Is anyone really shocked that Republicans are not going to be the ones bringing up the fact that today is the 1 year anniversary of the end of major combat operations? Regardless of your opinion of the war, you have to realize that the time frame and this particular stunt were influenced by the domestic election calender. We were all set for a number of anniversaries and glorious days, such as the June 30 handoff between now and Nov. 2. Pity not as much thought was put into Iraq as was put into the hoped for symbolism such a war was bound to produce. When you visit the Vietnam Memorial on the Mall, it's proper entrance is from the end that points to the Washington Memorial. The Washington Monument symbolizes our greatest achievement and the ideals we hold most dear... Freedom, Independence, Democracy. As you approach the Vietnam Memorial, it doesn't look like a big deal. By the time the wall reaches your knees, your mood begins to change as you realize you have a long way to go. Before you know it, you are over your head in the names of the dead and then you are way over. As you slowly climb out, the Lincoln Memorial comes into view, reminding us of the horrors of war and the tremendous cost even a necessary war demands. Looking back at the Vietnam Memorial and off in the distance to the Washington Monument, you might now catch a glimpse of the WWII Memorial and you wonder what was the great national interest that led to the Vietnam War? This tought makes the Vietnam Memorial even more poignant. It is tragic that in a scant 30 years we forgot the lessons and will probably have to construct another memorial in our Capitol City that elicits similar emotions. Happy Anniversary.
The mission that was completed was phase 1: the overthrow,...much easier than anticipated... the other, phase 2: the transitional process has been a tad of a challenge... In retrospect, the mission was accomplished from a certain point of view, as it pertains to the overthrew of the government...
Bush To Iraqi Militants: 'Please Stop Bringing It On' WASHINGTON, DC—In an internationally televised statement Monday, President Bush modified a July 2003 challenge to Iraqi militants attacking U.S. forces. "Terrorists, Saddam loyalists, and anti-American insurgents: Please stop bringing it on now," Bush said at a Monday press conference. "Nine months and 500 U.S. casualties ago, I may have invited y'all to bring it on, but as of today, I formally rescind that statement. I would officially like for you to step back." The president added that the "it" Iraqis should stop bringing includes gunfire, bombings, grenade attacks, and suicide missions of all types. OK, just kidding, that was from the Onion.
No. The overthrow of the government was never in doubt. What was in doubt was the ability to bring meaningful change and democracy to the islamic world, as wella s wether or not the cost-benefit ratio would eventually work out. This is not surprising, given that the people tasked with leading this change have previously scoffed at the task of nationbuilding as if it were a pointless, profane, unmentionable chore. This has failed miserably so far, in both Afghanistan and Iraq. "tad of a challenge" is probably not an appropriate phraseology given the thousands, Iraqi and American, who have given their lives in the process.
"Mission Accomplished" 5 Years Later WASHINGTON — The White House said Wednesday that President Bush has paid a price for the "Mission Accomplished" banner that was flown in triumph five years ago but later became a symbol of U.S. misjudgments and mistakes in the long and costly war in Iraq. Thursday is the fifth anniversary of Bush's dramatic landing in a Navy jet on an aircraft carrier homebound from the war. The USS Abraham Lincoln had launched thousands of airstrikes on Iraq. "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended," Bush said at the time. "The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on Sept. 11, 2001, and still goes on." The "Mission Accomplished" banner was prominently displayed above him _ a move the White House came to regret as the display was mocked and became a source of controversy. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/30/mission-accomplished-5-ye_n_99534.html
hum.... wonder why????? Poll: More disapprove of Bush than any other president WASHINGTON DC (CNN) -- A new poll suggests that President Bush is the most unpopular president in modern American history. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Thursday indicates that 71 percent of the American public disapprove of how Bush is handling his job as president. "No president has ever had a higher disapproval rating in any CNN or Gallup Poll; in fact, this is the first time that any president's disapproval rating has cracked the 70 percent mark," said Keating Holland, CNN's polling director. "Bush's approval rating, which stands at 28 percent in our new poll, remains better than the all-time lows set by Harry Truman and Richard Nixon [22 percent and 24 percent, respectively], but even those two presidents never got a disapproval rating in the 70s," Holland said. "The previous all-time record in CNN or Gallup polling was set by Truman, 67 percent disapproval in January 1952." http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/01/bush.poll/index.html
Really candid interview with Dan Bartlett, the White House Communication director that set that speech up. http://www.texasmonthly.com/2008-01-01/talks-1.php
...just sickening how any positive media or good news regarding Iraq is immediately urinated on by the libs. Makes you wonder...
Better check the dates on the good news. Pentagon is slowly pulling back their manufactured bull**** until the public forgets and the coast is clear.
