Making Progress? Bush Backtracks In Assessments of Iraq and Afghanistan
Making Progress? Bush Backtracks In Assessments of Iraq and Afghanistan
Today, as he often does, President Bush said we are making progress in Iraq and Afghanistan: “We are making progress in the march of freedom — and some of the most important progress has taken place in a region that has not known the blessings of liberty: the broader Middle East.â€
But a quick review of Bush’s statements today versus his earlier statements about Iraq and Afghanistan reveal that the condition in those countries has deteriorated steadily over time.
AFGHANISTAN THEN:
And as a result of the United States military, Taliban no longer is in existence. And the people of Afghanistan are now free. [9/27/04]
AFGHANISTAN NOW:
Taliban and al Qaeda remnants continue to fight Afghanistan’s democratic progress. In recent weeks, they have launched new attacks that have killed Afghan civilians and coalition forces. [3/13/06]
IRAQ THEN:
We thank all of the citizens of Iraq who welcomed our troops and joined in the liberation of their own country. [5/1/03]
IRAQ NOW:
The past few weeks, the world has seen very different images from Iraq — images of violence, and anger, and despair. We have seen a great house of worship — the Golden Mosque of Samarra — in ruins after a brutal terrorist attack. We’ve seen mass protests in response to provocation. We’ve seen reprisal attacks by armed militias on Sunni mosques — and random violence that has taken the lives of hundreds of Iraqi citizens. [3/13/06]
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
It’s too bad war isn’t neat and clean Fez. The only thing that hasn’t changed about this one is the way you liberals whine and seethe at every turn regardless of who gets hurt by it.
March 13th, 2006 at 5:10 pmFrom the head whiner and seether on this site, that’s either high praise or fightin’ words… well, at least you got to be frist!
March 13th, 2006 at 5:18 pmNow would that be changing your view point because of a change in reality or would that be flip-flopping. If he were a democrat these wingnuts would be jumping all over him!
March 13th, 2006 at 5:23 pmWhat can we really expect from a man who couldn’t find oil in Texas – for three different companies?
Bankruptcy. That’s where he’s suceeding.
March 13th, 2006 at 5:35 pmThe President today said to ‘The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies’ (they don’t sound too radical):
“The mission of this Foundation is to defeat terror by promoting democracy — and that is the mission of my administration. Our strategy to protect America is based on a clear premise: the security of our nation depends on the advance of liberty in other nations. On September the 11th, 2001, we saw that problems originating in a failed and oppressive state 7,000 miles away could bring murder and destruction to our country.”
Now, somehow without even using the word ‘Iraq’, he managed to imply that Iraq and 9-11 have something to do with one another (that is, unless the “oppressive state 7,000 miles away” he was referring to was meant to be Saudi Arabia; in which case, he’d have done better to say so); and I had thought that such a link as that, between the attacks of 9-11 and Iraq, had already been well explored and long ago determined not to exist. And if there is no link between the attacks of 9-11 and Iraq, then would any assertion that there was, be considered what they refer to as ‘re-writing history’? Insteas that question and it’s answer, let us just say that there is no link between the attacks of 9-11 and Iraq, or none that has been alledged by any credible source, or proved by any U.S. Authority.
The President states also that “promoting democracy” and “liberty” is his Administration’s mission in Iraq.
Didn’t the Resolution that called for the use of Armed Force against Iraq (H.J.Res. 114) have as it’s mission:
The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq.
… in order to defend the national security of the United States against the continued threat posed by Iraq, not “promoting democracy” or “the advance of liberty in other nations”. As best I can tell, what we have here is a failure to justify one mission (WMD’s, etc.), and as a result the simple substitution of another mission (”promoting democracy”); and if that is as it appears, then perhaps what Congress should have done when it passed H.J.Res. 114 was just left the mission part blank, to be filled in later:
The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to (insert excuse here).
March 13th, 2006 at 5:37 pmWhat can we expect from a man who manned the keg instead of attending classes?
What can we expect from someone who was AWOL and had a spoon in his hand (filled frequently with coke) instead of holding the throttles to a fighter jet?
What can we expect from a family who’s matriarch cried when they moved out and the Clintons moved into the WhiteHouse?
March 13th, 2006 at 5:39 pm“The only thing that hasn’t changed about this one is the way you liberals whine and seethe at every turn regardless of who gets hurt by it. I-RIGHT-I/MizzWrong”
You know MizzWrong, all of this ‘projection’ around others stems from your repressed sexuality. If you whined any louder, or seethed anymore, they’d film you for the sequel to brokeback.
What a whacko bag of dung.
So no matter how much he’s lied to, cheated, stolen from, and mistreated – like a good abused mutt dog, MizzWrong licks the boot of his master. And now we see exactly what kind of freaks are drawn to fascism and hate crimes.
