especially the courts in the United States will cast aside and ignore basic Constitutional and Human Rights on a daily basis (and using the media to sanction and justify it), then what horrors are really happening behind the veiled and closed doors of this country?
I see atrocities in my own community, hear about them in my daily interactions, and see those and all of the above justified “for your own good” and I wonder why people don’t recognize what the psychologists should have taught people long ago…
This is reflective of dysfunctional and abusive personalities.
Is is too late for those who have been apathetic for too long? Has silence sanctioned these bullies and abusers for too long?
History itself has shown that once honesty, integrity, and ethics are lost, it takes two to three generations to change the tide.
We should be worried.
Report thisBy Frank, January 11, 2007 at 2:47 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
The people in congress who think more troops equals more casualties are simply naive on military matters. You protect your forces by strengthening and reinforcing them, so you can dominate the battle and respond to any attacks with overwhelming force to destroy the enemy before they can attack again. Safety in numbers and peace through superior firepower is the oldest military doctrine in existence.
“Fazed withdrawal” at this point would bring a significant increase in US casualties as the troops gradually lose their tactical advantage and the ability to protect each other, while enemy grows emboldened by a US retreat. Then the Iraqi government would fold overnight and the real sunni vs shiite genocide would begin, with casualties rising to the millions. And men like Kucinich and his followers think this is the best option? Brilliant. I wonder if he would have called for US early withdrawal from WW2 as soon as the casualties started mounting then too.
Iraq is a shit situation that resulted from a slew of bad decisions, but it is not a mess we can turn and run from . The consequences of failure will be far worse than the loss of life that has already occured.
Report thisBy August West, January 11, 2007 at 2:41 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
William (comment #46983) describes the state of our representative republic as a dictatorship where the President ignores the people and congress. I think I’d call it a Decidership. Cheney actually is the one who decides what’s best, then Bush announces it.
One thing I found interesting from the speech is the degree of input the Saudis must have had. You may recall that Cheney was summoned to Riyadh to meet with King Abdullah during the Thanksgiving weekend and reportedly was warned that the Saudis would lend assistance to the Sunnis if the U.S. withdrew. The supposed new policy is that American troops will also engage Shia combatants which they have been precluded from attacking by the Shia-dominated Iraqi government. King Abdullah must have wanted this rule of engagement so that the U.S. is not seen by Saudis, Jordanians and Syrians as taking the side of the Shia in the civil war.
Report thisBy Janet Comyn, January 11, 2007 at 2:01 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Another laugh out loud moment -
“the Iraqi government will spend 10 billion dollars of its own money on reconstruction and infrastructure projects that will create new jobs”
Oh great, more money for Haliburton.
Or maybe I was sobbing, not laughing.
Report thisBy hnp, January 11, 2007 at 1:08 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
This movement is consistant with all the rest of his movement: pure shit. Do us a favor and publish the process of recalling a standing president.
Report thisBy dildo, January 11, 2007 at 12:47 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
F*&* George W Bush!
Report thisBy Casy, January 11, 2007 at 12:34 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
What I heard last night from the Idiot-in-Chief’s mouth is not surprising. He could not ever conceive of going down any other path because even in that feeble mind he knows it would mean that his legacy as the “worst president in American history” would forever be sealed. The supposed “listening campaign” was a farce, as was his supposed consultations with experts. The only experts he truly consulted with were Dick Cheney and his cabal at the American Enterprise Institute who have now upped the ante by telling Dubya that God wants him to nuke Iran before leaving office. The past month was simply a delaying tactic for finalizing the details of a decision that had long been made, certainly even before the Iraq Study Group came out with its recommendations.
What is truly sad and criminal is that one man’s unchecked ego has, is, and will continue exacerbate the loss of American and Iraqi lives, incur the wrath of Moslems all over the world, thereby putting Americans at risk here and abroad. The United States will continue its slide into deep isolation, its prestige and influence a sad glimmer of what it once was.
