And who do we have to thank for that, George? You and your ill advised "he tried to kill my daddy" pissing contest, that's who.
"The militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the region and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia," Bush said.
The president has been stepping up his defense of his Iraq policy in the face of declining public support for the war and a crucial test in Iraq with the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum.
Before Iraq, the Islamists were stateless, especially after the Taliban was
overthrown in Afghanistan. But that war has been neglected, in favor of the Iraq
war, and the Taliban are once again a threat. Iraq was a big 'ol recruiting
bonanza for al Qaeda. For every insurgent we kill or capture three take his
place. Good job, there George "didn't even finish my TANG duty" Bush.
Thankin' the fuck out of 50.6% of my fellow Americans about now. Rhenquist, who installed him in 2000? He got his.
"Against such an enemy, there's only one effective response: We never back down, never give in and never accept anything less than complete victory," Bush declared.
And they feel the same exact way, with the home-field advantage. This is your
classic Mexican Stand-off, wouldn't you say?
Countering claims that the U.S. military presence in Iraq is fueling radicalism, Bush noted that American troops were not there on Sept. 11, 2001. He said Russia did not support the military action in Iraq, yet a terrorist attack in Beslan, Russia, left more than 300 schoolchildren dead in 2004. (italics mine)
Yes George, and none of the 19 highjackers were Iraqi. By your own argument,
you should have stopped holding hands with the Saudis and attacked them.
"The terrorists regard Iraq as the central front in the war against humanity. And we must recognize Iraq as the central front in our war on terror," he said.
Spin it George. This is a mess you made, and other peoples kids are dying
for it. Those nasty little misbehaving twits that you "raised" aren't in
uniform, Cheney's daughters aren't in uniform (Mary's exempt - she's openly a
lesbian) and no children of the cheerleaders who were so damn eager to get into
this mess are serving either, not to my knowledge. If I am wrong, I will publicly appologize to those who serve.
"Our commitment is clear — we will not relent until the organized international terror networks are exposed and broken and their leaders held to account for their acts of murder," Bush said.
The president said that no one should underestimate the difficulties ahead, nor should anyone be pessimistic about U.S. efforts to battle terrorism.
"With every random bombing, and with every funeral of a child, it becomes more clear that the extremists are not patriots, or resistance fighters," Bush said. "They are murderers at war with the Iraqi people themselves."
Bush vowed not to retreat from Iraq or from the broader war on terrorism. "We will keep our nerve and we will win that victory," he said.
We? You got a mouse in your pocket, George? By a three-to- one margine, the people I talk to want out now, they are seeing the error of your ways. Of course, the people I talk to are mostly medical professionals. And we are sick of being understaffed because of deployments.
The hurricane response was pitiful because so many guard troops were deployed, and the ones that were in Louisiana were preoccupied with saving themselves. The New York Times reported this about a week and a half ago.
There will always be terrorism. There has always been terrorism. World War I started when a Serbian terrorist from "The Black Hand" terrorist organization assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand. (Yes! Franz Ferdinand is more than just a rock band!) Most of us learned this in 9th grade. (George was apparently passed out in the bathroom of his residence hall at Andover during that lecture, I guess.)
Yes, we are there, and there is no easy way out. But god damnit, we shouldn't be there in the first place! Especially in such a half-assed way. This president has no respect for the military, and everything my husband told our son to keep him from joining the Marines early in 2001 (before the shit hit the fan) has been born out. I am saddened to say this, but it's true.
I am increasingly pessimistic about the prospects for achieving any semblance of order in Iraq. It wasn't our battle to begin with. There was no connection between Iraq and al Qaeda, at least not before this fiasco, Bush's Folly, was undertaken. And as for Iraqi casualties, Saddam was a murderous thug, but we have killed more Iraqis, and our presence in their country has sparked internal sectarian violence that has killed even more, than Saddam ever managed to kill in his wildest fantasies.
I am sure there are those who disagree, and that's fine. In America we still have that right, for another minute or two. But my kids are not fighting for this fools errand. Bring the troops home. Now. And spare me the "civil war will break out" arguement. I contend that they are already in a civil war. What else does one call in-country sectarian violence? That was the very definition of a civil war when I was in school.
(Update: This was posted when it was supposed to be saved as a draft. It was completed and the typos corrected at 4:42 p.m. central)