March 13th, 2006 at 5:40 pmBush hasn’t changed his story, the wingnut revisionists have not gotten around to changing the tapes and transcrips of the story yet. Real soon it all will match up and we will not be the wiser for it…………. Hell it worked for Stalin and Hitler why should Rove not try it.
March 13th, 2006 at 5:43 pmI-RIGHT-I Whining and seething? If the definition of pointing out the tragic ineptitude of the Bush administration is whining and seething, then I guess thats what I do. I-RIGHT-I, you are neither a Conservative or a Republican, you are a Bush Cultist that is in need of an intervention.
March 13th, 2006 at 5:49 pmWhat can we expect from a family who’s matriarch cried when they moved out and the Clintons moved into the WhiteHouse?
Comment by Jesus Christ God of WAR — March 13, 2006 @ 5:39 pm
She cried? Well, I guess that lends a hand to his nurturing…
March 13th, 2006 at 6:05 pmWoody Guthrie had a sign on his guitar that read THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS!
Might as well keep the tradition going…
Goper’s Lament
50 Ways To Dump The Dubya
March 13th, 2006 at 6:12 pmI thought one couldn’t make statements like those Pres Bush has made as of late, lest one embolden the terrorists…
March 13th, 2006 at 6:19 pmThe President needs to stop talking about facts. He needs to get back to the good/evil rhetoric the bobos eat up.
Acknowledging our fuck-ups only helps the terrorists.
Iraq and Afghanistan are actually “shining cities on a hill” — if you ignore all the carnage, all the lies, all the bodies, the corruption, the death squads, the bombs, the burning, the infighting, the torture, the total failure of government, etc.
Makes you wonder why Hollywood hasn’t made an “upbeat” movie about our progress in the Middle East. Yeppers.
March 13th, 2006 at 6:21 pm#12 What is right is bush’s position this week, what is wrong is the opposite position he previously held…..
March 13th, 2006 at 6:24 pmGee, Faiz – What do you think is the suicide/homicide bombers intention?? (I know “intentions” are very important to progs.) Sadly, the lack of military depth is all too evident here at “Whinersville”. If a full fledged civil war breaks out, the Sunni’s will be annihilated by the majority Shi’ite and Kurd population. Who do you think is inciting the insurgency?? Could it be….Al Queda???? Could it be Iran supporting their fellow Shi’ites? Thank you, Zawahiri, for the blueprint…
March 13th, 2006 at 6:42 pmMighty moron,
“Sectarian violence now has become the No. 1 problem in Iraq, more than the insurgency. Or on a par” with the insurgency, said Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, the U.N. envoy to Iraq. Gen. John P. Abizaid, the head of U.S. Central Command, said last week that “sectarian violence is a greater concern for us security-wise right now than the insurgency.”
But of course you know more than the General…….
March 13th, 2006 at 6:45 pmI-R-I, Grow some balls, join the army and go fight the war in Iraq that you support. It’s time to PUT UP OR SHUT UP you f*cking CHICKENHAWK! I god damn guarantee you will come home in a body bag, because you will have Ahab the Arab shooting at you from the front, and GIs shooting at your KKK ass from behind. You are BOUND to get killed in the first week there.
March 13th, 2006 at 6:47 pm#7 ; Bush wasn’t just AWOL, he’s a deserter. def. AWOL(Absent WithOut Leave). If you’re not at your post(duty station) 30 days. Those are the military’s definitions of AWOL & Desertion. Ask any veteran, military retiree, or active duty person to confirm. In Bush’s own service record, his CO(commanding officer) Did not give him his annual evaluation due to the fact Bush did not report for duty for a year. Thus, by definition, Bush is GUILTY OF DESERTION.
March 13th, 2006 at 7:01 pmThis just in from Captain Obvious:
The mission does not seem to be accomplished
March 13th, 2006 at 7:03 pmThis just in from Captain Obvious:
The mission does not seem to have been accomplished
March 13th, 2006 at 7:04 pmThis just in from Captain Obvious:
The mission may not be accomplished
March 13th, 2006 at 7:06 pmThis just in from Captain Obvious:
I’m having trouble posting, obviously…
March 13th, 2006 at 7:09 pm#17 – Gee, “Over A Cliff”, WHO do you think is fulmenting the sectarian violence??
March 13th, 2006 at 7:20 pmNot only there is violence in Iraq, it seems to be fostered from within the government itself.
From Knigh Ridder:
March 13th, 2006 at 7:30 pmSenior Iraqi officials Sunday confirmed for the first time that death squads composed of government employees had operated illegally from inside two government ministries.
“The deaths squads that we have captured are in the defense and interior ministries,” Minister of Interior Bayan Jabr said during a joint news conference with the Minister of Defense. “There are people who have infiltrated the army and the interior.”
