It contained the infamous Mission Accomplished banner, indicating that major combat had
ended and that the U.S. had achieved a victory against terrorism.Back in May 2003, President Bush gave a "victory speech" aboard the aircraft
carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
It contained the infamous Mission Accomplished banner, indicating that major combat had
ended and that the U.S. had achieved a victory against terrorism.
Of course, he failed to provide any proof that Iraq or Saddam were involved with terrorists. He failed to find WMD or most anything else that would actually justify the expense and lives of our fine American soldiers. There are more dead U.S. soldiers (not to mention Iraqis and those from other nations) since that victory was declared than died before we "won." And now it appears that U.S. interrogators are as ruthless as Saddam and his nasty sons.
Rather than wallow in the misery of Bush's failed past, it's time to recognize that he was actually right back then. Let's not allow mission accomplished to be downgraded to mission impossible.
Since the mission has been accomplished, it's time to head home.
A recent Iraqi poll shows the majority of all Iraqis want us to leave. Some like us, some don't. Most like Saddam being gone, but few like the current replacement. Unfortunately, Kerry has no more sense than Bush on this matter, thinking that staying on the wrong course is better than correcting our position and course for the future. They are heading us toward the perfect storm.
Why should we spend over a billion dollars every week and risk and lose the lives of our soldiers every day when the "recipient" is so ungrateful? Where's the popular uprising in Iraq that should have joined our forces to oust the bad guys? It seems obvious: If they don't want us there, we should leave.
We've removed the purported risk of Saddam, and most Iraqis are grateful for that. We can always return if Iraq becomes a threat to the U.S. again. I think the cost-benefit analysis of messing with the United States has been pounded into them, but continued pounding will simply reinforce their notion (which is pretty reasonable when looking at the facts) that we're the world's worst bully and will increase the threats against all Americans in the future.
We don't have to hide our tails and run. We should tell the Iraqi governing council that on June 30, when we turn over control to them, that they must publicly declare their support for the U.S. and pay us to stay. If not, we'll leave. It seems rather pointless to give the "gift of democracy" when that "gift" is so clearly unappreciated and unwelcome.
There's no threat to the United States in Iraq, and it's time to refocus on al Qaeda and rejoin the world community in getting rid of actual terrorists.
Isn't it unconscionable that we captured Saddam and his two sons long before capturing Osama bin Laden, the person most responsible for the growing threat of Islamic terrorism worldwide and the mastermind and funding source behind 9/11? If ignoring the biggest threat is how Bush fights his war on terror, then I'm truly terrified.