The Workday Liberal

Having ranted at the president for giving a rah rah speech on the day we marked the passing of the 2000th American death in Iraq, let me rant on contents of the speech in particular.

Let us ponder this presidential nugget:

Every man and woman who volunteers to defend our nation in battle also deserves something else -- an unwavering commitment to the mission, and a clear strategy for victory. (Applause.)

Unless I misread this, the president actually says we have a mission, and a clear strategy for victory. Let me re-read this... Yup! That's what he says. This is just silly. Unwavering commitment to the mission? We have seen the goalpoasts in this war moved so many times it is impossible to tell what the current justification for the war in Iraq is. How can you possibly have a strategy for victory when you don't even know why your fighting! What is the mission this week Mr. president? What is this strategy for victory? Just stay over there until all the natives are dead and then declare victory? Commitment to the mission, strategy for victory... what a joke. Unfortunately this joke has a deadly punchline.

Onto the next... headshaker.

On the morning of September the 11th, 2001, we saw the destruction that terrorists intend for our nation. We know that they want to strike again. And our nation has made a clear choice: We will confront this mortal danger to all humanity. We will not rest or tire until the war on terror is won. (Applause.)

Yes Mr. president, we saw the destruction. And we saw the deer in the headlight look as you read to the schoolchildren. Then we saw Airforce one scuttle about the heartland. Later we saw the perpetrator of this evil cornered in Tora Bora and then for some reason that mystifies us to this day we saw you let him slip into the wilderness uncaptured. Later we saw you use this world changing event, this horror that galvanized nearly every nation to stand with us in the war on terror, we saw you use it as a platform to invade a nation that had ZERO to do with that attack. You have bastardized the call to arms to fit your neocon fantasies and in doing so you have alienated nearly the entire world against us. Nicely done Mr. president. One can only pray with great fervor that your administration will not provide us with further blunderous sight seeing until you are removed from office.

Our coalition against terror has killed or captured nearly all of those directly responsible for the September the 11th attacks; several of bin Laden's most senior deputies; al Qaeda managers and operatives in more than 24 countries; the mastermind of the USS Cole bombing, who was chief of al Qaeda operations in the Persian Gulf.

Is it just me or is there an ELEPHANT in the corner. Lets pretend he isn't there! See... we have busted all these senior operatives... don't pay any heed to that elephant named Osama. We don't pay him much attention anymore. "Nearly all those responsible" This really is literally a case of ignorance is bliss. Nearly all, so lets be happy.

... we're determined to deny radical groups the support and sanctuary of outlaw regimes. State sponsors like Syria and Iran have a long history of collaboration with terrorists, ...

Yada yada yada... if you're not with us you're against us. Unless your Saudi Arabia. With a rich history of support for Islamo extremists, and founding nation of the very wahabism that drives them ideologically. Or Pakistan who gets caught assisting Al-Queda by trying to pass them the nuclear cookie jar, then lets the scientist who did it off with a slap on the wrist. Come to think of it, this whole rationale worked great with the Afghanistan mission. Yet how does it fit with Iraq? Any knowlegable pundit before the invasion would not have included Iraq in the crowd of Syria and Iran (and Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, among many others we support). President Bush, of course not being knowlegeable, did include Iraq with Iran and North Korea in an 'axis of evil'. Putting these three nations in the same category would be akin to someone declaring that the Bush's, Hatfields and McCoys were an axis of familial redneckism. The Hatfields and McCoys (Iran and Iraq) could not stand each other and were constantly feuding while the Bush's (N. Korea) are now simply run by madmen who could give a hoot about what the Hatfield and McCoys or anyone else thinks. Yet now it seems we are embroiled in a boondoggle in Iraq which you continually insist is front and center in the war on terror. Nicely done again Mr. President. By invading a country which was not involved in the war on terror you alienated our friends and got us embroiled in a domestic insurgency that has become a breeding and training ground for our mortal enemies. You have killed two birds with one stone, from Osama's perspective that is.

Here is a presidential one liner...

We've heard it suggested Iraq's democracy must be on shaky ground because Iraqis are arguing with each other. (Laughter.) That's the essence of democracy. (Laughter.) You make your case; you debate those who disagree with you; you build consensus by persuasion; and you answer to the will of the people.

Ha ha ha... they are fighting with each other. That's just hilarious! Nice to see that actually... that means they are being all nice and democratic. Each car bomb means more democracy as they make their voices heard. Besides, who are you Mr. president to give these platitudes about listening to those who disagree with you. You are famously incapable of dealing with anyone who doesn't hold your fantasy based views. Consensus by persuasion? We have seen nearly unanimous support both internationally and on the homefront evaporate with your conduct of this war on terror. Consensus? If you had needed consensus to take us to war in Iraq you wouldn't have needed to manufacture the evidence, to send your minion Powell to the U.N. with bald faced lies, to unilaterally invade a nation that did not represent an immediate threat except in your fevered imagination. I'm certain the Iraqi's are jotting down notes as president Bush lectures from across the sea about debate and consensus and so on. These notes make for great material on amateur night at the local comedy club.

There are many other such rich nuggets of wisdom in Bush's speech that could make for a much longer post. I'll leave it at this for the time being. Whoever writes these speeches must really be hitting the nitrous oxide. How else can you explain the giddy disconnect from reality?