Tony Snow told reporters this morning that W would use his speech time today to attack the House plan to remove most combat troops from Iraq by September 2008, calling it a “recipe for defeat”. When CNN reporter Ed Henry asked for the White House’s “recipe for success”, Snow tried to turn the question back on him and then told him to “zip it”.
This is typical Bush-speak. I have yet to hear W define what he means by success in Iraq; his strategy, and that of his followers, seems to be to attack anyone who questions him. Four years later, we’re still waging what we were assured would be a six-week to six-month engagement, and we’ve lost sight of the objective — if there ever was one.
Yes, Saddam Hussein was a horrible man, but Iraq was a secular state with no real connection to terrorism. Now it’s mired in civil war that’s driven in large measure by sectarian conflict. Was this the plan?
Oh, and Afghanistan? Gee, we don’t hear much from W about the resurgent Taliban, do we?
So — we left the job unfinished in Afghanistan, the country that aided and abetted al-Qaeda; we continue to suck up to Saudi Arabia, which spawned 15 of the 19 hijackers; Osama bin Laden is still on the loose, and we’re spilling US blood in Iraq, a country that had nothing to do with 9/11.
Is this the “definition for success”? I’d really like to hear W address that question, but I’m not holding my breath.
Success for W, defined:
1. Invade
2. (something)
3. Victory®!
No, seriously, I believe CheneyCorp.’s plan is this: once the P(roduction) S(haring) A(greement)s are ironed out, and enormous profits assured for the decades to come, the oil companies will at least allow talk of a troop drawdown in Iraq.
And 12 months from now we’ll be asked for more “patience and resolve”.
by war profiteer standards, this is a hugely successful undertaking.
cheney always refers to *completing the mission* – I believe Jeff defined the mission pretty well.
Yeah, it almost makes me wish I owned stock in defense contracting companies. Almost.