It is no longer an exaggeration to say that George W. Bush, together with Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Condoleeza Rice, are war criminals. They had lied about the justification for invading a soveriegn country. They miscalculated practically every aspect of this war. They have built lie upon lies about how the war was progressing. They have caused the needless deaths of countless men, women, and children because of their monumental stupidity, arrogance and incompetence. May God save their souls, although I seriously doubt they have any to be saved.
Sometimes a lesson has to be repeated until it is learned. But this is one instance where we can no longer afford to have another president like George W. Bush. Scrutinize well the candidates for the next presidential election. Reject John McCain and all those who would have us continue this maddening path! We can’t afford to make another mistake similar to our misadventure in Iraq. The consequences are too dire for Americans and the rest of the world.
Report thisBy Robert, January 11, 2007 at 12:08 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
One wonders who wrote George “W’s” speech?
Who was the author for all that information?
The speech writer...certainly had an agenda for the U.S. public cosumption and to keep that Arab and/or Islamic terrorism topic “megaphone” on. The speech writer & the “zionist” neocons want to keep that conflict between America & the Arab/Islamic countries going. They would like to see that fire burning non-stop. It is in Israel’s & its lobby BEST interests!
Notice that Iran & Syria’s names kept coming up in that speech. There was no mention of Israel-Palestine huge problem in the Mid-East.
George “W” keeps mentioning Iran’s nuclear program, which according to Russia and many other nations is for peaceful purposes.
George “W"… Never brings up or mentions Israel’s “WMD’S”.
Israel has large stockpiles of undeclared nuclear, chemical & biological weapons. Israel has no outside inspections of its “WMD’S” facilities & warehouses. Just google ‘Mordechai Vanunu’, the Israeli whistleblower. See what happened to him & find out how many nuclear bombs Israel has & is capable of producing per year.
What a damn shame, George “W” does NOT dare to speak-out against Israel & its lobby “AIPAC”.
Most likely, a “zionist” wrote last night’s and other speeches for George “W”!
Our white house & congress are “occupied territories” by Israel & its powerful lobby “AIPAC”.
George “W” has 2 more years left. The Israeli’s & the Jewish “zionists” neocons want their goals achieved before “W” term ends. Their goal is for the U.S. & Israel to attack Iran & Syria.
ONE WONDERS...WHAT DOES ISRAEL & ITS LOBBY “AIPAC” HAVE ON GEORGE BUSH, CHENEY & THE REST OF THE GANG!
WHAT EVER THEY HAVE ON HIM & HIS STAFF, IT MUST BE “BIG”! THEY WILL GET WHAT THEY WANT FROM HIM BEFORE HIS TERM RUNS OUT.
Report thisBy Patrick Story, January 11, 2007 at 12:03 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Having confessed to the nation the failure of his leadership as commander in chief of the military, President Bush should now do the honorable thing and resign. (And as congressional hearings on the conduct of the war go forward, Vice President Cheney will likewise soon find it prudent to resign as well.) Our nation cannot withstand two more years of this long nightmare, with the effect of shifting the ultimate failure onto Bush’s successor in office, as Nixon did to Ford. And so if Bush does not resign, he must be impeached.
Report thisBy Rodney Matthews, January 11, 2007 at 11:44 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Bush is crazy. I really mean crazy. How can the military much less the American people support any of this.Bush doesn’t about Iraqi security, He cares about the security of the oil fields and oil flow. He wants to start a jobs program in Iraq to stem the violence among uemployed Iraqi men,yet he fails to provide that same opportunity for our young men in our inner cities who are killing each other because they also lack job opportunities.I guess that’s becaues there are no oil fields in our inner cities. He wants to disarm Iraqi men who commit violence, yet he fails to approve any gun control measures to keep Americans from killing each other whenever they want to. I guess it’s all of those contributions he recieved from the NRA. He cares as much about Iraqis killing Iraqis as he does about Blacks killing Blacks.
