Bush: No 'open-ended' commitment

Looks like GW finally found a copy of the Powell doctrine in his father's old desk.

The question is: Who's the enemy? Is it the Sunni insurgency? Is it the Shia militia? Al Qaeda? Other outside forces?

Some have talked about the 80-20 plan. But the reality may be that we are not engaged in a civil war between Shia/Kurds and Sunnis. We may actually be engaged in the old Iran-Iraq war. And guess who's side we'll be taking?

The likelihood is that the "surge" will appear to work. But all we'll really be doing is softening up the Sunni minority for al-Maliki. And when we leave - as GW promises we will someday - al-Maliki will finish the job and be heaped on the shoulders of the Iranian Shia

The Repubs will complain that at least the president has a plan. "The Democrats," we are likely to hear over and over again, "don't have a plan."

The reality is, even if the Dems had a plan - like Colin Powell had a plan - this president won't listen to anyone but Dick Cheney - and he's not listening to anyone but himself.

The larger reality is that there are no good options in Iraq. We're at a point where the losers will need to be exterminated with extreme prejudice. Already, the Iraqi middle class has abandon the country and is waiting until it is safe to return. The only guys left have scars from ear to ear and don't give a rat's ass about Bush or anyone else.

Good luck dealing with the "winner."

Too little too late. It's not really a surge more like a drop in the bucket. After admitting to not having enough troops he is sure 20,0000 will do it. I don't think so.

Congress needs to vigorously oppose funding to increase the troops levels in Iraq. According to the various reasons we have been given as the military and political objectives for invading Iraq, there is every reason to believe such objectives are now unattainable. America would simply be sending more troops into the midst of the civil war that cannot be quelled without making a military commitment much larger than the President admits he is willing to make. The Iraq war is lost and President Bush's plan to temporarily add about 21,000 troops in Iraq clearly is a cynical attempt to buy 6 months of patience from the American public. Are we really going to stand for toying with more of our troops' lives so the President doesn't have to admit defeat?

We need to plan for the safe return of our troops and future military appropriations should reflect that sensible policy. This is a key moment where the new Congress can show courage in breaking with the President and the more extreme elements who have captured his party. The lives of our troops are more important than the President's "legacy."

We can't be the world's 9-1-1.

No military solution exists in Iraq, only political ones. It is time for diplomacy not escalation. It reminds of the song from the 1960s. "we're wate deep in the Big Muddy and the Big Fool says to push on!"

So he wants to secure Baghdad.
Shouldn't this have been done after we went into Iraq? 20,000 troops will hardly be enough. And the Iraqi forces will likely be bombed in the police stations before they can even do any good.
This President has no vision and no plan. It's time to pull the plug on his Presidency and his failed policies!

As Ronald Reagan once said in a debate, "there you go again." New strategy? This is a rehash of the old strategy with several thousand more lives at risk. What it really means is he needs our military and our blood to protect what is left of his tattered legacy. Even the speech was a cut and paste of so many previous attempts to make us feel like the "mission" (take your pick which one; he's given us several to choose from)is "vital" to the security of the United States. Mr. President, would Iraq be a hotbed for terrorist activity (and that assumes it actually is....he said it so it must be the truth???)if your foolish war had never taken place?

This guy is delusional and dangerous. I honestly think it is time to start some serious talk about impeachment BEFORE we decide to commit even more of our men and women to the "mission" of protecting this guys image.

The only people happy about this strategy is Halliburton.....more "job opportunities" for the VP's company masquerading as the Presidents jobs program in Iraq.

And oh, by the way, we have heard that the equipment we have in the desert is getting very unreliable and will need to be replaced. We know they have a difficult time even providing enough bullet-proof vests for the soldiers that are there already. What are we going to do....make them walk around Baghdad without vests, guns and vehicles? That must be his new plan for success.

Please send this moron back to his village in Texas.

The worst part was the threat of attacking Iran and Siria. Far from the political solution the region needs, the President continues with his rough guy policies. Pursuing the neo conservative agenda established more than a decade ago by people like Chaney, Perle and Wolfowitz, this President did not improved the security of the American people, did not improved American geo-political situation in the world and now is going against the will of the American people. The President must be stopped through impeachment. If the Democrat and the conservative part of the GOP don't understand this need, very soon this country is going to be waging was against Irak and Siria as well.

Ricardo Perez
Chicago, Il

Frankly, I cannot beleive that the American people have stood by and let this group of mad men destroy our country on a lark.
Send more troops to die? Spend billions more? I think the administration should be run out on a rail and sent a bill for the billions of tax dollars thrown to the winds.

He concedes mistakes, but doesn't take responsibility for them. His reasons: 1) Not enough troops, and 2) too many restrictions on them, are political excuses for which he doesn't have to take personal responsibility. Why shouldn't he blame the rubber stamp congress? Has he ever taken responsibility for mistakes?

The worst part was the threats against Siria and Iran. Instead of the political solutions the region needs, this President is triyng to extend the conflict. This is not new. The policy of world domination was drafted more than a decade ago by people like Chaney, Perle and Wolfowitz. The only way to stop this President from expanding the war to Iran and Siria is impeachment. If the democrats and the conservative wing of the Republican Party don't understand this ASAP, before 2008 this country is going to be waging war against those countries instead of fighting terrorism. We need to get back on track against Bin Laden instead of using the "war on terror" as an excuse to promote imperial ambition.

Ricardo Perez
Chicago, IL

So much for the Iraq Study Group.

Glad Bush is so confident in his foreign affairs acumen that he thinks he could ignore the advice of people who were actually successful at it.

And, by the way, what kind of leverage does Bush have over the Iraqis?

Iraq's prime minister is already on record as saying he doesn't want his job and he can't wait to get out. He's not going to get killed for Bush.

The others in charge of the government are majority Shiites, who know they'll be calling all the shots if the Americans leave. They have absolutely no incentive to do what the Chimp wants.

Bush is either dreaming, or going back to his past drug habits.

Let's see....
Vietnam, small country, South shooting at North, North shooting at South and at us, max force-500,000 troops. Result? We leave, North wins.
Iraq, big country, Shia shooting Sunni, Sunni shooting Shia, both shooting us, max force-160,000+
The math on this doesn't give me much confidence that Bush wants to win. He shoulda stayed home.

Did Bush declare war on Iran last night?

If the public was responsible, directly, for impeachment Bush would be out as evidenced by his approval rating. But since we are not a true democracy we can't.

While it was a relief to finally hear President Bush verbally take responsibility as commander-in-chief for American military failures in Iraq, he is still playing the "blame game" and insisting that this so called "war" can be "won".

I beg to differ. No it can't -- any more than the Vietnam conflict could have been "won" in the 1960s. Sending more troops, essentially escalating the military conflict in Iraq, only exascerbates the problem.

This war began under false pretenses. It continues under false pretenses. Now, President Bush is laying the "blame" for current sectarian violence squarely on the shoulders of this new Iraqi government to solve. In his speech last night, the President stated that the American people have grown impatient with the war, and will not continue to havre patience with the Iraqi government if it continues to fail at ending the violence.

This is a government that has essentially been installed and supported by President Bush. The President still refuses to really accept responsibility for failed U.S. military strategy in Iraq. He is caught between a rock and a hard place. If he continues to support (militarily and economically) a failing military conflict, his legacy is exactly that -- a failure as President. If he begins to de-escalate our military involvement there, he acknowledges that it was a bad idea to invade Iraq to begin with, and his legacy is once again that of a failure.

Every president has a legacy.

Despite signing the Civil Right Act, Lyndon Johnson's legacy will forever be about Vietnam.

Despite presiding over the greatest economic growth in American history, Bill Clinton's legacy will always be linked to the Monica Lewinsky scandal and his subsequent impeachment.

Despite the fact that President Bush guided our nation through the aftermath of 9-11 (during which he had the support of over 90% of the American people), his legacy will now always be linked to his failed military policies in Iraq.

Welcome to your legacy, Mr. President.

Didn't this mess begin in Afganastan ? The Pez. mentioned Afganastan 3-4 times, but only in passing. The "base" of terror was/still is in Afganastan not Iraq. The mastermind of the attacks of 9/11 was/is Osama BL, and after how long he is still "out there".
President Bush has pulled off a slight of hand in front of all Americans, and yet we listen to his continued lies " Iraq is the heart of terror" , yea, and I have swamp-lamd for sale.
Impeach him soon before he destroys us and all that we hold sacred - Privacy and peace.

Funny how Bush accused Syria and Iran of interfering in Iraq, but didn't mention Saudi Arabia (and, likely, Egypt and Kuwait), who have also been aiding Iraqi factions.

How does it go . . . you're only insane if you try the same thing over and over again and continue to get the same result?

Bush's address regarding the need for more troops - what a load! One item I do agree with him on is the fact that there have been MANY mistakes and yes, all of those mistakes are results of his actions. Why not send Bush, Cheney, Rummy and all of the other idiots who started this war to Iraq and let them clean up their own mess, on their own dollar.

"The Iraqi government will appoint a military commander and two deputy commanders for their capital.

The Iraqi government will deploy Iraqi army and national police brigades across Baghdad's nine districts....

These Iraqi forces will operate from local police stations; conducting patrols and setting up checkpoints and going door-to-door to gain the trust of Baghdad residents......

The vast majority of them -- five brigades -- will be deployed to Baghdad. These troops will work alongside Iraqi units AND BE EMBEDDED IN THEIR FORMATIONS." (My emphasis)

So is GWB committing these additional US forces under direct Iraqi operational command? Or is the new Iraqi commander in Baghdad going to be a sham?

If the media would leave Iraq the war would be over in a month. Let the soldiers do what they are trained to do. If we had the same amount of media coverage in World War II we would never have won that war. The media doesn't seem to understand it is hindering the process of winning a war. Imagine how many soldiers lives would have been saved if the war was over 2 years ago, but the media won't take responsibility for that.

The Democrat's mantra for the past 4 years has been, “if Bush is for it, we’re against it. If Bush is against it, we’re for it!” Hate-Bush is their only consistent policy.

So it is with last night's speech. As recently as December 2006, Dems were calling for more troops in Iraq.

For example: this Reuters article from Dec. 17, 2006 about Senate Dem. leader Harry Reid, headlined: "Reid backs temporary rise in troops in Iraq".

Or this Dec. 5. 2006 article: "In a surprise twist in the debate over Iraq, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, the soon-to-be chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said he wants to see an increase of 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. troops as part of a stepped up effort to “dismantle the militias.”"

Or how about House Dem leader Nancy Pelosi, who on the May 30, 2004 "Meet the Press" endorsed a troop increase?

Or this NY Times headline from July 14, 2005, referring to Hilary Clinton and others: "Senate Democrats Call for Increase in Troops".

Or this AP story from June 30, 2005 citing among others Dem Senators Kerry and Biden: "Bush Critics Call for More Troops in Iraq".

Bush does what Democrats have been calling for, and the Democrats still criticize it! To paraphrase John Kerry's famous confession, the Democrats were for it before they were against it!

I just don't know what the Bush admin. is thinking? Popular opinion is completely against this, and even most professional opinions I have read seem to think that this is, at best, too little too late. This administration is just completely out of touch and out of control!! Bush will easily go down as the worst president in recent history. He has gone from incompetent to dangerous.

Brian Kelly-

How is the media preventing us from ending the war? What things do you think would happen there absent the media?

Bush has already admitted that his war will be left over for the next president in 2009 to clean up. This new deployment is designed to keep sacrificing our troops to prolong his "Stay the Course" strategy until the next president inherits Bush's war and actually makes the real tough decisions. Bush hasn't been right about anything regarding Iraq, what would make a person think someone so incompetent would now have a plan that would work? I hold the Supreme Court and the people who voted for Bush responsible.
This is what happens when you elect a person with the mental acuity of a tiddlywink to be president.

Posted by: Brian Kelly | Jan 11, 2007 8:02:03 AM

==========

Well, I'm not going to defend the corporate media, who have been cheerleading this war since it began and have only become suspicious of it after the US public decided it wasn't working.

But, obviously, your premise--that the war would have been won two years ago had there been no embedded media members--is stupid on its face.

If the media would leave Iraq the war would be over in a month. Let the soldiers do what they are trained to do. If we had the same amount of media coverage in World War II we would never have won that war. The media doesn't seem to understand it is hindering the process of winning a war. Imagine how many soldiers lives would have been saved if the war was over 2 years ago, but the media won't take responsibility for that.

Posted by: Brian Kelly | Jan 11, 2007 8:02:03 AM

Gosh....why didn't we think of that sooner. Here all along I was thinking it was because of the countless mistakes that have been made. Only problem is...how will we know when it's over?

Bush personifies stuborness, ignorance, arrogance, denial and tragic incompetence. Now around 15% of the electorate supports his Iraq actions -- he cost his party its majority -- the clearest possible majority of his democratic republic have instructed him to dissengage. And yet he repackages the same bromides and calls his plan "new".

My favorite two "W'isms" from last night:
Repeated references to checking with the "commanders in the field" without mentioning that he is actually checking with his most recent "yes men" after again replacing those who do not agree with him. Second, including the new 21,000 of our young people, we will not reach the previous highest number of Americans deployed. But, this will correct his earlier error of sending insufficient forces.

There is a perverse similarity between Bush's two democracies. He wants to be the "decider" for both and devil take the will of the people.

We tried to impeached the wrong President.

The above post blaming the Iraq situation on the media is utter and complete lunacy.

You, sir, are obviously an idiot.

I notice that the usual Dubya chorus line is suspiciously silent this morning. Reality sinking in after six loooooong years, boys?

It's obvious from Bush's speech that he still doesn't get the main point: the Iraqis want US out, the American people want US out, the whole rest of the world wants US out.

Why are there so many like Bush who say that it is up to us to fix this? We cannot fix this. Yes, we started it, but the only way to end it is to stop trying to fix it.

Unless this is all a hoax and the conspiracy theorists are right. Maybe this administration has no intention to end the war because it benefits them.

Posted By Brian Kelly

If the media would leave Iraq the war would be over in a month. Let the soldiers do what they are trained to do. If we had the same amount of media coverage in World War II we would never have won that war. The media doesn't seem to understand it is hindering the process of winning a war. Imagine how many soldiers lives would have been saved if the war was over 2 years ago, but the media won't take responsibility for that.
Posted by: Brian Kelly | Jan 11, 2007 8:02:03 AM

Brian Kelly,

Keep drinking the cool-aid. Of all the idiot comments about supporting this blunder this takes the cake. Brian your disgrace to the name!

For a brief shining moment, as Dubya finally admitted to the violence and the lack of success in Iraq, I thought he would actually break away from expectation and announce that he would bring the troops home. Sadly, he continues to be a clueless disappointment. I can only hope that Congress will act in the people's best interests. Bush clearly isn't.