Death squads operated from inside Iraqi government, officials say
#24 Both sides read what Churchill said about Iraq when he dealt with it.
March 13th, 2006 at 7:45 pmAt least W is finally owning up (somewhat) to his earlier ignorant comments. I doubt the rest of the right-wingers will admit the countless blunders in Iraq and Afghanistan. They still can’t admit that Iraq is in total civil war.
http://www.lcoliberal.blogspot.com
Progressive commentary on the issues that really matter.
http://www.sunstateactivist.org
March 13th, 2006 at 7:49 pm#24 “WHO do you think is fulmenting the sectarian violence??”
MA — Try “fomenting.” That’s an actual word.
Aren’t you supposed to be an attorney or something? Geez. I hope you’re in PI or SS disputes.
March 13th, 2006 at 8:12 pmMighty moron, you are perfectly free to join I-R-I into the army and Iraq. The two of you can kill a “commie for mommie” if you don’t get greased before that, and take the Bush twins with you, after all, it’s the patriotic thing do do as Bush says to parents of draft-age kids.
March 13th, 2006 at 8:16 pmThose who can’t “do”, pretend that they can. Just another endless day in “Opposite World”, courtesy of GWB.
March 13th, 2006 at 8:20 pmWhat’s the difference between Pants on Fire and Big Fat Liars? NONE!
March 13th, 2006 at 8:31 pmA Blast from the Past: Breakfast of Champions
January 12, 2006
In “Bush: War critics may help enemy†by Jennifer Loven in the Press Democrat paper reveal an American President who’s backed against a wall, feeding the American public such tiresome mush while to the mainstream media it’s the breakfast of champions. Bush’s bursting confidence is blasting his critics, those who give “comfort to our adversaries.†At a Veterans of Foreign War in Washington, Bush spouts that victory in Iraq is a certainty. But he failed to mention what Jack Murtha stated that the attacks against American troops have gone up 20 times in two years. That the Sunni population in Iraq has yet to be equally represented by the Shiite controlled government, paving the way for more instability and bloodshed. The Shiite element in the Iraqi government has extreme close tie with Iran; the country that Bush seriously planning to invade. Also with the shortage of recruitment at an all time high Bush still refuses to institute a draft. And to top it off our arm forces aren’t decently equipped; both in material and personnel. These are just some of the problems and there’s much more but that will surpass the word limit for this editorial.
March 13th, 2006 at 9:02 pm
March 13th, 2006 at 10:29 pmhttp://www.avengingangels.org
March 13th, 2006 at 10:31 pmWanna see some cute kids?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3462.htm
March 13th, 2006 at 11:22 pmMore leaked memos fresh out of Downing Street:
“No leadership, no strategy, no coordination, no structure and inaccessible to ordinary Iraqis.”
John Sawers, PM Tony Blair’s envoy to Baghdad in the aftermath of the invasion, in a memo written on May 11 2003, about the US administration in Iraq.
The Guardian: US postwar Iraq strategy a mess, Blair was told
This is even more evidence that people in the know recognised from the onset that the Iraq occupation was/would be a bloody mess. I feel truly sorry for the ordinary Iraqis who have had to endure so much for so long.
March 13th, 2006 at 11:37 pmThe president asks for patience. The situation continues to get worse with each passing day. He has no solution. He has no end game. He has no exit strategy. We have noting to show for our blood and treasure. We had no legitmate reason to invade and occupy this country. Iraq was not a serious threat to our security. Some say insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. To continue this course is insane. How long must this go on? The people who are gravitating to positions of power in Iraq are more interested in settling scores and avenging past wrongs than in working in common cause with their enemies.
March 13th, 2006 at 11:57 pm[...] Making Progress? Bush Backtracks In Assessments of Iraq and …Think Progress, DC - 12 hours ago… And the people of Afghanistan are now free. [9/27/04]. Taliban and al Qaeda remnants continue to fight Afghanistan s democratic progress. … [...]
March 14th, 2006 at 5:26 am#24 – Gee, could it be all those “feydaeen” forces that General Franks decided weren’t worth the time and effort to clean up as we rushed to Baghdad and the oil fields?
How about all the foreign forces that we allowed to cross to Iraqi border while we were safeguarding all the oil fields and searching for Saddam?
Try as you might, you just can’t cover up the failures of Pres. Bush and his crony machine.
March 14th, 2006 at 8:08 am#24 – Gee, could it be all those “feydaeen†forces that General Franks decided weren’t worth the time and effort to clean up as we rushed to Baghdad and the oil fields?
You mean that large paramilitary force that we didn’t know about before we went in and then ignored during the invasion? That group that we left behind because they weren’t a primary target who ended up being the basis for the organized resistence?
Them?
Seems to me if your war plan encounters unanticipated situations while executing it, you would change the plan, not keep going forward like nothing’s wrong. But that’s just me. I’m sane.