Report thisWhat he does care about is oil,war profiteering,and taking care of his corporate friends. He is willing to sacrifice the lives of American soldiers in order to save his personal legacy and keep the oil and money flowing for his corporate friends. He started the war to settle some old scores,and appease ISRAEL. That’s what this war is about. That’s what it’s always been about. Bush plan is for us to never leave Iraq, or at least stay as long we we can make money off of Iraq,Possibly for the next hundred years. And how will Bush know that we’ve won in Iraq, when you can go to Iraq and see a Iraqi woman wearing lipstick,make-up,high heels,a mini-skirt,eating a McDonald’s cheeseburger,drinking Starbuck’s coffee,while pumping Exxon gas in her Ford. That’s who we are, that’s what we are about. Not only do we steal their country,we steal their culture. Now that’s a Bush Victory!
By William, January 11, 2007 at 11:38 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
I find it unbelievable that Bush wants to spread democracy - definition: government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. in Iraq (which is a noble and worthy cause), yet when Congress and majority of Americans disagree with him and his policies he consistently continues to go against them. Isn’t democracy where right or wrong when a majority of people in a country decide on something that is the decision that is made? This sounds a lot more like a dictatorship - deinition: a country, government, or the form of government in which absolute power is exercised by a dictator. to me - didn’t someone just get hung for being a dictator?
Report thisBy GW=MCHammered, January 11, 2007 at 11:32 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Watching his delivery, I thought this: minus Ritalin, plus Botox, multiples of Ativan, and the president still divides. He and his math just don’t add up.
Report thisBy Friedenschaffen, January 11, 2007 at 11:28 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
According to a German news source:
http://www.n-tv.de/23.html
both Britain and Australia Cheered the Bush decision.
What are they smoking?
Report thisBy HeadlessHessian, January 11, 2007 at 11:21 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Comment 46907 by john says:
“I support Bush as President “
Why...please tell us why. Very few people on this planet can answer this question without going the road of Faux news (name calling and so on). I, we, are trying to understand why you still support him. Not trying to be funny or flippant. I really want some honest answers, please.
tnx
Headless
Report thisBy trantieungoc, January 11, 2007 at 11:16 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
The chimpanzee never knows how to speak correctly. It only jumps up and down naked and being boorish !
Report thisBy RSP, January 11, 2007 at 11:14 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
I amazed that you people could even watch Bush. I knew what he was going to say and could not stomach looking or listening to him.
Report thisBy Polly Ester, January 11, 2007 at 10:31 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
“Israel has two years remaining to use its American resources to achieve its aims in the Middle East. How influential will Israel and the neoconservatives be with the next president in the wake of a US defeat in Iraq and Israeli defeat in Lebanon? If the US withdraws its troops from Iraq, as the US military and foreign policy community recommend and as polls show the American public wants, the only effect of Bush’s Iraq invasion will have been to radicalize Muslims against Israel, the US, and US puppet governments in the Middle East. Extremist elements will tout their victory over the US, and the pressures on Israel to accept a realistic accommodation with Palestinians will be overpowering.”
Paul,
Report thisExcellent analysis, but very frightening--I wish you were wrong, but my “gut instincts” tells me your right.
By John, January 11, 2007 at 10:00 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
I keep reading all these anti Bush comments and still no one answers this question. Where are the Democrats who ran on ending the war when they took over Congress? They have taken over Congress and NOW they sit on their hands and complain about BUSH? How lame were their promises about ending the war and then doing nothing. Do you blame BUSH because the Dems are doing NOTHING to hold his feet to the fire and end this War?
Report thisBy John, January 11, 2007 at 9:56 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
we thought those years spent draft dodging, doing coke and booze had been wasted
are you referring to Bill Clinton? Didn’t he go to England to avoid the draft. Didn’t he “smoke” but did not inhale? You guys should stop talking about Bush’s service or your perceived lack of service unless you want to explain Clinton’s service or lack of it...you can’t have it both ways.
Report thisBy Lee Dekker, January 11, 2007 at 9:32 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Our presidents so hard to reach, it must be time to impeach.