Who is the real enemy, Bush or the Iraqi insurgents we are supposedly fighting? C'mon Mr President, admit you were WRONG in the first place to send an invasion force. What about Osama Bin Laden and his hidey hole somewhere in Afganistan or Pakistan? Wasn't he the reason you launched this WAR ON TERROR in the first place. As far as I and the rest of the American public can recon, the now late Saddam Hussein and his merry band of misfits had nothing to do with 9-11-2001. So why is it so hard to find a 6+foot Arab on dialysis? Do us all a favor, don't send 21,500 more troops to Iraq. Instead start planning how to bring our soldiers back home. If the new congress has any brains about them, they will vote to block funding for Mr Bush's request and instead start coming up with a plan to pull out before countless more American lives are wasted on this effort.

Bruce,
Make up your mind. First you and your pals were calling Democrats, Cut-and-run Democrats, Defeatocrats, etc because they were calling for a phased withdrawel. Now you are saying that before President Bush laid out his new plan Democrats were calling for more troops. Which is it? Get your RNC talking points straight.

Did this surprise anyone? The majority of the US spoke in November. The Democrats are trying to hold the line. Does Bush listen? Does Bush care? No, all he wants is what he wants. How sad that so many die because George Bush cannot listen. I sincerely hope the Democratic majority will not fund this atrocity. It is time to leave Iraw.

I continue to find it extremely difficult to believe that we have allowed one man to cause so much damage to our country in such a short time. It is going to take decades to clean up his mess. But for now, my heart, prayers and gratitude go out to our troops and Godspeed to them all. They are the true victims of Bush's idiocy.

The real test question of what to do, for me, is: Would I send my three sons there to do this? The answer is no. Moreover, the answer of most of our "leaders" is also no. Does George Bush send his kids? Do the members of congress send their kids? No. John Kerry said it right, if clumsily. You don't go there unless you have an educational deficiency. As I watch the names and addresses of the mounting number of dead, I see Hispanics, blacks, rednecks who volunteered seeking opportunity to be fully American. Our cynical leaders have run this crap up the flagpole and made cannon fodder of those who saluted.

Iraq and Iran - Escalate and Expand.

Am I the only one who suspects that Mr. Bush's plan to escalate combat in Iraq includes expanding combat to include Iran?

"Succeeding in Iraq also requires defending its territorial integrity and stabilizing the region in the face of extremist challenges. This begins with addressing Iran and Syria. These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq.

Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops. We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq. We are also taking other steps to bolster the security of Iraq and protect American interests in the Middle East. I recently ordered the deployment of an additional carrier strike group to the region."

When Saudis supported by Afghanistan attacked the U.S., Mr. Bush attacked Iraq. Our troops dying by the score in Iraq and Mr. Bush... attacks Iran?

It doesn't make sense, but it does follow a pattern.

-- SCAM

Mr Bush looked like a pathetic figure of a man caught in a quagmire of his own stubborn doing.

I just feel so sorry for the dead and wounded military and even Iraqi citizens. Will Bush ever wash the blood from his hands?

Ben Yes I think he did declare war on Iran so did a lot of other people. I was not surprised by Bush's statement just hoping for more. Again who will suffer for his lies Military Families and the Troops. His Budgets cut the hell out of Veterans. What is a returning troops a veteran. The right never reads this site hope some of you do to learn what is going on with veterans.
http://www.vawatchdog.org
This site is run by veterans not right or left wingers

Bush can't even control his own borders, we know he can't do anything over seas. It is time to start getting our troops home before we loose more of them. The battle in the middle east has been going on since the beginning of time. What makes Bush think he can change it. Get out! kenny

Last night Bush made a big show of how he has saught the opinions of members of Congress and how he had thoughtfully considered theirs the the ISG's recommendations.

I wonder if he gets some kind of perverse kick out of spewing 100% pure BS at the American public en masse. It is obvious by the content of his speech that he gave ZERO thoughtful consideration to anyone's recommendations outside of Uncle Dick.

This war is going to continue until Bush and his merry band of idiots are all out in two years.

One question is why are Americans such patsies for this unbelievable tragedy put up by the dunderhead that we have for a president. He is sick and should be legally removed from office.

Re: Brian Kelly
You know I’ve seen some pretty lame posts here, but to blame the media for still being in Iraq for the past two years is about the lamest yet.

The newly elected democratic congress will try to stop Bush from this insanity, but under the constitution I think the only thing they can do would be to impeach him, and that would probably take longer than the 10 days or so they’ve been in power.

As for shifting some of the blame for supporting violence in Iraq to Saudi Arabia, I think the Saudi’s and Cheney are responsible for Bush’s “stay the course” policy, and would never take the blame for anything, as it seems that their calling the shots and Bush is just the puppet.

I think the longer we’re there the more I’m convinced the only thing we could do to improve the situation in Iraq is to pull everyone out, and let Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Syria fight over the oil rights, whoever wins will still need to sell the oil to us.

Did I hear that we are now ending four years of, which is now a Civil War by opening fronts against Syria and Iran? The electorate told this stubborn White House they were wrong last November. If the majority in Congress does not react to this mandate then they all should be thrown out of office. All this minimum publicity stunt will result in is more dead Americans.

This was interesting: about 60 postings regarding last night's bag of hot air, and only one of them supported the neocon puppet - and that guy says the whole thing is the media's fault. Amazing. What I would like to have heard from the Prep Boy last night was this: "Well, I have let Dick and Friend's companies have a free-for-all going on 4 years now - stealing billions and billions of taxpayer dollars while short-changing our troops. I can't stop that gushing sound you hear, but to help wean Halliburton and the rest of the thieves off of my Terror Merry-Go-Round I'm making this pointless speech just to give them about 6 more months to pillage our economy as best they can before I have to actually think of something else to do to swindle all the 'little people'. 'Yall with us or agin' us? Members of my staff please speak up so I know who to fire next."

Could someone please explain to me why I should care about the spread of democracy? I am more concerned with our own domestic problems. We have enough to do here before we dictate how other countries should be.

This is Bush's war, let him fight it, let him pay for it. Ditto for the few Neo-Cons who still support him. Dumbya and his few supporters only like this war because it doesn't affect them. It's not their kids dying there.
Brian Kelly, et,al, Please provide your itenerary for joining the war, how you plan to pay for it.

Don't you see the wisdom of this strategy? Our enemies want to kill Americans and disrupt our economy. Mr. Bush wants this to occur outside of America. This decision is akin to leaving the keys in your car, your jewelry on your doorstep, and your TV in the backyard. You'll probably never get robbed. Probably.

Why isn't this guy listening to the 'we the people'? How many more lives have to be sacrificed for no benefits to us. We need jobs here in the U.S. not send money to Iraq to create jobs so that Iraqis can have confidence in their government. What about restoring confidence here at home Georgie! If I were his father I would cry too.

Pam, You're right, the silence from the right is pretty deafening today.

Stan, John D, JD, Paulo "Hussein" Bin Ladin, care to explain how this is a brilliant strategy that is going to bear completely different results from what we've been getting?

Mark,

"Calling the situation in Iraq "unacceptable," President Bush told a war-weary American public Wednesday night that he is sending an additional 21,500 U.S. troops to Iraq with the hope that Iraqis will take control of their own strife-torn nation's security by November."

I would only add that the war weary US public must be getting 'weary' from washing the dirt off their yellow ribbon bumper stickers. TeamBush! claims their vanity war in Iraq is a conflict of civilizations, and that failure = disaster.

Yet no national commitment? No draft? Tax cuts going in?
Talk about raising expectations, then trying to win it on a dime.

GWB's own language/policy is setting us up for disaster.

***

"The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people—and it is unacceptable to me," Bush said. "Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely. … Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me."

Yet what does he mean when he accepts 'responsibility'?

***

"The U.S. force in Baghdad will rise to about 57,500 from the 40,000 there now."

It's obvious most of the 'surge' is going to Bag. How does this help the rest of the country?

How do we and Iraqi troops?;

Secure the border
Secure the power grid
Secure the oil infrastructure

Will 4k more Marines accomplish this?

***

"If the media would leave Iraq the war would be over in a month. Let the soldiers do what they are trained to do. If we had the same amount of media coverage in World War II we would never have won that war. The media doesn't seem to understand it is hindering the process of winning a war. Imagine how many soldiers lives would have been saved if the war was over 2 years ago, but the media won't take responsibility for that.
Posted by: Brian Kelly | Jan 11, 2007 8:02:03 AM"

Brian,

There were tens of thousands of hours of news reel film shot of WWII on all sides by all countries. More ink and paper were published over this war than any other.

Here is the difference;
The Americans, British, Canadians, Aussie, Russians, Chinese, French Resistance, more, were totally committed to winning. The key word is 'totally'.

Where are the American people generally speaking assuming this responsibility? Tax cuts and yellow ribbons don't win wars, I am afraid.

Here's what we are getting; The same guns and butter war policy as Vietnam war from Johnson and Nixon. And it's going to whiplash the economy and the American people, eventually.

This 'guns and butter' policy, however, is being administered with 'morphine drip' inserted into the arm of the American public.

Even Johnson tried to help pay for his escalation with the 'Sur-Tax', and Nixon with his 'wage a price' controls', both failures by the way. Ask Ford (rip) and Carter.

Once the GWB morphine drip is cruelly ripped out, it's gonna hurt.

And where are all these targets, er, troops to come from? Concentarting them in "police stations" in Baghdad will certainly increase casualties - like sitting ducks. The insurgents are either licking their chops or on the move to another location in Iraq until we leave the area again (if ever).

My son-in-law served two tours in Iraq and is now out of the Marines and gainfully employed, but is worried he may be called up to go to that hell-hole again. Oh Canada!

I'd compare Bush to LBJ but that would be doing LBJ a disservice!

If you recall WWII, you had Germany, Italy, and Japan fighting the Allies. The Allies made up a Military Fighting Force of over 1 Million Troops. It took 4 Years, and Two Atomic Bombs to End the Military Operations and close that chapter in our world.

Now you have Terrorists from Iraq, Iran, Syria, and who knows where else, trickling into Iraq to fight against 150,000+/- American and British Soldiers.

The numbers alone show that this "war" cannot be won the way it is being fought.

You cant use the military to crush the insurgents becuase you cant identify who the insurgents are against the rest of the population. You cant stop the feeding of weapons into the county because you cant secure the borders. You cant stop the war diplomatically, because the interim government cant control the people of the country, because it is to fractured by hunger for power or religious reasons.

Until all of the factions that are contributing to the conflict in Iraq are resoled, there will be no peace. This is not something the USA can do. Iraq must do it.

More troops in Iraq....Sending a carrier group just outside Iran....Doesn't discuss any of this with the United Nations....This Mad Man may actually start another war! I didn't vote for him twice, don't blame me! Moving to Houduras is starting to look preeetty, preeetty, preeetty good!

"The likelihood is that the "surge" will appear to work. But all we'll really be doing is softening up the Sunni minority for al-Maliki. And when we leave - as GW promises we will someday - al-Maliki will finish the job and be heaped on the shoulders of the Iranian Shia
Posted by: Bud McFarlin | Jan 11, 2007 7:04:54 AM"

Bud,
Agree.

'Who could have predicted! Greater Iran'!!

Thanks, GWB

After hearing President Bush's comments last night, I can summmarize it in 3 words: " stay the course ". Some people never learn.

There is on "breaking the cycle of violence" in Iraq. There has been violence there for centuries.
More money and troops are not going to change it.

The additional sacrifices Bush talks about are all human sacrifices; our young men and women. God bless and watch over all the soldiers that are fighting this un-winnable war.
All who would like to see Bush impeached, please send in your vote and then maybe the newspaper can send the tally on to the White House.

I don't think the media helps the situation. Most of what I see in headlines is how many people get killed every day, like the score in a football game. It's like NOTHING ever gets done there. I think the coverage is way out of balance.

ann simcoe's post is insightful. Bush appeared defeated in his speech last night. I think he knows that the US will have to 'redeploy' - it's just a matter of how soon. Yet he's so stubborn that he's willing to throw a Hail Mary Pass knowing it most likely won't work and will cost hundreds more US soldiers lives and tens of billions more US dollars. His actions are shameful at best.

That said - if the Democrats don't vote to cut off war funding (by phasing out over the next few months) in the next month or so, then they are complicit with Bush, and share the blame for everything that happens in Iraq in 2007.

What really frightened me about Bush's speech last night is that we're stuck with him as Commander in Chief for the next two years. Congress may try to reduce funding of this Iraqi fiasco but the Constitution gives Bush the right to make whatever military decisions he wants.

BTW did anyone notice that Bush named only one elected official in his speech: Lieberman? He's his new lap dog now that his original lap dog, Tony Blair, is on the way out.

Don't you pinko liberals have jobs to focus on? Let the President do his, you do yours - and for pete sake, pay your fair share of taxes while you are at it.

George W. Bush, President of the United States is incompetent, a liar & a war criminal who should to be impeached

I for one am totally convinced that this plan is the greatest. The experts have weighed in, and now have spoken. They know what's best. W has listened to their sage advice, and now has managed to make the tough, decisive decision. After all, what the hell do we know--all of us spectators out here in TVland? Yes, the new year will be bloody, but there is an easy solution. Just change the channel, ok nitwits? If the Iraqi's aren't ready to accept the greatest gift ever granted from one country to another--namely, freedom--then it's time we say "sorry busters" you had your chance. As for the administration that had no choice but was forced into this operation of liberation, I think we can all say with confidence "heckuva job" boys.

Our national debt right now is around 8.4 Billion dollars and sticking around in this war and sending more troops to Iraq is just going to raise our national debt even more.

Each move the President makes gives us greater cause for concern.

Armyguy,
You are accepting the latest excuse for a stupid war. We were told that Iraq was responsible for 9/11, had WMD's, then found out those were lies. Then, as Fundie Islamics pored into Iraq, a new story was created, that we started the war there to fight on someone else's turf. The only thing wrong with this is that we keep making more and more enemies, afterall, we did invade Iraq, were you thinking they would like us to do that? Would you like it if the Crips and Bloods decided to duke it out in your neighborhood? BTW, Where's Osama?

"You cant use the military to crush the insurgents becuase you cant identify who the insurgents are against the rest of the population. You cant stop the feeding of weapons into the county because you cant secure the borders. You cant stop the war diplomatically, because the interim government cant control the people of the country, because it is to fractured by hunger for power or religious reasons."

Eric,
This is the Vietnam analogy that so many supporters of the war say just doesn't exist.

Yet it's the only comparison that makes sense.

can't ident. enemy - same
can't secure borders - same
can't control countryside - same
corrupt Iraq gvmt. - same
infiltrated Iraq army - same
hollowed out Iraq divisions - same
war of attrition - same

Here's some more equations for the future to ponder;

Syria = Cambodia (strongholds)
Iran = Laos (most conventionally bombed country of 20th century)

"The experts have weighed in, and now have spoken."

Yes they have Jay. Almost all of them disagree with the President's decision. The Iarq study group recommended decreasing troop in Iraq, not increasing it.

Jay,

Now you are 'gaslighting' us!
Funny post.

You are so right, Shirley. Move over, Tony Blair! The Shrub has a new poodle. Lieberman should just announce his switch to the GOP before the Democrats kick him out, as they should. Here's what he said after the First Moron's speech: "I applaud the president for rejecting the fatalism of failure and pursuing a new course to achieve success in Iraq." Sen. Joseph Liberman (D?-Conn.)
The truth is, Iraq is Humpty Dumpty, and all the king's horses and all the king's men can't put it back together again.

