Guest Blogged by Jon Ponder, Pensito Review
After months of hype, General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker testified before the House Armed Services Committee yesterday about the status of George W. Bush’s war in Iraq. Although neither of Bush’s men uttered the exact phrase, the essence of their testimony could be summed up in three little words: “Stay the course.”
Republicans — especially the half-dozen or so GOP senators facing election in unsafe seats next year — will take comfort in Petreaus’s promise to recommend ending the surge by next summer. But even if Petreaus recommends reducing deployments to pre-surge levels, and if Bush agrees to it, the only surprise will be that the surge strategy itself was not a false cover for a permanent troop build-up. (And that remains to be seen.)
The stark reality is that Bush’s current Iraq policy draws heavily from the playbook of his predecessor from Texas, Lyndon Johnson. The Vietnam War decimated LBJ’s presidency, forcing him to leave office with no resolution in sight. Just as LBJ left the mess he created for Nixon and Ford to clean up, now Bush intends to leave his war in Iraq to his successor. As Ken Pollack at Brookings put it: “Bush has found his exit strategy.”
Nothing matters — not the safety of the troops, the lives and well-being of Iraqis, the viability of the U.S. military, or, certainly, the anti-Iraq war sentiments of a majority of Americans — none of it matters in the face of Bush’s urgent desire to rewrite his epitaph so that it won’t say the war he started based on deception, divisiveness, and rank ineptitude was lost on his watch.
This strategy is as flawed as it is cynical. Look again at Johnson. Handing Vietnam to Nixon did nothing to improve his legacy. What saved Johnson’s reputation was the fact he signed the Civil Rights Act, plus his stoic leadership in the wake of the Kennedy assassination.
Bush has no accomplishments — nothing — to weigh against this disastrous war. And the fact that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of U.S. troops and innocent Iraqis will die for the impossible goal of salvaging his place in history just compounds his disgrace.
UPDATE FROM BRAD: The good Pokey Anderson sends us this toon, which meshes neatly with Jon’s commentary above…
Plus…Liberal, terrorist-loving, America-hating, cut-and-run, surrenderer George Will says “the surge has failed”…
This is the story of Bush’s entire life. He does what he thinks SHOULD work based purely on ideology and devoid of facts, evidence or even a second of honest thinking. Then when it blows up in his face, he can’t understand what happened because, in his mind, he did exacly what should be done and, in his mind, it should have worked perfectly. Instead of thinking honestly about changing his “ideology” he just keeps going along the same path. Eventually, somebody always came along to bail him out and protect his sorry ass. Then Bush doesn’t have to face responsibility OR reality. He’s never learned the danger of his ways because he’s never HAD to learn. He’s always been protected.
This is not once iota different than Bush’s entire life story of screw ups. He’s going to walk away smelling like a rose because the Dems are too weak and stupid to do something now. Bush’s legacy? He is going to dump this mess in the Democrat’s lap (maybe a Republican but doubtful). If the Democrats manage to calm down, fix or even democratize Iraq…Bush is going to take the credit and the media will give it to him and his brilliant vision and devotion. If Iraq remains exactly the same, Bush and the Republicans will blame them for the problem because, after all, generals like Petraus said things were going so well under Bush’s leadership.
Bush’s “legacy” was right in front of our noses this whole time. His legacy of shifting the burdens he should bear onto somebody else.
Generals gathered in their masses,
just like witches at black masses.
Evil minds that plot destruction,
sorcerers of death’s construction.
In the fields the bodies burning,
as the war machine keeps turning.
Death and hatred to mankind,
poisoning their brainwashed minds.
Oh lord, yeah!
Politicians hide themselves away.
They only started the war.
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor, yeah.
Time will tell on their power minds,
making war just for fun.
Treating people just like pawns in chess,
wait till their judgement day comes, yeah.
Now in darkness world stops turning,
ashes where the bodies burning.
No more War Pigs have the power,
Hand of God has struck the hour.
Day of judgement, God is calling,
on their knees the war pigs crawling.
Begging mercies for their sins,
Satan, laughing, spreads his wings.
Oh lord, yeah!
–Black Sabbath, War Pigs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbxfe7DMxVo
JoJ… I think this one says it more convincingly.
gw was a failure as a businessman – the Saudis bailed him out of how many failures! He was a failure as governor – when the state was at the bottom of the stats, they dropped the bar and wa-la miraculous improvement – is it necessary to go on! Why should anyone think the presidency be any different?? Please, the next time a bushie wants to run for office, the GOP should buy him or her a country, Albania would be nice since they actually like him, and let him or her bring “democracy” there! Oops, sorry, I forgot – is there oil in Albania!?
How’s bout some diplomacy gw . . . . . na… hamburger helper hehehehe . . .