Report thisBy Don Knutsen, January 11, 2007 at 8:51 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
I was amazed that bu$h was able to get all those sentences out in a rehearsed order...he obviously must’ve had an extra large teleprompter in front of him. I doubt he even understood what he said..and certainly dosen’t care about any of the supposed principles of freedom he says we are fighting for in the region. America’s security interests are another way of saying america’s oil companies getting 75% of the profits to come from Iraq’s oil fields. Why does Cheney continue to refuse to reveal the discussions behind closed doors with his buddies ,Ken Lay & the CEOs of the major oil conglomerates? Building permamnent military bases in Iraq is only to beable to enforce that. It has nothing to do with freedom and liberty for the people of Iraq. That , from the beginning was never why we invaded. That justification was only drummed up by Karl Rove after exhausting their other lies as to why we went in there. Is our collective memory really so bad we can’t remember the lead up to this war of the neo-cons ? Do we wait and hope our politicians will fix this mess ? Or do we take it to the streets demanding a change in our goverment’s policies? Or , as what will probably happen, do we just sit on our hands and complain while america spirals down into a nation so far in debt that it can’t ever dig its way out? Bu$h has a long history of failed, incompetant buisness dealings, in the past daddy and his friends saved him in those ventures and bu$h came out making a profit....now he’s bankrupting our nation’s treasury and Nancy Pelosi rather then making the investigations of Rep. Waxman and Conyers the first order of buisness, has made sure no one can smoke in the halls of congress.... What the members of this administration have committed is nothing less then treason, every decision they have made for these past 6 years have been based on a contempt for democracy. Yet they will probably never be held accountable in a meaningfull way, the democrats continue to be far too timid for that and aren’t demanding the accountabilty our nation needs to turn in a different direction. Wouldn’t it be something, if in our lifetimes, we could once again feel proud to be americans ? They will last out their terms and leave office as fatter cats then they went in and follow Bush Sr.s splendid example of lucrative speaking engagements at conservative think tanks or helping to trade in arms thru the Carlyle Group, helping to further de-stabilize regions...It never has, nor never will have anything remotely to do with “spreading freedom and liberty”.
Report thisBy Anthony, January 11, 2007 at 8:50 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Not only did G. W. look like he’d wet his pants, but he forgot to close with ‘and god bless America’!
Report thisBy Paul Craig Roberts - Part II, January 11, 2007 at 8:14 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Part II
Now is the chance – the only chance – for Israel and the neoconservatives to achieve their goal of bringing Muslims to heel, a goal that they have been writing about and working to achieve for a decade.
This goal requires the war to be widened by whatever deceit and treachery necessary to bring the American public along.
The US Congress must immediately refocus its attention from the surge to Iran, the real target of Bush administration aggression.
Report thisBy Mouhamad, January 11, 2007 at 8:13 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
For me I think that your titer is very well made! It’s explaining very well Bush ambition! To distract the world for his hunting of profit! He accuses the extremist as he said and through to them what he himself is doing! Bush doesn’t care about the life of his own nation so how can he care about the life in this world? But what is terrible is that the whole authorities in this world shut theirs eyes against Bush mistakes! It’s not because is bad that he do that but Bush has no mind at all. He always think wrong and talk like a small child!
Report thisBy Paul Craig Roberts - part I, January 11, 2007 at 8:12 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Part I
Puzzlement over President Bush’s appointment of a US Navy admiral as commander in charge of the ground wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The appointment makes sense only if the administration’s attention has shifted from the insurgencies to an attack on Iran.
The Bush administration has recently doubled its aircraft carrier forces and air power in the Persian Gulf. According to credible news reports, the Israeli air force has been making practice runs in preparation for an attack on Iran.
Recently, Israeli military and political leaders have described Israeli machinations to manipulate the American public and their representatives into supporting or joining an Israeli assault on Iran.
Two US carrier task forces or strike groups will certainly congest the Persian Gulf. On January 9, a US nuclear sub collided with a Japanese tanker in the Persian Gulf. Two carrier groups will have scant room for maneuver. Their purpose is either to provide the means for a hard hit on Iran or to serve as sitting ducks for a new Pearl Harbor that would rally Americans behind the new war.