C. Morris - Good post!

As a Vietnam Veteran I've been preaching those Iraq/Vietnam analogies for two years now. All that's missing: we have to assassinate some leaders of the Iraqi government (like the CIA did in Vietnam) and we're waiting for the "Iraqi Tet Offensive" - which will come soon enough when we place our soldiers all over Baghdad in little police kiosks!

PS - Rumsfeld = McNamara

We're involved in a CIVIL WAR,so what does our NeoNut in Chief do?
He sends in more of our troops to get shot at and blown up,another BRILLIANT "plan" from the Chickenhawk NeoCons.
Just for good measure President Goofy calls out Iran and Syria when in reality we can't even contain Iraq.

I've noticed that members of President Goofball's own party are starting to jump ship on him.....gee I wonder why?

I suggest an all inclusive draft:
Barbara and Jenna Bush first

If Speaker Pelosi doesn't start impeachment hearings on the DryDrunk in Chief and Dark Cheney within the next year,I won't be able to support her anymore.

I think that Bush should listen to the American people when we said we wanted us out of Iraq now. Who does he think he is anyway? He works for us not the other way around.

Congress should put a hold on his ability to do whatever he wants. Our poor soldiers are going to die needlessly. I hope he realizes he is accountable in the hereafter for his actions.

This is in response to Paige's post....

Seriously, pinko liberals. People still use the word pinko. Did you wake up and think it was 1954 and you were Joseph McCarthy? Are you yearning for yester years when they would blacklist people who opposed the government.

Step away from the keyboard before you make a fool of yourself, wait, its too late.

George does not have a clue,he looks like a fool to the rest of the world! and the republicans wanted to impeach clinton for what??????????? remove george # 2 before it is too late!

It sucks to wake up every day feeling as if I am covered in innocent blood. Bush is a failure and he is acting in more of a Stalinesque manner than a Linconian one as he purges anyone who does not share his created reality and listens to those failures at the American Enterpise Institute and the Project for the New American Century. The Dems need to implement Articles of Impeachment NOW! Hold Bushco accountable for the false intelligence that led us into the mess Bush and his cronies have been planning long before 9/11 gave them an excuse to act on their evil plans. It will be the first time in his entire life that anyone has ever held Bubble Boy accountable for anything in his entire life and it will be far overdue if and when it happens. What it looks like now is Bush is positioning to go into Iran after Isreal bombs several sites with nuclear weapons. Armegeddon here we come, let there by a Xtian Fanatic every bit as dangerous to us as the Islamic fanatics he is creating even as I type. God help us all.

Foreign Policy acumen or any kind of competency on the world stage is not this administrations strong piont. Their strong point, like lemmings, is to continue to follow the leader over a cliff like a pack of happless lemmings. Evidently surrounding yourself with "YES" men has this effect - no intelligent planning, no foresight, no idea of what to do if the stay the course plan is not working. Pull the budget out from under these madmen - if all else fails remove the funding from this troop of idiots who are sending the country into finanicial, political, and moral ruin.

Has anyone besides me noticed that John Kass, the Tribune's Page Two Columnist, used to write constantly in support of Bush and the war in Iraq? But, now that it has become apparent that Bush is clueless and thousands of lives have been lost, Kass never writes about the war anymore? Has anyone else noticed the "Kass Iraqi War Silent Treatment"? One thing you could always count on with the late great Mike Royko was truth and objectivity. I miss you Mike!

I'm tired of hearing that Dems won the election because of Iraq. I don't recall any adds for getting out of Iraq. I do recall hundreds of anti-immigration reform adds which in my opinion is what won the dems the election. President Bush has had more challenges than most previous Presidents and in my opionion has handled them all to the best of his ability and honorably. Iraq should be divided it into 3 states each sharing in oil profits, each with there own state laws controlled by one government. Our soldiers need to be able to identify the enemy and be allowed to shoot first and ask questions later. Anyone with a gun and a mask is far game.

The December 16, 200 cover and feature article "The Accidental President" could not have been more accurate. The United States invaded Iraq based upon faulty intelligence. Despite being well aware of this fact, GW actually lied to the United Nations based upon this erroneous information. Then the reasons for the invasion seemed to change by the hour until our purpose there is based upon such convoluted conjecture, the American Public is now screaming for action. Let's face it wars and invasion boil down to simple economics. The one word to describe this claim is: Oil. GW and his entourage are making money hand over fist as the price of oil has risen over 100% since the invasion.

To quote President Gerald Ford:"I just don't think we should go hellfire damnation around the globe freeing people, unless it is directly related to our own national security."

The President of the United States is sending our future, all these young men and women, to fight a war which should never have started.

I hope that his ego is puffed out like a proud peacock. Meahwhile young men and women are dying becuase of his ego trip.

By gleefully pointing out that our unitary president made a statement that merely sounded something like an acceptance of responsibility for this fiasco (but was no such thing), Bush's media enablers are helping distract Americans from the fact that this latest effort to turn his Iraq mess into a perpetual war in the Middle East is nothing but another long-term redeployment. BushCo perpetrated Iraq on this nation entirely for its personal and political gain. Since they can now only profit from other people's deaths in the monetary realm, it's Congress's duty to end this thing. Immediately!

How about this one? We do a public execution of Bush, Cheney, and all the other village idiots with an apology for the war that never should have happened...and everyone will go home happy!

It's time for Bush to set up the "New Oval Office" in Bagdad. I think that the personal touch of his sage leadership skills will have this war over in no time! As the "Deciderer" he can micromanage the war as only he can.....

"Faisal! Your doing a heck of a job!"

It is also time for Fox News afficiados to go to Iraq. Time to hold that big pep rally in the Green Zone! Mission Accomplished!

Sad.....

It's time we collectively look at ourselves in the mirror and admit that the vast majority of us were excited and,dare I say it, pleased that our country invaded Iraq. The excuse "If I knew then, what I know now, I wouldn't have supported going to war" is no excuse. There were scores of people, laymen and experts, who publicly argued that this war was unnecessary and would quickly become a quagmire. Moreover, there were the obvious lessons of Vietnam.

We can kick Bush and other politicians around, but this war would never have happened and tens of thousand of people would not have died, had we as a people stood up and said "No War." We should now hang our heads in shame.

Too little, too late!

President Bush mush take responsibility for:

- Creating a more dangerous world

- Contributing to the depletion of our national treasury

- Depletion of our national defense (both material and manpower)

What would have happened if:

- He focuesed on eliminating Alqueda in Afghanistan instead of creating two fronts
- Spending the $400 billion he's wasted, yes wasted, on Iraq in order to solve domestic problems such as social security, medicare, homeland security....

Too little too late. He'll keep meeting with his subject matter experts until he hears what he wants to hear!

W is so out of touch with reality. America will be paying the price for generations to come. Good thing we have open borders, maybe some of the illegals pouring in will pay taxes.

On my television set all I received was, "blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah.....isn't that what he has repeated over and over for the past seven years now? COME ON AMERICA, WAKE UP!!!

This administration's misguided policies have managed to create two new powers.
First, a "Shia block" with Syria , Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon as well as the new kid in the block,
the Iraqi shias .Saddam was able to keep these groups in check.
Second, a base for terrorists in Iraq which also did not previously exist.
I'd also like to know why we follow policies made by the American Enterprise Institute.
Who are these guys and whose interests do they represent.

We are stuck with this war as long as we are stuck with this president.

Same old BULL as last year! Too bad he was a SISSY and did not fight in the war like KERRY! Bush must think the american people are as dumb as dirt! We could have used the war money to build a wall by Mexico and kept the ILLEGAL PEOPLE out and any one else who wants to harm our country!

Mike S,

And now Chuck Hagel says it's the worst mistake since Vietnam.

It'll be funny to see Rove trying to 'pluto' Chuck.

But it worked on McCain, Cleland, and Kerry.

Maybe this time it won't.

The implausibility of success makes me think W is either the dumbest man on the planet, or the shrewdest politician (not mutually exclusive) as he'll be able to point blame at others -- Congress for foot dragging (understandable -- drag away) and/or at Malaki who doesn't have the inclination to truly stabilize Iraq in a fair and equitable manner. Nor do the Iraqi security forces have the resources they need. Even their uniforms have been stolen by militias. Nightmare.

Great article, Mark!

I think Bush's speach was clear, strategic and focused. I agree with the direction he is taking us. We need to win in Iraq for the future of our country and to minimize future problems in the Middle East. I hate to see all the negative comments from Democratic members of Congress. Don't you think the enemy is watching? Don't you think they love that our government is so divided. For how can you win a war if you are fighting political wars. Enough, I say. let's get focused and get the job done the right way now.

On paper the president's plan looks like it could work., but will it? The reality is are we the United States willing to sacrifice the lives of another 21,000 troops and over 1 billion dollars to a country that cannot get a hold of itself politically? The Iraq situtation is very complicated with the differeinf factions that have been opposed to each other for centuries, it seems to me that the President is forgetting this and thinks a democracy can work. Also he is given us no timetable for the Iraqi's to start taking responsibility and control of themselves. With all the problems we are facing in this country Health Care, Education, Job Losses, Outsourcing, rising deficits, an extra billion dollars to Iraq seems a unacceptable plan. The United States needs to start seeking cooperation with the neighboring countries for a political as well as military solution to the Iraq problem. Pumping up the mititary spending and troops sounds like the 60's and Vietnam. Have we not learned from our previous mistakes?

BR, It was subtle sarcasm!

Here is the bottom line. Before we went to war the President said it would be "LONG and HARD", and that we must have the staying power and resolve to see it through. If dems or repubs thought it would be quick and easy then they closed their ears and didn't listen. I for one, still remember what happened on 9/11, and support the war on terror. Like it or not it is a reality, and we have to deal with it. I grieve over the fact that families are seeing their loved ones die, and I grieve for the families who lost innocent family members when the twin towers collapsed. I'm sick of political correctness, we are at war, and we are trying to keep fanatics from destroying our country. If you don't like Bush, and you aren't willing to fight for freedom, pack up and leave. Move to IRAN they hate America too.

Throwing another unaccountable billion into the moneysink-war? Someone is getting filthy rich.

For the life of me, I can't understand what business our government / president thinks America has trying to run the governments of Iraq, Iran, Afganistan or anywhere else. Why can't we let those sovereign nations take care of their own issues without our interference? Why does our government think democracy is for everyone in the world? It's not. When will we look inward and begin to put our enormous resources toward our own issues? When will January 20, 2009 finally arrive?

Bush said "I take full responsibility", exactly what does that mean?

"If you don't like Bush, and you aren't willing to fight for freedom, pack up and leave"

Dr. LS, how nice of you to take the time off from your busy schedule there in Baghdad to post here. How's the fighting going? You might want to ask around about 9/11 while you're there defensing freedom, you'll find that Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with it, nor did Iran.

Would it really be so bad to withdrawl and let the two militias trying to kill our troops shoot each other for a change? The country was in turmoil before we "liberated" them and it will be in turmoil after we leave.

Not to gloat, but this issue was on the table during the elections....have we not learned from history? I said this during the 2000 elections, and the 2004 elections that the WAR is not the answer to the problem of terrorism. And quite frankly, the "wall" to keep out the illegal immigrants isn't either. Last I recalled, no Mexican or Canadian rammed a plane into a building in this country. I am a military brat of a father that served for 21 years and was a political science major in college. I love how the american people vote, based on party lines instead of issues. The War has been and will continue to be a big issue. Unfortunately, it is on the republican parties shoulders since that was "their" guy. A 26% approval rating should be looked upon by the President's administration. This "new/old" move of increasing military "power" in the middle east just cost the republicans the white house in the next election. Nice job, GW & Friends!

OH, Yoopie! The "Shoot 'Em Up Kid"Phony Two Bit
Drug Store Cowboy & Generalissmo George W Bush
is trading in his cute little play Cowboys and
Indians Costume,for his Generalissmo George W Bush,Lets go play Army in Iraq some more cute
little play soldier uniform again!!!..Didn't he
wear a cute little Navy Flight Suit on that
Air Craft Carrier Flight Deck when he loudly
proclaimed "Mission Accomplished,The Hostilities
In Iraq Have Ended?" So how does Generalissmo
Bush explain all this violence in Iraq still
going on now?..Oh well never mind,just "Stay The
Course" until we kill all them nasty old killers,
terrorists,and insurgents,and then we can go invade Iran,for some more fun!..Yep it sure
sounded to me like Generalissmo George had just
declared war on Iran last night too,so we can
"Surge Ahead Full Speed" In "The Way Forward"!
When will Congress get guts enough to Impeach
this mad man George W Bush & Vice Mad Man Draft
Dodger Dick Cheney and remove these two psycho
War Criminals from Office?

Dr.LS you are a great example of who helped W. get back into office for another 4 years. Blind Faith in the President.

You are waiving the American Flag so fast and hard, you have lost sight of what Freedom in the USA means. It means that I can have a opinion that differs from yours and I dont have to leave the USA to do it. Grow Up.

"Our soldiers need to be able to identify the enemy and be allowed to shoot first and ask questions later"

Ohh.. good call. Maybe our nation's police forces should do the same, that would most likely quell any violence on our city streets here. Probably with liberals is they let freedom get in the way of safety. They will never learn.

You can't force democracy upon a nation...let them go through a civil war...you also can't force democracy on a people who's history is strongly tied to religion....I'm glad that Bush has finally admitted that this is his fault and that he takes full responsibility...too bad it has always been his responsibility, he's the Commander in Chief after all

Bush's continuation of a failed policy based on lies reminds me of a mass-murderer's scribbled message, "Stop ME before I KILL MORE." Democrats and rational Republicans--please stop him.

I remember when Bush was a "man of God" and Iraq was his "mission".

Isn't he obligated to continue on with this "mission" as it was delegated to him from a "higher authority"?

Raven - Great post. I e-mailed Mr. Kass a few times questioning his wisdom about his pro-Bush and pro-Iraq War articles a few times and he would respond back with these smart-ass "I am more knowledgeable than you" type of replies back. He used to write all of these propoganda type of articles in support of Bush. I questioned him as to why he did not carry the same type of journalistic fervor that he does when investigating Daley's antics and apply the same journalism when writing about Bush and Co. He stopped responding back to me. John - If you read these posts why not write an article about how messed up the deficit is because of Bush? Why not write about the $400 billion dollars spent over the last few years and wasted in Iraq - all from the working middle class because the top 5% of income earners have gotten a free ride from this President. Think about it John- Readers have noticed that all of a sudden your hard hitting journalistic style does not include any references to Bush or the Iraq War. This rag of a newspaper and a few of their alleged journalists love dredging up Teddy Kennedy's name and Chapaquidick) (As if Kennedy is even relevant anymore) but never mention or criticize the thousands of lives lost over this mistake ridden war. Interesting.

Did I hear the president say "there were not enough American and Iraqi forces at the beginning".

What does he mean? When we invaded their country, they didn't have enough forces to invade with us?

Is he boozing again?

