From one of my area's local newspapers, good synopsis.
Published on Wednesday, June 1, 2005 by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Iraq War: Drafting the Dead
Editorial
President Bush was among the 260,000 graves at Arlington National Cemetery when he said it. But it was clear Monday that the president was referring to the more than 1,650 Americans killed to date in Iraq when he said, "We must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives; by defeating the terrorists."
Bush insists on clinging to the thoroughly discredited notion that there was any connection between the old Iraqi regime -- no matter how lawless and brutal -- and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
U.S. military action against an Afghan regime that harbored al-Qaida was a legitimate response to the 9/11 attacks. The invasion of Iraq was not.
As of Memorial Day 2003, Bush had declared major combat operations at an end, predicted that weapons of mass destruction would be found and that U.S. forces were in the process of stabilizing Iraq. One hundred sixty U.S. troops had died.
The U.S. death toll has grown more than tenfold. No weapons of mass destruction were found. More than 700 Iraqis have been killed since Iraq's new government was formed April 28.
Bush said of the insurgents at a news conference yesterday, "I believe the Iraqi government is plenty capable of dealing with them."
Of course, this is the same president that assured the world that military intervention in Iraq was a last resort and that the United States would make every effort to avoid war through diplomacy. Giving lie to that as well is the so-called Downing Street War Memo, which shows that as early as July 2002, "Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the Intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."
Perhaps all presidents' remarks in military graveyards are by nature self-serving. But few have been so callow as the president's using the deaths of U.S. troops in his unjustified war as justification for its continuance.
© 2005 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Iraq War: Drafting the Dead
'Let's go home son' is how we captioned the photo
2 comments:
Personally, I've decided to openly state my bias of Bush supporters in the small expat community of Tainan, Taiwan, where I have lived for 17 years. I've posted ads to participate in a kiteboarding club and stated that Bush supporters are not welcome to join. I've received a bit of hate mail from some who won't identify themselves, which doesn't surprise me. If there is anything I can do for you or your family, please don't hesitate to contact me.
cheers
Joe Ruger
joseph@tainan.com
Theresa, I think you are right on the money in your observations. I also hoped our country would not act rashly and hurry into Afghanistan, but also knew in my heart we would as reactionary reaction to 911. BUT IRAQ !! Not even and when the drums of war sounded using the word Iraq = Saddam = Terror, I knew this administration was capitalizing on the grief, shock, and normal human reactions to further an agenda of their making. When Congress gave a reluctant endorsement, my heart knew our country had lost it's way....
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