Whether our ships are hit by Iran in retaliation to an attack from Israel or suffer an orchestrated attack by Israel that is blamed on the Iranians, there are certainly far more US naval forces in the Persian Gulf than prudence demands.
Bush’s proposed surge appears to have no real military purpose. The US military opposes it as militarily pointless and as damaging to the US Army and Marine Corps. The surge can only be accomplished by keeping troops deployed after the arrival of their replacements. Moreover, the increase in numbers that can be achieved in this way are far short of the numbers required to put down the insurgency and civil war.
The only purpose of the surge is to distract Congress while plans are implemented to widen the war.
Weapons inspectors have failed to find a nuclear weapons program in Iran. Most experts say it would be years before Iran could make a weapon even if the Iranian government is actively working on a weapons program. Since the danger, if any, is years away, why is Israel so determined to attack Iran now?
The answer might be that Israel has the chance now. The Bush administration is in its pocket. The White House is working with neoconservatives, not with the American foreign policy community represented by the Iraq Study Group. Neoconservative propagandists are in influential positions in the media. The US Congress is intimidated by AIPAC. The correlation of forces are heavily in Israel’s favor.
Part of the Israeli/neoconservative plan has already been achieved with the destruction of civilian infrastructure and spread of sectarian strife in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon. If Iran can be taken out with a powerful air attack that might involve nuclear weapons, Syria would be isolated and Hezbollah would be cut off from Iranian supplies.
Israel has two years remaining to use its American resources to achieve its aims in the Middle East. How influential will Israel and the neoconservatives be with the next president in the wake of a US defeat in Iraq and Israeli defeat in Lebanon? If the US withdraws its troops from Iraq, as the US military and foreign policy community recommend and as polls show the American public wants, the only effect of Bush’s Iraq invasion will have been to radicalize Muslims against Israel, the US, and US puppet governments in the Middle East. Extremist elements will tout their victory over the US, and the pressures on Israel to accept a realistic accommodation with Palestinians will be overpowering.
Report thisBy John, January 11, 2007 at 8:00 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
I support Bush as President but I do not now support the war and it was my understanding that the Democracts won the last election because of the war and they were going to get us out. Well you are in and nothing has changed. Get off your collective asses and do want you promised the American people you would do.....cut funding and demand we end the war. Pack up the soliders and equipment and be gone in 48 hours......we have the means. Now that the dems are in charge you are not taking action to end this war and every day that goes by while you promise to study this and study that and propose this and propose that American soliders are in harms way and dying NOW because of your inaction. You promised to end the war NOW FULFILL YOUR PROMISE!
Report thisIf we leave Iraq she falls into chaos that is there problem. Let them kill themselves and blow up each other. They have been doing it for 2000 years so why do we have to save them from themselves. They will never stop killing and bombing their own. They will always strap bombs on the women and children to blow up others. Its a culture that hates American more than they love their own children and until that changes (and we won’t be the ones to change that mentality) then nothing will change in Iraq.
By dick, January 11, 2007 at 7:47 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
This scheme was hatched by Bushs’ neocon handlers, who have close ties to Israel and think the Iraq war and this scheme is in Israel’s best interest. They hope to keep the US in continual war in the middle east, with Iran next, and then Syria. Read Roberts’ report in counterpunch, 1/10/07 for more details, and the web sites of their plans, the Securing of the Realm and Project for the New American Century..
Report thisBy David, January 11, 2007 at 7:35 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
I really don’t think the third time would be charm in this case. More troops we send over there, more troops who would get injured or be killed.
Report thisIt’s too bad this would never happen, but Bush should send his own children there since he’s so willing to make the sacrifice. We wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for him and his lies in the first place.
And he should stop using 9/11 for any mistakes he made as an excuse. That just disgraces and dishonors everyone who lost their lives in that terrible event.
By HeadlessHessian, January 11, 2007 at 6:54 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
OK. so why should I, us, believe anything this man says? We have been lied to on so many occassions that it becomes and awful burden on us to believe our own leader. That is question 1. Question 2: Why is he disregarding the ISG? Why is he disregarding the generals, the voters, and in the news reports I’ve seen, the Iraqi people, the very same folks we are trying to help?