I used to think that impeaching Bush would be a waste of time and money....however, I would now like to start singing: Jail to the Chief.

Bush said "I take full responsibility", exactly what does that mean?

Posted by: Joe Jan 11, 2007 11:27:35 AM

I guess that means he's going to go over there himself.....

I certainly wish he would. It's time we brought kids home, not sent good after bad. If we haven't done anything constructive by now, sending more troops isn't going to change things.

Time to swallow "foolish pride" and get the hell out. I'm tired of seeing more and more men getting killed for nothing. I opposed Vietnam and I oppose this. It was a farce to start out with. But I support the troops--let's bring them home instead of sending more over.

About time someone did something about the terrorism in this country. Just look at what happened on 9/11. We have tons of terrorists sneaking in on planes and across the border. This show of strength may stop them

My challenge to you is to find an example where you work where the boss: 1) fails to complete a project of his/her choice, 2) gets over 3,000 employees killed in the attempt, while 3) borrowing billions of dollars against the firm's name...AND still gets to keep his/her job

Does anyone really think we can leave Iraq to the dogs? What will result? Another Lebanon or Afghanistan or worse?

I shouted as loud as anyone that starting the war was a mistake as many of us did. The infighting factions, both ethnic and religious; the writing was clearly on the wall. But King George doesn't read.

The real issue, and the one the Bush does not address, is the root foundation of the overall conflict. It is NOT that they simply hate America. They hate FOREIGN INTERVENTION into their affairs.

But as long as "God put all OUR oil" (to badly quote a sketch from the Daily Show) under the Middle East, there will be intervention, led by the largest consumer of black gold: the United States of America. We simply cannot live without that oil.

Of course, the US support of Israel is also an issue that galvanizes hatred against the US, but our domination of them is what they hate the most.

As long as we need their oil, we need to dominate them. To do so, we make deals with the devil and prop up horrible regimes and human rights scoundrels. HOW DID SADDAM GET IN POWER???

The only true answer is a long term one that creates an energy independent United States. To do so would eliminate our need to dominate the Middle East. Let them have at eachother instead of us.

Will that happen? Not as long as GW and Big Oil run the show. Even with Democrats in power it likely won't happen. Big Oil simply owns too much of everthing.

Also, to wean us off of oil would have the effect of giving China and the rest of the emerging economies a bonus of cheap oil and a disincentive to change their energy sources.

Tough choices lie ahead. In the short term, a "stable" Middle East is an absolute necessity. Does GW make his argument for escalation? NO.

Not unless he addresses the greather substantive issues.

"Here is the bottom line. Before we went to war the President said it would be "LONG and HARD"

Dr LS,

No they didn't say that about Iraq. They said it would be quick and easy. Rummy indicated 6 mos outside. GWB, 'mission accomplished'.

Only after it became long and hard did they say it would be long and hard.

I am hoping the Congress removes all funding for the un-declared war.

I mean GWB looks like LBJ to me. Maybe its just that Texan arrogance all over again.

Eric,
Your are correct. I did help put GWB back in office. Along with 50 million other Americans. Your opinion is noted, though it didn't really tell me anything, except that you are blind as well. America was hated by middle eastern countries long before Bush took office, and their plan to attack American soil was planned well in advance of Bush being elected. I thank God we had a President willing to make a hard decision to go kick some butt. Enough already. I wish the war were over and the world was at peace, but it isn't, so what is the real solution? NUKES?

I think we as Americans should support our president and the war on terror. Because believe me, if we don't take care of Iraq, Iran will be at our doorstep with a Nuke. Give our Military free access and let them do their job. Take away all the weapons from Iraq's in a house to house search. The Democrats are cowards and has always been cowards, they talk the talk but don't walk the walk. The democrats would rather see this country fail then to stand up and be counted. People like Durbin, Pelosi, Reid Kennedy want America to fail. They are truly un-American

President John "Flipflopper" Kerry sounds pretty good right now.

To bad W. didn't flipflop.
We can thank the same Chickenhawk GOP NeoCons who "swiftboated" John Kerry for the fine mess we have in Iraq,Thanks Chickenhawks!

Toughtalking GOP losers,your days of leadership in our country are over after President MickeyMouse leaves office.

I'm guessing that W. will be sending Barbara and Jenna Bush to Iraq to help with the great "sacrifices" that he wants our country to make?....NOT!

WELL, LETS SEE, SADDAM IS DEAD,OSAMA'S STILL MISSINGS, THE WAR ON THE STREETS HERE IN THIS COUNTRY STILL RAGES,YEAH, I FEEL PRETTY SAFE

More troops? More money? Totally unacceptable. Iraqis are frightened out of their minds about signing on to the Iraqi security force. Who can blame them, they're sitting ducks standing in line waiting to inlist. Fighting among Sectarian groups appears to be the biggest problem, and has been for thousands of years. How can more American military help that situation? Kill everyone in sight? What about the insurgents wearing military clothing kidnapping and killing? Shoot everybody, no matter how they're dressed? Our military, from top to bottom, are to be highly commended for trying to deal with the mess GWB created in Iraq.

About Halliburton, how much money have we thrown at them for their "services" to date? And why hasn't that worked?

What happened to the oil pipelines situation, what is it producing? It was once the gleam in the President's eye.

How many more of our young generation have to die before GWB comes to his senses, or before he leaves office?

The non-Muslim world will never be able to solve the Muslim culture's eternal and fatal flaw; their infatuation with death, whether it be their own, their neighbor's or your death.
Think about it, there are no countries based on the Muslim culture that allows for and protects the kind of diversity that you can find in America. Why? Because the Muslim culture does not appreciate differences in thought or opinion when it comes to religion and it's intergration with the political stucture of the country. You must convert or die. Unfortunately, Congress and other leaders in this country just don't understand the fact that the middle east is a black hole of death and despair as long a the Muslims are willing to kill each other. We need a different energy plan. First step, get rid of our SUVs and 3 and 4th cars.

What if there was no Israel? Would we even be in the Middle East (Iraq) then?

God, the so-called "new" strategy of embedding our troops with Iraqi units in Bagdad scares me to death. The only sure outcome will be tremendous casualties. The possibility of success is in serious question. I'm not sure if impeachment is the answer. Andrew Johnson and Slick Willy proved it can be beaten. Tricky Dick was smart enough to read the handwriting on the wall and bail. I'm not sure this one would be smart enough to read it and I don't think a case as good as the one against Bill could be built. I don't know how criminal intent or gross malfeasance cold be established other than circumstancially. Anyway, Pat Paulson (sp?) in his unsuccessful bid for the presidency once said "They say that if we pull out of Vietnam, we'll lose face. I say that if we don't pull out of Vietnam we'll lose a part of our anatomy much more important than our face!" As ugly as it sounds, it's time to cut our losses and run.

JCR

"Here is the bottom line. Before we went to war the President said it would be "LONG and HARD", and that we must have the staying power and resolve to see it through. If dems or repubs thought it would be quick and easy then they closed their ears and didn't listen "

Posted by: Dr. LS | Jan 11, 2007 11:21:41 AM

The President may have said that but his Vice President was saying the opposite. Not only that but a few months before we invaded Iraq, Presidential hopeful John McCain said he agreed w/ VP Cheney's assessment that we would be greeted as liberators and the war would be quick. Of course he now says he never said that but the tapes on Meet the Press don't lie. John McCain, A Kinder, Gentler Liar.

All you people who hate President Bush, How soon do we forget about what happened on 9-11. This is not just about Iraq, its about our way of life. If you want the call of prayer to echo across this land then go ahead and put your head in the sand. Let our President and Military take it to the enemy and let them do their job. for those who are critical of this, before you complain, just ask yourself what have I done to support the war on terror or for that matter what have I done for my country.

Unfortunately, this president is dislusional about his war. Nothing he said shows that he is listening to anyone ... but himself.
There is no win. No victory. Surge = escalation. All unacceptable.

There was no justification to begin it, other than the neo con fantasies cooked up by Wolfowitz, Rummie, Cheney et al.
Mr. Bush should take the lead from President Ford, who realized what a disaster Vietnam was, do the honorable thing and begin withdrawing troops.

I am not a fan of President Bush and I believe that he has falsely lead us into this war with Iraq and that this war does need to end. That said, cutting funding and withdrawing troops now would surely seal the fate of this war and give victory to the insurgents. If we leave now, the next administration, which will be Democratic, will inherit a more chaotic Middle East than the one that exist today. We need to let President Bush finish the war that he started. Whatever the outcome may be, President Bush should be held accountable for getting us into this war.

What if there was no Israel? Would we even be in the Middle East (Iraq) then?

Posted by: Adolph | Jan 11, 2007 12:13:24 PM

Yep. Oil. Black gold. Texas tea.

"Because the Muslim culture does not appreciate differences in thought or opinion when it comes to religion and it's intergration with the political stucture of the country. You must convert or die."

Jimbo- Wrong.

Turkey has been a secular democratic state for over 80 years now, with a majority Muslim population.

Iraq was a secular state under Saddam.

Lebanon was making great strides toward being a democracy prior to the lastest war with Israel.

Just a few examples to illuminate your ignorance on the topic.

Can anyone believe a word that comes out of this man's mouth anymore?

To Dumb & Dumber (Robert R. and Top Dog 12): Are you guys real serious about your postings or was that a lame attempt at sarcastic humor? What did the Iraq War ever have anything to do with 9-11? Even your Hero "ChickenHAwk President Lone Ranger Bush" has only recently admitted that Saddam and Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11. Couldn't you think of a better way to spend $400 billion dollars over the past several years - Like really finishing the job in Afghanistan, going after OBL AND Securing our borders and coasts from invasions? Today I read where the money spent in Iraq would have paid for 35,000 top flight top grade public schools in this country. The Father of this President Lone Ranger used to run his campaign as "The Education President". You Fools - Get away from the computer and go back to listening to Rush Limbaugh and watching Bill O'Reilly on TV.

George admits his mistakes but wants us to pay for the clean-up? Sorry George, time for YOU to ask all your rich friends to make donations to the cause. C'mon, let Dick and Haliburton cough up the money, not the working class folks. Or maybe have a bake sale like my kids' school has when it needs money.

How about this thought: If Slick Willy had done his job 9/11 may have nevered happened and we wouldn't be in AFGAN OR IRAQ fighting a war on terror.

Can someone please explain why we are involved in this war? What's it even about these days? It just seems to get more and more confusing?

"All you people who hate President Bush, How soon do we forget about what happened on 9-11. This is not just about Iraq, its about our way of life."
-Robert R.

Have you referenced any of our past in the Middle East? I don't just mean America's botched attempts to fight terrorists or get back hostages, but also of the West's attacks into that region long before America existed. I think those were called crusades.

It is our "way of life" our constant encroachment upon others and their own ways of life that got us into this mess. Whether it is to force religious concepts on the area or now political ones, we the West, have constantly been forcing our ways on this region. We have to accept responsibility that we helped cause anything that happened.

Am I saying we deserved 9/11? No. Am I saying that constantly putting ourselves where we don't belong pulls at least a portion of that fault on ourselves? Yes.

The only way to win the "War on Terror" is through non-violence. The more people we kill in this, the more people that will cry out for vengeance, especially in the Middle East, where we have been inspiring vengeance long before our country was born.

With no fundie political base to play to in foreign policy, Bush doesn't know what "political solution" means or how to arrive at one. Diplomacy requires making concessions to the other parties, but the Neo-cons, who although discredited clearly still have the president's only ear, are conditioned to think that any concession, however small, is a sign of weakness. The entire Iraq invasion was a huge folly, and Bush doesn't seem to have the imagination or intellect to find a sane way out of the mess he has wrought. This escalation is simply more of the same bad policy.

Robert R.
With all due respect, just shut up.

I remeber 911 and I also knew who caused 911, Al Quedia. But guess what, Al Quedia was not in Iraq when we went to war, neither were other terrorist groups, plans for nuclear warheads and a bunch of other excuses they used. We went to war there for the black gold, Texas T (ie:big fat oil reserves).

But you know were there were terrorist groups, and were infact the major leaders of these groups were hiding, Afganhistan. Those groups using that country for training grounds, affected our way our life.

I support the troops by wanting them to come home. I support my government by paying taxes and being a good American. But I am not a stupid American, I am not one who will blindly follow a clueless leader. I will not sit idly by and watch young, brave men and women get sent off to war for no other reason then to save one mans job.

Wake up, Kenny. The ONLY reason we're there is b/c they threaten Israel.

Remember all the reasons initially given as to why we were there?

Let me list a few:

To topple Saddam - insignificant
To save the Iraqi people - because we care, right?
To keep Iraq from training/harboring terrorists - because the can't go anywhere else

I mean, how can Americans be SO blind?

The only real reason is the one we haven't heard: to protect Israel. Now why would you think that such a tiny country has such influence. Think about it for a minute. Who runs the banks in this country? Who controls the media? It's so in your face, but they try to keep a low-profile to keep everyone in the dark. Look this stuff up if you don't believe me.

I wish the media would stop calling this "a surge of (new) troops". This surge will simply extend the tours of more than 20,000 of our sons and daughters, mothers, fathers and friends who are already there or scheduled to go. It will cut short the training of those who were scheduled to go later this year. Those who have already worked so hard to do their duty will have to stay longer. The implication in the reports is that this is a fresh batch of people eager to solve the problem, but in reality the increase in numbers will equal a decrease in morale.

This was a very bad decision from the beginning, which anyone who listens/reads anything besides Fox news knows. What's needed is a team of highly educated, knowledgeable people to look at all the facts and make a recommendation... oh, wait, we already did that, and they said pull out. ITMFA.

Seems like theres a village in Texas missing its idiot!
We need to stop whining and come together and send GWB back to Texas.

more of the same lies- "Once you tell a lie, you must continue to lie, just like eating a Whopper, you continue to want more, GWB lies more... I think we have our own WMD here, and the residence is 1600 Pennslyvania Ave....

I agree with the previous post January 20, 2009 can't come too soon.

I would like to point out to Zog, that 911 happenned well after Clinton's presidency had ended. Infact it happened a full 9 months into Bushes presdiency. And Zog, if you were smart enough (which I seriously don't think you are), then you would realize that if the organizers who planned 911 wanted it to happen during Clinton 2 terms, it would have.

It doesn't take much for 10 or 12 semi-literate zealots to cross a border and then get on a plan with box knives.

I am tired of this culture of losing. How did we, as Americans, turn into a nation of losers? That is not what were about. Winning is what we do, right? Now it is the 4th quarter, we're down a few points, and we need to pull together as a team. If it means we must wipe Iraq off the map with a few surgically placed strikes, then I'm afraid that is what it will take. We have the strength & courage, the will to win, to go the extra mile, right? I'm amazed at this new course of direction from our leader. It definitely takes a visionary to set out w/ such a bold and radical new direction, such an unbelievable departure from our previous course. It's almost a complete 360. No doubt such a major move will baffle the enemy, and give us a strategic boost here. C'mon people, let's pull together for the W--W as in victory. Let's go for the win! As GW said so eloquently, and I paraphrase "losing is not an option for us winners".

