the gettin’s good, get out!
by Jon Chun
Published: September 14, 2008
“When we begin to draw down troops from Iraq, it will be from a position of strength and success, not from a position of fear and failure,’’
- George W. Bush, September 3, 2007
If the fact that casualties are at an all time low, the Anbar Province, a former hot bed of insurgency, is now under the jurisdiction of the Iraqi military, and Iraqi political leaders at all levels are calling for a timeline for withdrawal is not a clear sign of “success,” then what is? If the mission is not finally “accomplished,” then what is the mission?
President Bush has spent the majority of his two terms in office on the defensive for his decision to invade Iraq. And despite a laundry list of grievous errors in judgment, he has refused to bend one iota in his position, maintaining that to do so would send a signal to our enemies that America is weak. Though the media has often painted him as stubborn and foolish for his “stay-the-course” mentality, I’m willing to go out on a limb and call him gutsy, maybe even courageous - so long as he calls it a day.
If President Bush would pause to think about it, now is his golden opportunity. Today Bush can claim that many of the benchmarks for success in Iraq have been met with varying levels of success. Not perfect - but good enough considering the size of the task. If he begins immediate troop withdraws, he can, in fact, do so “from a position of strength.” And if the peace sticks, he can pat himself on the back for a job well done - finally.
On the other hand, if he pulls out and the relative calm that has fallen over Iraq proves to be only temporary, he can justifiably lay the blame on al-Maliki and his government for rejecting U.S. military and political aide. If the later scenario proves true, his enemies in Congress and in the press will be forced to hear, “I told you so” as often as they’ve heard, “Stay the course.”
It’s a win/win situation for a presidency that, barring a victory in Iraq, for many Americans will go down in history as one of the worst.
So why not just declare victory? Though it may sound like an overly-simplified approach, let’s face it, Al-Qaeda in Iraq is no longer in Iraq - they’re in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Sadam Hussein’s government has been replaced by one that is far more stable than neighboring Pakistan, far more democratic than that of our close friends in Saudi Arabia and far less influenced by terrorist forces than either Palestine or Lebanon.
With a single speech extolling the merits of the troop surge, highlighting the many recent military gains and announcing the installation of a plan to bring the troops home, President Bush can wipe away years of bad press, take a swipe at his political enemies and secure a more favorable place for his presidency in the history books. It seems like a no-brainer for a man who has often been accused of not having a brain. And though I disagree with the premise of said accusation, in frustration I have to wonder, what on earth is holding up the victory parade?
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September 17th, 2008 at 11:38 am
I fail to see how pretending that the job is done means that the job is done. Please explain.
September 18th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Amen to James!
“Almost” is my least favorite word in the English language. Today I’m going to extend that to Jon Chun’s use of “many”: “Today Bush can claim that many of the benchmarks for success in Iraq have been met with varying levels of success.”
Great Jon, but how about we finish the job before we go home. It would be easy to say that “many” of the jobs needed to complete the construction of a building were completed, but if the jobs left undone were for example: installing all of the fire and safety alarms, or finishing the stairs to the second floor, I know I wouldn’t be moving in yet.
Your argument weighs to heavily on the idea that George Bush cares about popular opinion. I think he is more focused on world safety and stability.
So to you George, “Stay the course!” not that you needed reminding.
September 19th, 2008 at 1:33 am
Wrong Chell. The premise of the article is solid. It ain’t gonna get any better than this. What more could we ask for from a historically toxic scenario than the relative calm and stability we enjoy today - thanks to our troops? So, on behalf of America, thanks troops. You rule. But staying any longer is like leaving your Pro Bowl quarterback in the game when your up 89 to 3 to start the 3rd quarter. Your just asking for trouble.
September 21st, 2008 at 1:47 pm
I don’t care why we leave so long as we leave.
September 21st, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Our current batch of bums in Washington can’t secure our boarders or,,,,, keep a balanced budget or…., kill the one man responsible for 9-11 or,…. stop the Wall street banksters from stealing from the unwashed and then profit again by stealing from the tax payer to bail them out,…..something smells like mule muffins in D.C……we have no right to continue using our brave solders as cannon fodder for the new world order oil barons….. use any excuse, any reason, bring them home…. The men in Washington are very smart,…..very smart indeed,,,,how can a smart man continue to make what seems like very dumb decisions repeatedly on behave of the US citizens unless maybe they are making smart decision for themselves or some special interest….follow the money/ power trail to where……..why is the USA turning into a 3rd world banana republic…????? what ever happened to the war on drugs? guess we won that one? can’t remember,,, too much coke on our dollar bills are destroying us from within…..
Another rant brought to you…from………Budweiser
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:50 am
Oh Dave, if only ‘boarder’ were our biggest problem…at least they pay rent, and I think they all feel secure. As for the ‘banksters’ (presumably driving their Boxters), their hands were forced to some extent by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s Congress-induced mandate to increase homeownership among the poor; something that they were not in fact doing on their own. Congress even refused two attempts by the Bush administration to pull back on those programs…remember that when Maddam Speaker claims that the Dem’s feel no guilt in all of this mess.
More to the point here, I agree that we ought not to leave with the job unfinished…too often in the last century we have run from unfinished work overseas only to have to return later. Remember the old saying: “There’s never time to do it right, but there’s always time to do it over.”
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:14 am
Too shayee……the Mexicans are not our boarders (rent free)?..he said with tongue bleeding… in an ignorant….rant….. induced by Bud all the wiser….MMMMM I hope we can get the heck outa the M.E. before the real war (III) starts. Another Catch TwentyTwo moment brought to you from M&M enterprises…..
Yet another rant from a….Bud…..Hangover….CUL
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:03 pm
BTW Dave, Budweiser ain’t comin’ back while those 40% corporate taxes are in place. At least I can now drink the new Bud Ale and claim it’s an import.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:27 pm
U musta red sum of my utter comments….I usually like to practice my sarcastic paradoxical arguments here…say what is the corporate tax rate fer the new country of Budweiser ownership?….Good time fer everyone to go to cash and gold…don’t u think?…u know I was thinking of micro brewing & HHO…maybe opportunity for competition between collages,,students would actually learn a survival skill,…who makes the best brew kinda thing…sorry I drifted off topic….Lets bring our troops back home..the sooner the better….