Is he trying to start a war with Iran, by the raid done just hours after he spoke? Is this another Poland, 1939?
It is obvious that he does not really listen unless folks tell him what he wants to hear.
Impeachment will only bring Cheney, and God really help us then.
Mass demonstrations is the only option left. Trying the same thing expecting different results is insanity, as Einstein stated. Well...I think we have a madman running this country.
Headless
Report thisBy George S Semsel, January 11, 2007 at 5:33 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
What a sad joke.
Report thisBy FrikkenKids, January 11, 2007 at 5:26 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
My two laugh out loud moments:
1. “...Iraq will pass legislation to share oil revenues among all Iraqis.” I laughed here because it was only a couple days ago that we heard about the new American-authored law giving oil companies up to 75% of oil revenues. http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/20070107_s tealing_iraqs_oil/
2. “America’s men and women in uniform took away al-Qaida’s safe haven in Afghanistan—and we will not allow them to re-establish it in Iraq.” Is Mr. Bush the only one who hasn’t heard that Afghanistan is totally out of control?
Report thisBy Clifton Mitchell, January 11, 2007 at 5:16 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
“The New Way Forward” is simply a distraction. Iran is the new target. The insane Bush, in cooperation with his Jewish masters, have decided to launch a preemptive strike against Iran. No doubt, Israel will attack Iran with nuclear weapons, and since beloved Israel is the number one ally of the US, Bush and company will commit US military force to support our masters in Israel. When will this insanity end? “Before Israel became our friend, we had no enemies.”
Report thisBy Jaded Prole, January 11, 2007 at 4:20 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
It’s time for this administration to be physically removed from office. The danger we face as a nation is not in Iraq but in D.C.
I urge those military called up to refuse deployment. There is strength in numbers and much support for refusal. Neocon delusions are not worth dying for.
Report thisBy Greg Bacon, January 11, 2007 at 2:31 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
“ ... And we will work with others to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating the region. “
There you have it, boys and girls. Little Georgie’s has got his marching orders from Israel.
Since there’s not enough blood being shed and people dying in Iraq, the decider will now start a war in Iran.
Better buy a good pair of walking shoes, ‘cause you’re going to need them after gasoline hits $10 a gallon.
Which will happen shortly after Israel uses a false-flag op to attack one of our ships in the Gulf--like Israel’s 1967 savagely brutal attack on our ship, the USS Liberty.
R.I.P.
Report thisThe American Democratic Republic
Killed on January 10, 2007 by a heartless, murderous
from Crawford, Texas
By Jackie T. Gabel, January 11, 2007 at 2:12 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
RE: “...we will continue to pursue al-Qaida and foreign fighters. Al-Qaida is still active in Iraq.”
>>>>>>>> no doubt many they let escape
from Afghanistan, which they had to do, otherwise they’d have had to leave: “Mission Accomplished.” To be sure, al Queda is going to be on the scene for some time to come. Why? Clearly, the mission is far from accomplished; not till every state in the Middle East is failed and fully compliant to US/UK hegemony.
End War of Terror — Support 911Truth
Report thisBy Bill, January 11, 2007 at 1:32 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
This strange little man still thinks that the “murcan people” don’t know what is happening in Iraq, Iran ..........and Israel.
Report thisBy cynthia in Paris, January 11, 2007 at 1:14 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Still spouting the truly impossible idea that american versions of freedom and democracy can be shoved down people’s throats and they’ll say thank you. Still dividing the world into “good guys/bad guys”. That this man, this government has learned nothing, absolutely nothing after so many deaths, so much waste is a sad and sorry state of affairs. He may be “responsable” for the mistakes made but it is the american people and the world in general that will bear the consequences, now and for decades to come.
Report thisBy Outraged, January 11, 2007 at 12:41 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
I sat here and I started to dissect this “speech” and then I had this thought, what is this...? I mean what is this...?
BIZARRE! ABSOLUTELY BIZARRE!
At least someone in the White House has a sense of humour, I mean staging it in the LIBRARY of all things!!!
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