The Clinton Myth:
FACTS- USS COLE is hit Oct. 12th, 2000.
FBI investigation concludes OBL source,
mid-Dec., 2000.
Richard Clark draws up proposal to take
out OBL and present to RICE, Jan. 26th
(note- this is now a public document)
RICE does not have first Al-Qaeda meeting
until Sept. 4th, 2001, despite the system
"BLINKING RED", including George Tenet
and Cofer Black warning RICE, ASHCROFT,
and RUMSFELD in early-mid July.

SO....WHO DIDN'T DO THEIR JOB ????

All you people who hate President Bush, How soon do we forget about what happened on 9-11. This is not just about Iraq, its about our way of life. If you want the call of prayer to echo across this land then go ahead and put your head in the sand. Let our President and Military take it to the enemy and let them do their job. for those who are critical of this, before you complain, just ask yourself what have I done to support the war on terror or for that matter what have I done for my country.

Posted by: Robert R | Jan 11, 2007 12:19:30 PM

I don't think anyone who hates Bush's policies doesn't support the War on Terror. If Democrats didn't want to fight the War on Terror, why aren't they screaming and fighting about the recent airstrikes on al Qaeda targets in Somalia? It's because they want to see the War on Terror refocused to what started it all: al Qaeda.

As it's been said at least 10 times in this post and hundreds, if not thousands, more times in The Swamp, Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda did, and he's still alive and kicking.

They didn't attack us because they "hate our freedoms" as Bush likes to say and bin Laden has never told us to surrender and convert to Islam. His organization attacked us because of our foreign policies in the Middle East, but instead of striking military targets he chose to be a coward and use terrorism.

The real shame is how our president has exploited the patriotism of the citizens who joined the military after 9/11 to fight terrorism and instead are having their lives wasted on a daily basis in Iraq.

Great speach. Our duly ELECTED, President Bush, has admitted to mistakes, which there has been a few(WW1 and WW2 had many more).
Sending more troops is a logical conclusion, within the paramaters he discussed.
I don't care what the left(socialist pigs) think of this plan. I already know they will do anything to hurt this President and the Republican's, including destroying our country.
The Left hates America so much, they can't even see that they do...

Adolf-

If your post is supposed to be some sort of satire, it's not funny.

If you are against the President, you are FOR the terrorists. And now, evidently, not only are 80 percent of the American people for the terrorists, so are Republican Senators Sam Brownback, Chuck Hagel, Norm Coleman, Susan Collins, Gordon Smith and George Voinovich, as well as numerous high-ranking U.S. mililtary officials. Dr. LS has the right RX: Anyone against the Commander-in-Chief should pack up and leave.

I agree...American`s are Winners!!!
Dont we have something "BIG" to send over there.. instead of more human sacrifices..?
Lets just Wipe it off the map..and call it a free country..and get the heck out of there.
I live in Chicago...It too needs patroling.

Bill D.,

Hey dude,way to follow the GOP lockstep plan.

"When all else fails,blame Bill Clinton"

Those days are over Billy.
Hail to the DryDrunk in Chief,Bill because he's all yours,way to go GOP!

Adolph,

You've chosen a perfect nom de plum. I didn't recognize you with the sheet on your head. But I sure do recognize the senseless, baseless, bigoted hate in you message.

The democratic party is a joke. No ideas, constant criticism. Did anyone tell them they won the election and can do something other than whine? Their main focus seems to be undermining the military mission and to demoralize the nation. Pathetic.

We felt that Pres. Bush's new plan was well explained and well thought out. He is not runinng in a popularity contest but in a very serious World building effort and in spite of the media and "Sweet Nancy", he has been able to keep his eye on the extremely dangerous terrorist war in which the World is engaged. To be popular, the no-brainer choice is obviously to withdraw, and that is exactly what ia would have been. History will once again prove him to be the right man for these very tough times. Where is this survey?

Bill D.,

Sorry about my last post,it was meant for NeoNut Robert R.

I do not doubt the President's sincerity. Iraq struggle is a global struggle for equality, justice, and human rights. We have to have civil and constructive criticism. We all are in it like it or not.

Roll-modeling and rebuilding hand in hand with the good people of Iraq will steadily but surely will abate this senseless slaughtering.

Patience is a mandate for success. Please look for the future and act accordingly.

The people, who advocate immediate redeployment of our troops, are not offering alternatives for how to handle the aftermath situation, and how to deal with the new world order, globalization and terrorism fighting. They even are not close to the moral values and obligation that they claim they hold.

American troops withdrawal is an absolute strategic disaster. History teaches us that seeking freedom and democracy demands sacrifices in lives and more. Sharing these values with other people around the world means also sacrifices. We should be selfish to ignore these basic moral facts.

So we're there for the oil, then Kenny?

I think if that was the reason, some country like, oh, I don't know...CHINA would intervene.

Look up what I said earlier, and then tell me it's baseless. It's the only tangible reason that we're there.

P.S. Our good buddies the Saudis have plenty of oil.

There was a lot to be concerned about in Bush's speach last night. From an apparent escalation of the war to include Iran and Syria to continouing Mr Bush's failed policy. The thing that chilled me to the bone is Bush's statement that he wants to increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps. There is only one way for Mr Bush to accomplish this since the Army and Marine corp cannot meet there current recruiting goals and that is to implement a draft.

We invaded Iraq based on a lie=Ther was no public outcry

We were told the Mission in Iraq was accomplished and the bloodbath contoued=There was no public outcry

For ths sake of my two sons and the brave men and woman that have to fight this war I do hope we will wake up as nation and say No More before a new draft is started.

Mr Bush needs to be impeached before he destroys this country

Having just returned from the Middle East it is upsetting to know that America's citizens want to quit. Our enemies grow stronger knowing that our country can not sustain casualties and continue the fight. People put yellow ribbons on their cars that say "support the troops". Please do us a favor and take those stickers or magnets off your cars. We don't need your false support. The next time our enemy comes to our country I suggest that you fight them while I sit on my butt and watch the media make a mess out of it!

Amazing. To a man and/or woman, all of the Bush supporters think we are actually "fighting terrorists" in Iraq. Facts, people, facts first, THEN opinions. That's the proper order for this thing we call "thinking."

I challenge all supporters of Bush to stop speaking in vague terms about victory, defeating terrorism, and such and tell us exactly what result you want to see in Iraq, how it will be accomplished, and by what steps American military action will accomplish that result. I see no sign that any of you have a clue about any of that factual detail, particularly since the actual resulting government, in Bush's own best dreams, is likely to be made up of people y'all think our troops ought to be shooting on sight.

If it weren't so sad and frightening, it would be funny.

YES! Right decision to send more winners to protect the original and final target, Democracy. Even every Iraqi citicen has right to run for precident like every Americans and Finnish citicen has. We have to go to the most fired places and stop it. Set California to Baghdad and imagine that you can buy icegream on the beach and have it in peace. Go, go, my support continues till I die at age 94 in PEACE. Check out this site http://www.tykistomuseo.fi/esitys.htm.

What I don't understand about Republican thinking is they view Democrats as bleeding heart liberals if the Dems want to reach out and uplift the American populace with programs when the populace may not want to do the work that goes along with being uplifted to a new level...and then the Repubs turn around and spend $8 billion a month trying to uplift the Iraqi population above tribal divisions when clearly the Iraqis don't want to give them up. Talk about tilting at windmills. I don't get it.

I'm not convinced the W knew the difference between a Shiite and a Sunni when he chose to involve our country in this war because clearly his actions benefit Iran.

He is using up any political capital needed for further military efforts on this one, which feels not relevant to us as Americans. Look at how irrelevant Vietnam is now. On his recent visit there, President Bush only spent 17 minutes on the ground for a place good young American men gave their lives to defend.

We are spending $8 billion a month because W feels that his dad let down Iraqis when Dad didn't go after Saddaam. We are spending all this money and losing our young people for Bush family honor.

Mr. President, I would counsel you to look at the Big Blue Book to come out of denial. The big blue book says that "acceptance is the answer." Accept the cost of this war by putting it in the regular budget rather than handling it with supplemental appropriations that enable everyone to avoid the real true fiscal cost of the war, accept that you have unleashed a civil war and the Iraqi population would rather fight than cooperate, and accept that just prolonging the inevitable so the blood bath occurs on the next guy's watch is not an admirable position to take.

Someday your efforts at setting up democracy may come to pass. But people want to create their own freedom, not have it handed to them on a plate. Would we be as in love with the dream of freedom in America if the French did all the fighting and dying for it, while we stood by and let them do it? Let the Iraqis create their own destiny and story. They'll appreciate it for being self-made.

I for one think that surge in troops is a band-aid for a large festering wound. I also think it will just do enough so that our troops can pull out with a shred of dignity in a war that has nothing to do with American security than it did as a publicity PR stunt feather in Dubya's cap post 9/11. Him and his cronies thought it would be a "cakewalk", a gesture of bravura in the face of a terrorist attack to spoonfeed the American public craving a catharsis. Instead of concentrating on those RESPONSIBLE for 9/11, he gave us another bogeyman--evil as he was--but yet had nothing to do with 9/11. The surge in troops might do enough to train Iraqis and give the SEMBLANCE of restored order, just enough for troops to pull out and for Dubya to don a flight suit and dust off the Mission Accomplished banner. I'm just cringing at the anticipation of a televised shot of ANOTHER US Army Huey helicopter pulling away from another rooftop...

If the rules of collegiate athletis and professional sports applied to armed conflicts, our Coach-In-Chief would have found his contact bought off and been outta there a season or two back. Just because alumni, fans, and patrons are against the present coach's or manager's policies and scream for truly new leadership, etc., does not mean that they are for any other team in the league or conference. Neither are the vast majority of people who want a change of direction in our national policy pro any anti-American element. They just recognize a no-win situation when they see one.

JCR

The democratic party is a joke. No ideas, constant criticism. Did anyone tell them they won the election and can do something other than whine? Their main focus seems to be undermining the military mission and to demoralize the nation. Pathetic.

Posted by: jeff | Jan 11, 2007 1:03:20 PM

Another of the walking dead above the waist.

MR. Paul Engleman, im against the president, and i am by far for the terrorist. I can't help that republicans voted that idiot into office,you would think if you knew you were going to war you would send enough troops the first time, this isnt like the gulf war his daddy fought that we were in and out of in a few months.I would say he was thinking we will just go marching and and take over and set things the way we wanted and then leave. I support our troops 100% but we had no buisness going over there inth first place, Bush needs to stop getting in intelligence information from a fourtune cookie and start really thinking things over before he does anything else stupid. I guess it will take a democratic president to get our troops home because bush will have them there untill he is out of office.

People seem to have forgotten that GW was elected as President, as the lesser of two evile. It's still not too late for impeachment!

"Did anyone tell them they won the election and can do something other than whine?"

They are doing something.

The House has passed major terrorism legislation, including recommendations of the 9/11 commission which Bush ignored.

The House has passed the first rasie in the minimum wage since 1997.

The Senate is holding hearings questioning the President plan.

I agree whole heartedly with Jeff. Wolf Blitzer and those wee-todds Rather and Cafferty, are about as useful to the country and American people as *expletive*. NEWS FLASH PEOPLE, if you take everything that CNN puts out as truth, you're even MORE ignorant than they are.
News agencies GET PAID MORE $$$ if they turn stories and fan the flames. Always have and always will.
The fact of the matter is, good guys don't turn tail and run like Clinton did after Mogadishu in '93. Keep voting for Democrats however, if you'd like our great nation to become like the UN is. Meetings about meetings where we'll talk about future meetings.

Nora, Read a history book. Slick Willy had a opportunity to get Osama first.

Jeff you are correct, the democratic party is a joke. So sad for our great nation. LONG LIVE BUSH!! HEHEHE

I think the Bush administration should be impeached and they should all move to Iraq and start thier own government. There they can spy and torture and control thier version of a "Democratic" Government. For all those folks who voted for Bush twice, we told you so!

Some particularly lame RW posts here.

Jeff: Dems have been in control of Congress for about a week now. It's going to take more than a week to straighten out 6 years of Republican corruption, incompetence loyalty to the party at the expense of the country.

Too bad your feelings get hurt about "constant criticism." Maybe you can enlighten us and tell us about all the successes in Iraq that should be lauded. You were there, right?

+++

Ed Knuff:

I'll hold back on what I really think, and instead simply ask some specific questions:

"I don't care what the left(socialist pigs) think of this plan." Do you know what a socialist is? Can you name a single Democratic socialist? Just one

"I already know they [the socialist pigs, of course] will do anything to hurt this President and the Republican's, including destroying our country." You sure know a lot. Do have any specific facts to support these broad statements, or should we take for granted that anything you say is both truthful and insightful?

===

"Dr" LS (snort):

"I thank God we had a President willing to make a hard decision to go kick some butt." While you're busy talking to god, maybe you should give him some flack for seeing to it that so many innocent butts got kicked in the process of your beloved President's auspicious war.

To bill r.:
Good insult, but still no constructive ideas. Pathetic.

"Now it is the 4th quarter, we're down a few points, and we need to pull together as a team. If it means we must wipe Iraq off the map with a few surgically placed strikes, then I'm afraid that is what it will take."

Posted by: jay | Jan 11, 2007 12:48:38 PM

jay,
The "game" was in Afghanistan. We gave up and went to Iraq. Bin Laden is still alive and protected by Pakistan.

I agree whole heartedly with Jeff. Wolf Blitzer and those wee-todds Rather and Cafferty, are about as useful to the country and American people as *expletive*. NEWS FLASH PEOPLE, if you take everything that CNN puts out as truth, you're even MORE ignorant than they are.
News agencies GET PAID MORE $$$ if they turn stories and fan the flames. Always have and always will.
Posted by: Donald | Jan 11, 2007 1:31:09 PM

Donald...I really think your preachin to the choir buddy. If the people are using their computer to post, I'm sure they have used it to look indepth stories on both sides of the aisle.
I could waste my time and howl at the moon like you and say the same thing about Faux News and some of the winners there but I won't waste your time either. People will watch what tells them what they want to hear....plain and simple.
Save your breath!!!!!!!

If you're old enough,think back on the last 12 presidents (or look them up if you must)and see how they were regarded when in office and how they are regarded today. Six were democrats and six were republicans. Two were thought of positively during their times in office (Ike & Ford) but Ford's rating quickly dropped when he pardoned Nixon.

All of the rest were given mixed reviews at the time and most were criticized for their decisions and their views. FDR was to have known about the attack in the Pacific, Truman dropped The Bomb and took on the R.R.'s. JFK had the Bay of Pigs, LBJ Viet- Nam & Civil Rights; Nixon -Watergate; Carter the Economy; Reagan the Contras, Bush's Taxes and Clinton's Morals.

Now comes George W. who had 9-11 early on, Afganistan next and now, Iraq.

If you talk about a cast of characters, look into these people and their administrations to see how this country has operated for the last 70 years. Why the big "to do" now? The speed of information and communication and the involvement of the Media. Everybody has a plan for what we should do next on every subject and yet, nobody's got the full details and only one guy has the responsibility for calling the shots. If you think the President is wrong, write to him and to your Representatives and tell them what you think and why. If he or they won,t listen and the outcome is not what you want, vote for someone else next time (that's in '08).