How about all the foreign forces that we allowed to cross to Iraqi border while we were safeguarding all the oil fields and searching for Saddam?
Well, Iraq is a big country after all. Lots of borders. Guarding borders is hard work.
Try as you might, you just can’t cover up the failures of Pres. Bush and his crony machine.
Don’t worry, they’re trying.
March 14th, 2006 at 8:17 amTo All The People who voted for bush have a serious think about your mentality
What has this child ever done to your country
March 14th, 2006 at 8:30 amPRETTY DAMN PATHETIC.
IN FRONT OF A HAND-PICKED GROUP OF DOLTS, BUSH TALKS ABOUT TOP-SECRET INVENTIONS THAT WILL FINALLY TURN THE TIDE OF WAR. MEANWHILE, THE REST OF THE PARTY ARE PLANNING THEIR ESCAPE FROM THE SINKING SHIP.
JEEZE, HE REALLY IS STARTING TO SOUND LIKE HITLER IN THE BUNKER.
March 14th, 2006 at 8:43 amGeorge W. Bush is a liar, mass murderer, thief and a traitor…
If he can’t be impeached because of it, then when CAN an American president be impeached?
March 14th, 2006 at 9:27 am#24 “WHO do you think is fulmenting the sectarian violence??â€
MA — Try “fomenting.†That’s an actual word.
Aren’t you supposed to be an attorney or something? Geez. I hope you’re in PI or SS disputes.
Comment by RunningDogLackey
To RunningDogLackey,
March 14th, 2006 at 9:45 amAfter a few months of observing Mighty Hypocrite’s rants here, I have concluded that this person is probably not a woman and definitely not a woman with a professional degree. My suspicions were first aroused by various inconsistencies in Mighty’s background, as reported by her/him/it.
As to the latter conclusion, I have observed in Mighty Hypocrite’s postings a chip-in-the-shoulder attitude towards people with Ph.Ds and/or Ivy League educations, which I find hard to believe that an actual J.D. would have (and which the women lawyers I know personally definitely do not have). Then there is her/his/its poor usage of the English language–ones like the non-existent word “fulmenting” that can’t be attributed to mere typos or stuck keys.
In regards to both the former and latter conclusions, on another thread, Mighty Hypocrite in rather graphic words accused Dr. Glenn Becker, a liberal/progressive poster she apparently has never met (nor have I, for the record) of lacking male genitals. This is simply not the sort of language any well-educated woman I know (or myself, a former Fulbright scholar with advanced degrees in East Asian languages) uses. I could give several other examples of vulgar language not normally used by the well-educated women I know, but I think you get the point and I don’t want to take up any more space here. Besides, my cats tell me they are hungry.
#44 – Oh my! Lora, I think your post is a wonderful breakdown of the feminine psyche, and an informative piece on our resident troll Mighty A.!
I look forward to hearing from you in future, and will make sure I archive your post for my female friends that I believe would appreciate your concise dissertation on the partisan brain!
March 14th, 2006 at 10:35 amAfter a few months of observing Mighty Hypocrite’s rants here, I have concluded that this person is probably not a woman and definitely not a woman with a professional degree. My suspicions were first aroused by various inconsistencies in Mighty’s background, as reported by her/him/it.
Comment by Lora — March 14, 2006 @ 9:45 am
I have to agree, as an educated woman myself, that MA is very suspicious. Though women have variances and nuances in their backgrounds and behaviors, her is simply an anomoly from the hundreds of women I have known in my life.
There’s nothing feminine about her. I know man-hating lesbians who have some ‘girly’ traits, as a part of tehir cultural indoctrination as girls, but MA has not one that I can define.
RightPunch believes that she is Jeffrey Shawn – a gay man parading as a woman. The parallels between the two are abundant enough in themselves, but there’s more as Lora pointed out. And, I don’t know of a single woman who refers to her husband as Mr. Her Name. Though I have known plenty of gay men who refer to their partners as such. It makes sense that MA is NOT a woman.
March 14th, 2006 at 12:09 pm#1
Since when do you care about anyone getting hurt?
March 14th, 2006 at 12:57 pmSince when do you care about anyone getting hurt?
Comment by For Truth — March 14, 2006 @ 12:57 pm
Since he got his blow up doll pregnant…
March 14th, 2006 at 1:28 pmIt makes sense that MA is NOT a woman.
Comment by unbelievable
She’s ALL woman. Take it from an expert.
March 14th, 2006 at 2:57 pmShe’s ALL woman. Take it from an expert.
Comment by I-RIGHT-I — March 14, 2006 @ 2:57 pm
I’d have to verify your credentials first…
March 14th, 2006 at 4:46 pmWe all need to get out of these dark corners and out on the streets.
March 31st, 2006 at 11:16 pm