The Workday Liberal

This week is the figurative D-day for the rollout of the administrations p.r. campaign to justify the war in Iraq. Today it was the Presidents turn to step up to the podium. He promptly commenced making the job of Liberal Administration Gadfly easy for my compatriot bloggers and I. Check out this doozy...

"If America were to pull out before Iraq could defend itself, the consequences would be absolutely predictable, and absolutely disastrous.

For this administration, possibly the worst administration in American history when it comes to foreseeing the consequences of their actions, to now tell us that the consequences of ANYTHING are predictable, is just silliness!

Let us consider the track record of this administration on making predictions, particularly about Iraq. "Vice President Dick Cheney famously claimed in June of 2005 that "The level of activity that we see today from a military standpoint, I think, will clearly decline. I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency." In the same interview he said that he expected the war to be over before the end of the Presidents second term. This is an expectation that the Presidents own words and reality have demonstrated to be wildly optimistic.

Remember (who can forget) the Presidents mission accomplished speech? Check out these proven historical inaccuracies: " Major combat operations in Iraq have ended." "We are bringing order to parts of that country that remain dangerous." "Nineteen months ago, I pledged that the terrorists would not escape the patient justice of the United States" Patience is one thing, but waiting for Osama to die of old age is hardly bringing justice.

Here is the pre war prediction from administration toady Andrew Natsios (then head of the Agency for International Development) on the cost of the Iraq adventure when he was interviewed on Nightline:

ANDREW NATSIOS"No, no. This doesn't even compare remotely with the size of the Marshall Plan.
TED KOPPEL
(Off Camera) The Marshall Plan was $97 billion.
ANDREW NATSIOS
This is 1.7 billion."

Ted senses the absurdity of this claim and kindly gives Mr. Administration Toadie a chance to back away from this laughable prediction:

TED KOPPEL
(Off Camera) All right, this is the first. I mean, when you talk about 1.7, you're not suggesting that the rebuilding of Iraq is gonna be done for $1.7 billion?
ANDREW NATSIOS
Well, in terms of the American taxpayers contribution, I do,

...snip...

But the American part of this will be 1.7 billion. We have no plans for any further-on funding for this.

Ted obviously can't comprehend the absolute silliness of Mr. Natsios and makes one last attempt to have him back down... But Andrew only takes the opportunity to slam around the people who it turns out were in fact being honest about the situation!

TED KOPPEL
(Off Camera) I understand. But as far as reconstruction goes, the American taxpayer will not be hit for more than $1.7 billion no matter how long the process takes?

ANDREW NATSIOS
That is our plan and that is our intention. And these figures, outlandish figures I've seen, I have to say, there's a little bit of hoopla involved in this.

Hoopla indeed! We know I could fill page after page with this stuff. Rumsfeld telling us where the WMD were and that the military action would be doubtful to last 6 months, all the turning points that have led us nowhere... seriously it just goes on and on. Yet now Bush has another Iraq prediction he wants us to take his word for? How stupid does he think we are anyway?