All this foolish nonsense that gets printed here and in letters to the editor means nothing. And when you vote next time, make sure it's for someone who will be an absolute winner in every decision and in every plan that has to be dealt with for the next four years. Take a look back at the 12 guys listed above; did any of them meet your expectations? Did they make the right calls every time? Were some of the wrong calls made then, actually the right calls when you look back on them after some time has passed?

Grow up! This system is what those kids in the military are defending. Stop the Red & Blue State stuff and do something positive. Calling our officials names and questioning their motives won't stop this war or save one life.

A blinkin (idiot). What are you (snorting) Go talk to the families of those killed on 9/11.

there is only one thing that can be said in this position, and that is the fact that the war really isnt going anywhere. it doesnt mean we arent trying, but it means we are engaged in something that we really shouldent be engaged in. the continuing occupation of iraq shows the middle east that america is meddeling in the affairs of someone else. granted we want peace and freedom for all, but we are going about it the wrong way. if we paint a bad picture of ourselves, then the meassage we are trying to hand out also becomes tainted in a bad picture. if we are supposed to be the responsible nation, then we need to act WAY MORE RESPONSIBLE about it. WAR IS NOT RESPONSIBLE ACTION. in todays society, UNITY is what the world needs. not some nation playing bully in a foreign land.

Could it be that Bush is smarter than we think (no wait, that cannot be true). But suppose someone has given him the idea to put up this scatter-brained idea of 21,000 more troops that everyone knows will only make for a bigger target, AND that the democrats will kill in Congress (or at least make it implausible). The war was lost a year ago, it is still lost today and it will be lost in the future, but he will be able to blame Congress for putting the kaibosh on his super plan for 21,000 more troops.

I've got to stop thinking this way, but my mind is mush after hearing the loony speech last night.

Jim

Has the Bush Administration forgotten about OSAMA BIN LADEN?? Why does it seem that Osama bin Laden is no longer a priority?

This is the man who has claimed responsibility for the September 11th attacks; this is the man considered to be the founder and leader of Al Qaeda; this is the man whom many consider the greatest threat to America.

Yet, can anyone remember the last time the Bush Administration has even mentioned him? Does any American even know what operations are under way or how many troops are currently committed to the search for Osama bin Laden?

After September 11, Americans vowed that they "will never forget." Yet, have we forgotten?

Every news broadcast should begin with "Bush lied to get us into Iraq", then they can proceed to report on all the deaths. The main issue, my friends, is who is making money off the war? Halliburton, aka Cheney, is a prime benefactor, so if the money stops, those money-grubbling, murderous executives won't be able to raid the till as they have been doing. Follow the money. Ask yourself - who benefits? It's very simple. One more question - where all the W bumper stickers? Where are all the Bush supporters? Hiding their heads in shame as they should be.

My belief is Our Country was led into war with Iraq on false assertions. The dangers expressed for entering war in 2003 were probably credible however were not imminent as proposed. We should have cpnsulted with neighboring countries sho all have vital interests in the area & to their peace in the region. I personally believe Cheney & Rumsfeld were the drivers of our entering war in 2003 however it is our President who is held to the highest account. Its unfortunate that he held minimal/mediocre foreign intelligence/knowledge of that regions history when deciding to proceed to war. Our congress from both sides of the isle are also responsible in that we elected these officials to represent our values, etc. They took a back seat perhaps from political pressures. This is why most Americans either do not trust or have true faith at election time. I further believe most Americans do not really know who their voting for. They make decisions based on television advertisments. I realize this may upset americans in the general public however it is the truth. I've experienced this personally with voters. When in discussions at election time, most dont know current events or what the candidates stance on issues are with exception to what they hear from others or see on television advertisments.

With that being said, I believe we should support our President in sending an additional 20,0000 more troops into Iraq as we need to make this last attempt to accomplish a somewhat peace in the Iraq region. We owe it to our ourselves & our 3,000 fallen heroes to date. We need to stand tall as a country & offer full support with realistic conditions attached prior to withdrawing. The costs in terms of 400 plus billion & 3000 casualties is little when compared to a nuclear war with a country set on drewing us into conflict either directly or through one of our allied relationships. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND WE ARE NOT PRIVY TO "INTEL" reports as our President is on a daily basis. Unfortunately in the real world our President cannot inform us of any potential or real threats made against us or other security interests that are included in his daily INTEL reports. Our country's wonderful
1st Amendment Right (Freedom of Speeech) would cause us further harm. Some things are better left unsaid.

Lets hope & pray WE succeed to some extent in Iraq in these coming months! The alternative is has no reward.

Adolph,

Knock yourself out. No, really. KNOCK YOURSELF OUT:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/4354269.stm

Your thinly-veiled anti-semitism has no place here or in modern society.

We all felt that Pres. Bush's speech and plans were well thought out and excellent. He is not running in a popularity contest like the media and "Sweet Nancy" would prefer. He fully realizes that we are in an extremely dangerous war against the terrorists and must win. It would have been a no-brainer to have gone the popularity route and made those people feel good for a week--or until the enemy showed up in their own back yard. His goal is to build a world of peace that can endure the tests of time and that requires that the middle -east begins to join the truly free world. History will certainly prove him to be the right man for these tough times.

The democratic party is a joke. No ideas, constant criticism. Did anyone tell them they won the election and can do something other than whine? Their main focus seems to be undermining the military mission and to demoralize the nation. Pathetic.
To bill r.:
Good insult, but still no constructive ideas. Pathetic.

Posted by: jeff | Jan 11, 2007 1:35:38 PM

I could've wasted more time but...I guess I will now. Tell me Jeff....Was not calling the democratic party a joke not an insult? I get tired of the unwilling to hear anything but talking points from the right. A plan A plan..you drone on and on about a plan. Well they have been talked about, and written about for months now you just don't want to hear it.
What more can we say...you just don't want to listen. If you've read some of the other threads
you would know that congress can't do anything....anything but cut funding to the troops..ya wanna do that??? When you start a post with an insult and follow it with rubbish you get...Another one of the walking dead from the waist up!

I would be in favor of sending 25,000 troops to Iraq if George W, Shotgun Dick, Rummy, Wolf, Scooter and also Bill and Hillary would have to stay in Baghdad with them until it is over.
Support the troops, you snake-oil windbags!

I do not doubt the President's sincerity. Iraq struggle is a global struggle for equality, justice, and human rights. We have to have civil and constructive criticism. We all are in it like it or not.

Roll-modeling and rebuilding hand in hand with the good people of Iraq will steadily but surely will abate this senseless slaughtering.

Patience is a mandate for success. Please look for the future and act accordingly.

The people, who advocate immediate redeployment of our troops, are not offering alternatives for how to handle the aftermath situation, and how to deal with the new world order, globalization and terrorism fighting. They even are not close to the moral values and obligation that they claim they hold.

American troops withdrawal is an absolute strategic disaster. History teaches us that seeking freedom and democracy demands sacrifices in lives and more. Sharing these values with other people around the world means also sacrifices. We should be selfish to ignore these basic moral facts.

impeach bush.

Jeff

How long before you get it? De-Baathification, no security strategy, complete lack of listening to military or other experienced people knowledgable of the situation over there. Habit of not listening to any past constructive ideas or varying opinions.

This is the past and current strategy. With general agreement that civil war exists (regardless of what it's called), 20k additional troops for at least 1 million angry, disenfranchised and actively battling Iraqis? Alternative plans from anyone aside, this is just plain stupid. How will anyone outside our borders ever take us seriously again?

I'm convinced part of their reasoning is they want to drag us through the hell of fear & daily bloodshed to get us to accept war as the status quo--war all the time--to try to get over the "vietnam syndrome"--where pressure from the public helped to bring an end to the madness. Bush had a line during his Vietnam trip, something like "the lesson of Vietnam is that we should stay until the job is done"--utter nonsense and a way for those in power to rewrite history (as they say the "victor" always gets to do). The "new policy" is about buying time--as others have pointed out--to shift the blame to Iraqi's, and to Democrats or others in Congress who may oppose funding & therefore bear the blame for this failure, as well as keeping the oil profits flowing for as much time as possible. Let's not forget helping the defense contractors pocket wealth & experiment w/ new technology in a live guinea pig setting. The policy is the same as all along--war all the time, so get used to it. You're a powerless peon, our leaders & "study groups" know best, so accept it. You vote for these people & you choose war as a way of life.

gle,

You mean you'd reather read news dispatches like this:

"In Iraq today, 3 coalition troops and several Iraqi civilians were killed in escalating sectarian viloence.

"On a brighter note, in Baghdad, 5 elementary schools now have chalkboards and two dozen potholes have been repaired."

Sort of pales by comparison.

Wow. The "secret oil sell-off plan". Good thing nobody but the BBC got wind of it.

I think Kenny took the WMD so he could promote his oil theory.

The GOP dimwits who got this Bozo President "elected" twice should be blindfolded and made to walk down the same plank as their VillageIdiot in Chief.

Thankfully the NeoCon Republicans have no chance of getting another GOP hack elected in 08.

Did I "read between the lines" during the speech last night and hear Bush basically declare war on Syria and Iran when he said "We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq"? And let's not forget the bombing runs in Somalia. It is not a good time in the world to be an American.

Jeff,DE Radcliffe,Adolph and Frankly,(but especially you crybaby Jeff),

If you guys think the DryDrunk in Chiefs Iraq civil war is such a great idea,pull up your pink panties,grab your M-16 and join the fight.
Otherwise shut your pieholes and go away.

"A blinkin (idiot). What are you (snorting) Go talk to the families of those killed on 9/11."

Gee, "Doc," I used to fancy myself as of at least average smarts, but I now learn from your helpful post that I'm an idiot. Thanks for the clarification; that really changes my perspective.

9/11 -- Attack on Iraq. Look up "non sequitur" in one of those books that has all the words in alphabetical order, and see whether it rings a bell.

Have another drink, George....

It is very easy to criticize failure but it is
difficult to come up with an alternative other
than running away isn't it?
Does anyone stop to think that maybe our
President is doing this to protect the citizens
at home?
To all of you critics-have you forgotten the
terrorist value of life-video taped beheadings
of unarmed civilians,killing of women and children just because they belong to a different
Muslim tribe,the 9/11 attack.
You sit here cozy and snug thinking that
sacrifice and having to make tough decisions
are things that can be turned on and off just
because you don't like it??
America does not run and hide from a fight and
this is not a fight it is a battle between
a stone age mentality and freedom.To run is
not an option.
I will remind you that almost all of the Senators
voted to go to war and now when the going gets
tough the revert back to partisan politics and
disgrace the sacrifices on and off the battlefield.
If our soldiers sacrifices in Afghanistan and Irag have prevented another attack on our soil
then our President has done and is doing the
right thing.
Think about it WHY TAKE A CHANCE?????
Now go back and thank whoever you worship that
you live here and not over in those places where
you would be butchered .

DO NOT SUPPORT THE TROOPS!

For the past 5 years the cry has been, "Support the Troops." Unfortunately, the troops have a Commander who lied to get them there in the first place, and doesn't listen to bipartisan advisory panels he assembles about what to do about a quagmire situation!

It's time to NOT support the Troops - stop funding this insanity and bring them home. Bush will never do that on his own, he'll only push for increasing them until this war is so out of hand we're stuck for 5 more years. It's time for Congress and the American people to stand up and say STOP! No more, not for a war that should NEVER have been fought in the first place.

By the way, while we're paying to continue to destroy Iraq, who's funding the rebuilding of a major American city, New Orleans, that is going on its second year of trying to rebuild with very little support other than through volunteers and NGOs? Compassionate - not this President - except to his cronies.

Howard

I read all these posts and I am so sad all I can think of is my brother who went to vietnam at 18 years old and oh yeah we were lucky he came back alive however with mental,anger and drug and alcohol problems he lives as a recluse and has never received anything from the government except an operation and some free prescription medications I want anyone who backs this or possibly any war to give up your brother or sister for the last 40 years. This president is dangerous!!!

Bush reminds me of Ian Kershaw's interpretation of Hitler as a compulsive, high-stakes gambler.

There is no more reason to think this policy will succceed than did the bloody, pointless Battle of the Bulge.

The time is long past for doing anything 'right' in Iraq. America has made a bloody mess of the place. No reliable electricity or water, no jobs, no security, and half a million dead.

The number of troops Bush is sending is equal to about half the New York City police force, and New York is a much more peaceful place.

But Bush's principle of ignorant bull-headedness stands with this policy. He also effectively seeks to delay things enough to pass on his ugly tar baby to the Democrats.

The whole saga has been a pathetic way for a great nation to behave.

Frankly (Adolph),

What's your theory?

Iraq has the second largest proven oil reserves. Were you privy to Cheney's energy policy meetings cloaked under "executive privilege?"

The BBC wasn't the only one. Here's a brief, focused overview from the Global Policy Forum at the UN, written BEFORE the US invasion:

http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/oil/2002/08jim.htm

Just google Iraq + oil for others.

By the way, that WMD thing's been played...

I firmly believe that George W. Bush declaring war on Iraq was a personal vendetta against Saddam Hussein for threatening the Bush family. (Little Georgie was gonna do right by his Daddy, and topple ol' Saddam.)

I also firmly believe that George W. Bush is a stupid person. I'm not making fun. I truly believe it. He is simply stupid.

That he continues to be the President of this country after all the damage he has done here and around the world, and after 3,000 American men and women and 400,000+ innocent Iraq citizens have perished is a catastrophe.

How can he ask the American people to help pay for rebuilding Iraq when here in the U.S., victims of Hurricane Katrina are still without? He is the one - and today, seemingly the ONLY one - who wants the U.S. to remain in Iraq. Let HIM pay for the rebuilding of Iraq!

Bush needs to step down, to resign. He has failed. It could not be more obvious.

He is a stupid person.

So many, many wasted lives ... and such a wasted presidency.

I want Bush to define the word "win." Just what does "a win" mean to him? How do you "win" in a situation like this?

Lots of Monday morning quarterbacks here. We had the chance to dethrone GW and passed on it. Everyone knew he was crazy as a loon, and we re-elected him anyway. People - started doing your research and voting for the right candidate and NOT straight ticket or "the lesser of two evils". What we really need in this country is a VIABLE third party. This two party system protects each other and the public ends up with Jimmy Carters and George Bushes for president.

Somewhere, a village is missing it's idiot.

Here's the question the democrats will never answer about their "redeploy plan" to "win" in Iraq...

What message is sent to our ENEMIES by "redeploying" in 6 months?

The message we send by doing that is: "You guys win. Congrats. Keep doing what your doing".

If the Democrats really cared more about the USA than they do their own political party, they wouldn't be pushing a policy that is a guaranteed loss.... (as opposed to a policy that offers the hope of winning).

So when the Democrats have a plan that will offer the hope of victory, I will listen to them.

Here's one Illinois resident that will never again vote for Dick Durbin or Barack Obama. Not after their shameful performances last night and I'm embarassed to call myself a resident of Illinois.

Bush & co don't want peace. Thats not their intention. If the troops left now, the situation in Iraq would stabilize. There might be minimal sectarian violence for a while--but the occupier would be gone, life would normalize. It is arrogant & deluded to think that the only chance for the Iraqi's to live in peace is for us to stay there & increase our numbers. This same arrogance got us there in the first place.

Applying the sports language of "winning" & "losing" to this unbelievably tragic mess definitely points to some underlying psychopathic tendencies. Go team!! Kick some butt!

Stay the course and loose Iraq.

I am entirely fed up with the relentless attack on President Bush no matter what he does, including his troop build-up suggestion—similar to that of his objectors as recently as December! Shortly after taking office, our President led us through the aftershock of 9-11, and we were temporarily united behind him. For a brief time, partisanship took a back seat to our country's far greater need to be of one voice and finally take action against extremists who have no regard for those of the different ideologies.

The lot of you who want to blame everything on this President are disgusting. You, and the folks YOU put in office have more to do with what's wrong in this country. We've gone from a country of mostly courageous and hardworking people, to a society that is increasingly composed of self-serving politicians and the bottom-feeders who eat it all up. President Bush is a good man, who has been CONSISTENT in striving to do what is right to preserve our safety, and he has admirably shouldered the increasing burden of second-guessing, idea-less critics, with enviable graciousness and humility, I must add.

You wanted a quick, tidy war. Sparks flying in the air, a cloud of dust, then Bing-Bang, we win! War is an unfortunate and ugly business, but it has been necessary to engage in ugly, untidy wars at many points in our history. We lost exponentially larger numbers of soldiers in prior wars, but people and technology were different then. People knew more about patience, honor, sacrifice, and persistence for a long-haul effort in the past. We weren’t bombarded with DAILY images of war’s realities until recent years. Had we been, we may not have had the stomach to establish a new country in the first place, end slavery, or end Adolph Hitler’s dream of an all-Aryan world. Do you all really want to see an all-Radical Extremist world, obtained by any means?

We have already seen that terrorism isn’t limited to Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, or the entire Middle East. From that region, it has been spreading its foundation throughout contiguous lands for decades. According to Brigitte Gabriel, author of Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America, “There is no Europe any more. It’s Eurabia now.” And our separation from the other hemisphere by a body of water has not and will not keep us safe from the determined reaches of terrorists who are already setting up shop on our soil. Did we not learn this on September 11, 2001? Do you realize that single attack was not intended to kill 3,000 Americans—it aimed to kill 250,000 of us by toppling buildings containing 50,000 onto countless others.

Our President must be allowed to continue this fight as he and his advisors deem necessary. Although there is no guarantee of success, the option of quitting at this time would be disastrous. President Bush outlined specific goals and duties, in specific numbers, for the additional troops we must send to Iraq. It is easy to second guess flawed underestimations and strategies that cannot be undone, and President Bush has taken his share of responsibility for past decisions. At this time, the difficult but imperative course to take is to give additional effort to our forces, and to trust and pray that this will make enough difference to change the outcome of this war.

The opposition to our President’s plan HAS NO PLAN other than to say, “It’s time to make the Iraqi’s responsible for their own security and law.” What’s lacking is any realistic plans for making that possible. Agreed, it is nearing the time when Iraq needs to protect and maintain itself—But the Iraqi’s are not ready to assume this responsibility without additional training and until some order is established, particularly in Baghdad. At the end of the day, we may find that Iraq is not up to the task, but it must not be because we abandoned them too soon. If we do so, we intentionally leave behind a decimated, demoralized breeding ground for terrorists, who will feel emboldened and perceive that their mentors and martyrs succeeded in defeating and driving out the Americans.

I loved the look on W.'s face last night when he was giving his "stay the course part2" speech.
It looked like someone underneath him was squeezing his gonads.

Darryn,
Join the pinkpanties crowd with Jeff and Adolpf(Hitler?)and grab your shiney new M-16 and join W.'s Iraq civil war if you think it's such a great idea Einstein.
It's not the Dems job to fix the GOP and W.'s disaster,but we are going to oversight you to death.

Impeachment anyone?
President Pelosi sounds good to me.

"It's time we collectively look at ourselves in the mirror and admit that the vast majority of us were excited and,dare I say it, pleased that our country invaded Iraq." - Ross

I was NEVER pleased that my country invaded Iraq.
I have been opposed to the war since it started.

When oh when oh when will supposed "civilized" nations led by supposed "intelligent" people realize that war, while accomplishing a few good things, also results in the deaths of thousands of soldiers and innocent men, women, and children?

President George W. Bush is a national and international disgrace. He is a moron, an idiot. We need someone else in the White House ASAP. George W. Bush has proven that he is no leader, and the job of President is much too big for him.

Pray for the children of all the dead soldiers.
Pray for the mothers of all the dead soldiers.

"Here is the bottom line. Before we went to war the President said it would be "LONG and HARD"

Oh yeah?

I recall him on a battleship declaring "Mission accomplished!"

And I agree with Eric, Dr. LS. As Americans, we have a right to disagree with you. And frankly, the majority of Americans does!

It's crazy to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

And I don't like the idea of embedding more of our military in Iraqui forces. Both Sunnis and Shia hate us so much, I fear what was called in Vietnam "fragging."

Bush said "I take full responsibility", exactly what does that mean?

Posted by: Joe Jan 11, 2007 11:27:35 AM

I guess that means he's going to go over there himself.....

You'll notice the full quote was: "Where mistakes were made, the full responsibility rests with me." That doesn't mean he's admitting any mistakes were made, or that he's going to do anything with the responsibility other than let it rest there. Nice that he's absolved the troops, though -- he was at least clear on that -- but he hasn't actually said anything about making any mistakes. Maybe he figures it's Maliki's fault, I don't know. After awhile, the lies and the side-stepping just gets nauseating, but you can still see or smell the "not MY fault, just my fault if there IS any fault which there isn't" speeches a mile away.

What amazes me is that the Prez still doesn't have a plan!!! After almost 4 years of war an he hasn't got a plan. The American Congress doesn't ask for a plan or request a plan. The American people....please. Just keep it simple and give us another cute "catch phrase" to kill another 3,000 Americans and be responsible for the death of tens of thousands of Iraqis.

Another thing. Did I miss the report that showed if we left more people would die than if we stayed. We stay 100,000 people die but is it protracted. We leave and 100,000 people die at a quicker rate.

All this was predicted the the liberals. We just wanted "truth, facts and honesty" oh...and we kept on asking for a PLAN! And we still cannot get a plan out of the leader of the U.S. Military!

Looks like Dubya just can't admit he was wrong or that he's been lying to the entire country for five years.
Here's the answer:ITMFA.
This bozo needs to go. Impeach him and Chaney, cut our loses while we can.

20,000 troops more to secure Baghdad? With an estimated population in 2003 of 6.4 million people I doubt it will even make a dent. I don't believe we should risk any more of our citizens, haven't we lost enough at the hands of this man (GW)? And what are we even doing in Iraq? Wasn't Bin Laden in Afghanistan? Impeachment should occur with acqusations on war crimes for trying to rid the enemy of his father - not of the people of this country! All our government has done is shed more blood on top of what was already shed in New York. The people have spoken and it's the government's turn to listen.

The war in Iraq is part of the larger war on terror. If we surrender now like the Democrats want us to we'll have to fight again later, eventually on our own shores. The Democrats have no solutions, just slogans. The major media are anti-war and only focus on blood in the news. They don't report on successful building projects in Iraq. The fanatics have us where they want us. They know that Americans want the quick fix and have no staying power for the long haul. We are a bunch of whiners, not doers. That will be our downfall.

WAR IS A SIN.

Are we to repeat our history? Are we to send more and more troops to their death, as we did in Vietnam? Is this yet another attempt to Vietnamize. . .ah, Iraqize a nation we have torn apart? "God and history," said Haile Selassie in a speech to the League of Nations in 1936, "will remember your judgement."

I'M MOVING TO THE NORTH POLE.

Wil

Looks like the plan may be to publicly humiliate Maliki. Condi just told the Senate he is on borrowed time.

We need to rise up and march in objection. Too many honorable men and women have died already. It sickens me that George Bush could get on television and stand there saying he is going to force more people to fight for something that never should have been.
He and all his supporters need to be the first ones to go into battle now. If they survive..... then maybe he would be able to justify sending more people for 4 and more tours. This is a man who didn't know what he was doing when he started this "war" and hasn't had a clue since.

Send the Twins.

Lori, I hope you're not expecting any relief from your disgust, cuz you won't be getting any more than we got after being disgusted with Bush ever since he screwed up Iraq beyond all recapture. You either learn to live with the nausea or drop dead. Go buy yourself some Rolaids.

ANDREW, if the President wanted to protect the citizens at home, he'd have secured our borders and our ports. That simple. We're as vulnerable to attack now as we ever were.

And Howard -- STOP SUPPORTING THE TROOPS? Not never nohow not me. They're our best and bravest and they're doing the absolute best they know how. They deserve all the support we can manage to give them, and THEN SOME (why can't we buy war bonds?). If we're going to pull any funding it ought to be refusing to pay Bush's Secret Service, until he gives in. Let him go wherever he wants, on his own, until he starts developing a nodding acquaintance to reality.

I belive the whole thinking of this war is idiotic there was no reason to even get involved over there to give them freedom??? but wait haven't the Arab nations been killing each other for thousands of years ? Who is bush to think that he can change everything just by sending more troops it will never change they should of jsut keep saddam in power and keep an eye on him yeah saddam did some war crimes but I belive bush for no reason had 3000+ americans killed for what reason to give the Iraqi people freedom to give them a better way of life ? if they wanted that then they could of done that we could of helped alittle but this whole thing now is just one big mess no one is telling the truth there all trying to cover there but exspecially bush this was a horrible mistake billions of us dollars wasted lifes wasted The us Should take care of it's self first we have more problems now then ever and no money to fix them we have starving veterans who served there country and are on the streets but where trying to give people whom most of them hate us new houses and building and jobs what about our people This whole thing is jsut one political mess people who sit behind doors and desk making decisions that send people who make america great to die I love the us I pray for the troops every day I hope that this war will be over but in the long site this war is going to go on for decades unless someone bites the bullet and thinks about the people not there personal interest .

Radian:

I was actually trying to make a point about the media reporting the Iraq situation too much like sports statistics. Some service persons I know who are constantly re-deployed and in a position to know say they feel the media doesn't show that much appreciation or acknowledgement of their efforts. Their job is a lot worse than delivering blackboards to schools.

On the presidents speech last night is the same thing he has been saying all along, he his sending in more now when he knows nothing else to do, all that is going to happen is more will be killed of our brave soldiers...he wouldn't even serve and show up when there wasn't a war himself, daddy paid his way out, but he doesn't mind sending other son's and daughters into battle to be killed, crippled for life and will be forgotton after the war , would be different if we were fighting for our country or our safety but it is for people that really don't care about the American's, will come out someday it is probably a business deal that went bad for our president and he wanted revenge on Saadam and after he captured him and now put to death he has a bigger mess than ever, his reason for getting Saadam was WMD, what's his excuse for staying????don't buy his answer, he is trying to save face at our soldiers and all of the American people expense with lives and wasted money....

I'm sorry, I have had it with this blubbering idiot! There must be something Americans can do to stop him before he allows thousands more of our kids to die!! This war is a farce based on Oil. I say Bring our troops home, we have done all that we can in Iraq. This is not a war on
Terror, I t is a war of Oil!! The real terror is in the hearts of the american public when we realize that we have a madman running our country and we cannot stop him!!!!! Let's try to organize and let our voices be heard!!!
We did it with Vietnam we can do it again!
I support our troops, I am a VERY patriotic person, but I cannot stomach any more of this lunacy!!

PLEASE READ THIS

It's way past late in realizing the invasion of Iraq was a huge mistake, we should have stayed in Afganastan and " gotten the job done". We blew it. Okay, the president blew it for us all.

Iraq did not ask to be invaded. Iraq was not screaming out " free us ! ". Only Mr. Bush heard that.

What has happened is America has stormed the castle " Afganastan" AND blew a hole in the back wall " Iraq". Oh, and we didn't "clear and hold" the castle too well, and, um, the wall fell on our collective heads, while some of the casle occupants ran right past us.

The "war on terror" is a sham and a lie. The terrorists have no stake/state or allegiance except to a distorted ( usually fundamentalist based ) view of the "world as it should be", and that by giving their lives they will achive greatness and favor in the afterlife. Read that as "fanatics". Unless we can sit down and talk to every single person on earth and convince them that terror is bad so don't do it, there will always be terrorists.

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE TERROR, SOMEWHERE.

I don't claim to have the answers, but I know for a fact that this is our mess, and we have to engage the rest of the middle east to help us out of this International nightmare.

We helped create the atmosphere in which a Bin Laden could gain followers, and if we leave Iraq in turmoil, the clock will begin ticking, again.

It is funny,in a sad way,that the ONLY thing Mr. Bush has right is that we can't leave Iraq yet.

I totally agree with Bleu. Bush wanted to impress Daddy. I cannot believe that people think this man has anything going on in his head. He is a smart alec simpleton who should be ashamed of the damage he has wreaked on the world. Unfortunately he has not the brains to feel ashamed. Just goes to show you if your family has enough money you CAN granduate from the best schools and you CAN get out of your obligation to the country. Or do anything else you want if your family will support you.
Impeachment would be the best thing but I don't see it happening. He would have to have an extra marital affair and THEN that would happen. Sign me. Lizzie

If Bush is truly a Christian as he profess himself to be one, than vengence should not be the call of the day. More troops means more vengence leading to more resistance from the Iraqi. God said: Vengence is mine, Is Bush trying to act god?

Peter Foong.

Failure is failure.Stop the nonsense.Little Bushie refuses to take no for an answer or listen to the American people.The only thing of value he has invested is his MONEY.He has spoken in a way that is not accepted by many and I hope he pays dearly !

I have to ask the question, if Bush were a Democrat don't you believe that the Republicans would be calling for impeachment of a President that appears to be delusional?

He is wasting lives and money to prop up his own self image. He is so narcissistic that the only thing that counts is seeing himself as being right. At what point does Congress say enough damage has been done and pull the plug on his fantasy?

G.W. Bush is a bloodthirsty butcher. The only equal to his bloodlust is his lust for oil and profits.

George W. Bush is a liar and a deceiver. He is a war criminal and should be impeached for his conduct concerning the Iraq war, both leading up to it and in implementing it. How many people must die, both US soliders and Iraqi civilians, before we withdraw? Shame on Bush for sinking America so low.

What is necessary right now is for the American people to protest. We must bring our dissent to the streets in a display of protest against Bush's unpopular war and disrupt Washington DC until the troops come home. George W. Bush is a liar and a war criminal and should be impeached for his reckless conduct.

Will the Chicago Tribune ever apologize for endorsing the worst president in American history?

I don't understand why Clinton's actions were impeachable, but starting and escalating a war under false pretenses aren't.

I missed the speech but I understand that Bush said his two daughters felt so strongly about the Iraq War that they were signing up for combat. I may not agree with war but this convinces me that Bush is sincere about the noble nature of our engangement and how crucial it is.

Bush is a failed President.

His first mistake was J. Paul Bremmer, who once in charge of "running" occupied Iraq -- disbanded the army, fired the bureaucracy, and threw the economic system into chaos.

With half the troops we should have had in Iraq to even try and keep order the hordes of unemployed were fertile ground for extremists.

Now after years of "staying the course" a President -- who does not have the capacity to admit a mistake, correct it and LEARN from it -- throws this latest plan together.

He's more than three years late with what he is proposing, and 20,000 troops are far, far too few; far, far too late.

If he really was serious about fighting terrorism we'd be expanding our armed forces by about 40% to 1.5 million soldiers; sending 50-60,000 in a real "surge" to Iraq; and eliminating the private militias.

We can't unscramble this omlette.

I want bin Laden. Would somebody please take the national stage and bring our focus back to the group responsible for killing 3,000 American civilians? Not one day goes by that I don't think about the towers. Our presence in Iraq while the real threat is laying low in the "stans" makes me sick to my stomach. If there were any chance of success I'd go after bin Laden myself.

The only problem with impeachment is the person who would replace him --- Dick Cheney. Cheney would come in through the front door and nothing would change for the better. Our young men and women would still die and Haliburton would still make billions off their sacrifice.

And to think that Bush had the nerve to go to Fort Benning, Georgia the day that they announced that the 3rd Brigade would redeploy yet again to Iraq. As an Army brat, it makes me sick to see him use those guys for a cheap photo op. Commander-in-Chief? He couldn't carry the boots of the soldiers I knew.

I wanted to echo the other Karen's comments about the personal toll paid by every individual serviceman over there for this failure to have a plan to win, any sort of defined goal, or an exit strategy.

My husband was a Vietnam Marine Infantry seargent. He viewed his service with such nobility of character. This bright and shining manhood was not honored with a winning "plan" of action and goal. The ache of that stays with him TO THIS DAY.

Did you see that the army abandoned any kind of limit on the amount of times one is sent over there? It is a cry for help from an institution that is being overdrawn like a bank account by a delusional spender of men, machines, and money. We the people must help save these troops and the goodwill they have shown us with their military service to defend the nation. Their gift is being spent down and squandered like an inheritance.

The most troublesome thing about Bush,to me,is that he was reelected.The first four years made it pretty clear what he was about.His reelection made me doubt the American electorates ability to discern the truth.I started voting in '64 ,always had a firm belief in the system.I now live in Panama.I have given up.M.Blake

I wouldn't waste my electric on Bush. He never has
anything to say, all he does is butcher up the English language besides not ever saying anything that is common sense or intelligent.
This is his own personal war. It is a war that is his because he wanted to go after Hussain since Hussain had threatened to kill his father, the older Bush. It's his own personal vindetta at the expense of our military. His daughters should be sent over there, then you would see how fast he would end this tragedy.
He never had a plan and still doesn't. He absolutely refuses to take any advice from anyone. It's his way or no way. He considers himself right and everyone else is wrong.
He is the biggest mistake of a president that this country has ever had and he will go down as the worst president in our country's history.
He has lost all of our allies and now we have no one in this world who is our friend. He has run up the debt of our country like we have never seen before after Clinton getting us out of debt and leaving the office with a surplus. That certainly didn't last long once Bush got in.
He has that smirk on his face all the time and it just tells me that he is a phoney and not telling the truth, which he never has. He can't see the trees before the forest. He will never make me believe that he is sorrowful for the deaths of our boys. How can he be with that phoney smirk on his face even when he says he is sorrowful.
Congress should not give him a cent for this war and bring out boys back home. My boys will never go even if I have to go to jail to keep them out.
This guy should be IMPEACHED.

So, after watching that pathetic excuse of a
Presidential Speech by that totally out of control and out of touch with reality psychotic
pathological liar blood thristy mad man idiot
George W Bush,that made me more convinced then
ever that both Bush and Vice Psycho Dick Cheney
must be Impeached and removed from office now.

And, it also convinced me that that gutless
coward goofy Democrat Speaker Nancy Pelosi and
Senate Democrat Majority Leader Two Face Coward
Harry Reid are as big of an enemy to the American
people as Bush,Cheney and Osama bin Laden and
Al_Qeada all rolled to together,and deserve to
be recalled as well!

Since, their refusal to Impeach Bush & Cheney has
to be as big of Treason as that of George W Bush
and Dick Cheney! Why are they protecting psychos,
Traitors and War Criminals like Bush & Cheney?

I can't believe the ignorance spewed forth by others.

The main congress critters who oppose this increase of troops are those that their own political agenda and are placing said agenda ahead of what is best for this country and the world.

Lets focus on the issue.
We destabilized the region to remove a dictator that was just recently hanged due his crimes against his own people. We therefore have a responsibility to help establish peace in the area.

Additional troops are necessary.

For those who want to follow a policy similar to the issolatioists of the 1930's and '40s, remember its cheaper to contain the problem than to wait until it spreads.

Good bad or indiferent, we have an obligation to clean up this mess that we created. Political solutions will not work until you can control and provide basic freedoms to the people of Iraq.

I agree with the post made by Robert Bergman. We need to expand our military. We're in the middle of a global threat caused by Radical Islamic Militants who will stop at nothing to destroy anyone and everyone who doesn't believe as they do.

Having just returned from the Middle East it is upsetting to know that America's citizens want to quit. Our enemies grow stronger knowing that our country can not sustain casualties and continue the fight. People put yellow ribbons on their cars that say "support the troops". Please do us a favor and take those stickers or magnets off your cars. We don't need your false support. The next time our enemy comes to our country I suggest that you fight them while I sit on my butt and watch the media make a mess out of it!

Posted by: Lester Dodson | Jan 11, 2007 1:12:51 PM

What a putz.....Where were you during Nam? When we came home the people turned their backs on us.
The people atleast support the troops if not the objective. You think your the only one to ever serve? Get some stones boy!

"did Bush declare war on Iran"?

With the attack on their consulate in Irbil and the rough and tough language, it appears that the answer is "yes." The Iranians have every right, according to Bush's pre-emptive policies (and International Law), to attack US to defend themselves.

There is the lesson we have taught them.

The "naysayers" are again politicizing the war in Iraq. Every generation has to pay a price for freedom. Freedom is not free! Thank God for the men and women willing to put their lives on the line that we in America might remain free. The loss of life and limb is always regrettable, but at least the price paid was for a cause.

If the "naysayers" are really interested in preserving life, they could begin with the 1,500 college students who die each year due to binge drinking. They are dying for nothing!

We are in a global war to preserve our way of life or lose it to radical terrorists. The struggle is that clear!

How many mistakes does this man have to make before the people of the United States realizes he is not qualified to run the country?

We are in a global war to preserve our way of life or lose it to radical terrorists. The struggle is that clear!

Posted by: Wes Kott | Jan 12, 2007 7:25:03 AM

Before, we were in a global fight to stop communism and the "domino" theory. That was also "clear" at the time. Were you one of the chickenhawks that blamed us for failure or were you one of the doves who blamed us for the suffering?

Too many lies to congress and the American public by this old school, inner circle of power mongers has lead us to this ugly no win situation. What has this procured? At home, a Bush trampling of our constitutional rights in the name of Homeland Security, senseless loss of lives and the crippling of so many more who will likely become the distraught and forgotten veterans of war, spending unbelievable amounts of money - most of which has vanished into the pockets of crooked contractors and a lasting stain upon the values and virtues of the true American citizens who strongly oppose this invasion of Iraq. Bush will go down in history as the worst President and may one day face criminal charges of his own.

I know I am going to get blasted for this, un-american, Bush-lover, blah, blah, blah. But, what happens in the world if we were to pull out of Iraq right now? I know the American people would be happy, the Islamic militias would be happy, would the Iranian people be happy? Would the militants and Al-Qaeda see it as a victory for themselves and profess a win and how they made the 'Great Satan' run? Would this encourage these people to do bigger and better demolition in the US? So far, I haven't seen answers to these questions.

I don't think anyone (especially Bush) has a clue what would happen if we were to pull out now. We will have a long row to hoe when we leave.

Maybe this administration should consider joining the GAP management team, as neither has a clue how to listen to the public. GAP can break up and sell it's failures, but Dubya is stuck with his failures.

For all the wingnuts out there who continue to follow the pied piper... WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070112/ap_on_go_co/congress_bush_ap_poll_3

We can contain much of terrorism in Iraq now or we can deal with it here in the United States. And given the fact that modern Democrats defend our republic with their posteriors, the President needs the support of those who have courage and patience.

Democrats need America to fail in Iraq in order for them to succeed in Washington and maintain and expand the slim majority they now hold in the House and Senate. For Democrats, American failure is their success. It is sad and despicable. By the way, I am a not-so-old veteran.

We need to do what we can at this point to preserve safety and it is much better to fight the battle across the world than in our backyard. We should have gone in with a full court press from the beginning and ended it once and for all. Period. I want our service men and women home safely too. But we have a job to do. NOW.

pjp,
You can fight terrorism w/o occupying a country. There are many examples in the world today.

Reaction.....what is there to discuss? The majority has spoken, enough is enough! Besides, what makes Bush think he can rebuild a war torn country when he can't even rebuild a hurricane devastated city. It's unfortunate Bush has become America's "Weapon of Mass Destruction."

Everyone here has no basis for their opinion, its merely opinion with no rhyme or reason behind it. OK, so we start an incrimental withdrawl and save our troops and bring them home. But is that REALLY saving them? My prayers go out to all the soldiers and I want them home ASAP as much as everyone else, but a withdrawl at this stage would only put them in a greater risk.

Since everyone here wants to use the Vietnam conflict as a comparison, let me ask you this, when was the deadliest period for American forces? It was during the incrimental withdrawl. It was during the time when we needed to, whether we should have been there or not, finish and complete the mission which was clear, establish a self-sufficient democratic state in south Vietnam.

Now whether you agree with it or not, the clear goals in Iraq are to establish a self-sufficient democratic state (which the people wanted since the beginning, go ahead and read from those dates and ask some friends and family in the military, the people want us there. Get your facts from true accounts and not Foxnews, cnn, msnbc or bbc) and also to set a tone to terrorists and those harboring terrorists.

After speaking to a few in the military, they've told me that whenever there is an exchange of forces or any sign of a decrease in American troops

An increase in troops would bring a quicker and accomplished end and would save more American lives in the long run.

To Paul Engleman:

As Americans, we have the RIGHT to disagree with anyone, including the President of the United States. That's why we have elections here! Those of us who voted for John Kerry did not wake up the morning after he lost the election and declare, "Well George W. Bush is absolutely flawless, and everything he says, does, and believes, I do too!" Did you agree and support EVERYTHING President Clinton said, did, and believed?!

Get real, Mr. Engleman (and Dr. LS)! You are obviously the blind being led by a blind (and dumb) man!

A profile in courage, demonstrated by the leaders of the democrat party:
Senators Kerry, Edwards, and Clinton voted to give authorization to the president to wage war against Iraq. All have since changed their position, and now are anti-war. Did any of them admit an error in judgment, or lack of foresight, or any other fault of their own? Of course not. They were "misled." Therefore, it is President Bush's fault that they voted for the war.

so much hatred, why aren't these same people crying out about the 44000+ per year dying on the highways of America??????
Crying out about the 14000+ per year being murdered in America by Americans??
these same people would cry out if a one man funeral wasn't run they way they want it run.
Get a life, do something productive and quit whining.

No, Wes Kott, the struggle is NOT that clear!

The past six years has seen an evolution of President George Bush to King George.

Congress needs to fulfill its responsibilities as a co-equal branch of government to stop Bush's illegal war in Iraq, NOW, not later. Our members of congress should be leading the demonstration against the war happening in Washington on January 27th, not just commenting on it.

I urge everyone to contact all their members of Congress to urge them to take all possible action to result in the return of our troops from Iraq, and to lead the demonstrations against the war. The Congressional switchboard number is (202) 224-3121.

John Hetman wrote:

"..modern Democrats defend our republic with their posteriors."

Dear John,

What the heck to you think W did in the Vietnam War. He went AWOL and played in the Texas National Guard watched over by big oil rich Daddy and Mommy.

Dear John,

Have you or anyone in your family ever been in combat?

I guess not.

Pray for the children of all the dead soldiers.

Pray for the mothers of all the dead soldiers.

Pray for all of the soldiers who are returning from Iraq missing arms, legs, eyes, and brain function.

Pray that George W. Bush will come to his senses, listen to his advisers and the American people, and stop the insanity he has created in the country he recklessly and roguishly invaded.

George W. Bush claims to be a Christian man of God. God said, "Thou shall not kill." Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers."

The whole world is watching, George. Do the right thing: Put no more American men and women in harm's way.

So, Albany, you don't think the deaths of over 3000 service men and women is worth talking about? Their sacrifice means nothing to you?

If the President needs more troops sent to Iraq, why not have his daughters enlist? Then he might understand the worry parents, spouses, and loved ones of those deployed to Iraq face on a daily basis. Our youth is our most valuable asset for the future. As a teacher, I find it unbearable to think of these young people facing the life altering circumstances and perhaps death that they are walking into under Mr. Bush's leadership.
What happened to him during Vietnam???????????????? I'm sure he could have gone to fight had he really wanted to!

It is a tragedy when anyone dies, particulary a soldier, policeman, fireman, or anyone else who puts his or her life on the line each day by doing what they chose to do. There is nothing more honorable and courageous on this earth, in my opinion, than to choose a career of that nature, while others of us sip our coffee and post to blogs (on a work break, of course).

(I find it curious that those who most loudly decry the loss of military lives are the most unconcerned for millions of losses to our most innocent and vulnerable, unborn.)

We should all feel unlimited gratitude for the volunteers who protect our freedom, as well as for those drafted into service as needed in the past. That being said, however, the choice to enter the military ALWAYS includes the possiblity of combat, and unfortunately possible injury and loss of life.

Joining our armed forces in peace time, one must weigh--and accept--the risks associated with combat vs. the benefits offered structurally, financially, and educationally. Although I haven't seen whatever documents are signed during enlistment, I feel quite certain that the words "I will participate in a military operation only when I and my parents are in TOTAL agreement with the conflict's purpose and strategies" are NOT included.

I pray for our brave volunteers everywhere, that they will complete their missions successfully and return to their loved ones safe and healthy. And we should all hope and pray that we continue to have sufficient numbers of military volunteers willing to fight for our freedom and keep us safe from whatever threatens our country and its allies.

If you are a parent or loved one of someone who is in service at this time, please respect his or her decision to volunteer, having assumed all associated risks when doing so. To do otherwise you may (a la Cindy Sheehan) be dishonoring your adult loved one's courage, heroism, and memory. Family of- and others who joined the military for its benefits, but assumed they would never serve in combat--or might only serve in combat of their preference--really haven't much to complain about now.

Fortunately, feedback that manages to reach us in spite of a largely anti-war, anti-President media--and those Godawful celebrities who think they are political and military experts--tells us that our soldiers see important progress being made, and they believe in what they are doing. God bless them all!