Wednesday, March 19, 2008

A Not So Happy Anniversary

Five years ago, still reeling from the September 11th attacks on the Twin Towers in New York, the Bush administration hoodwinked its population into thinking that attacking Iraq was the next logical step in the 'War on Terror'. Claims of weapons of mass destruction, Iraqi ties to Bin Laden and Al Qaeda, and the ever-present fear that existed (and still exists) in the United States, made such an endeavor an easy sell. The American people were more than happy enough to dance to the beat of the Bush war drums, the Democrats plugged their collective noses, they bought the Bush line that you are with us or against us, supporting the troops was more important than fact checks, everyone was filling up on a huge serving of 'Freedom Fries'. The whole thing was going to be over in a matter of weeks. Iraq was no match for the American war machine.

Time flies when you are having fun. Where are they now? The Iraq war part deux is still on going, truth be told there seems to be no end in sight. The war itself has cost $500,000,000,000, 4000 American lives, 90,000+++ Iraqi lives, and the American reputation has never been so tarnished. There are countless theories as to what might have been the Bush rational in attacking Iraq, everyone now knows that there were no weapons of mass destruction, there are no ties to Al Qaeda. So perhaps it was Junior simply trying to finish the job his father had started 10 years or so earlier, perhaps it was simply a matter of distracting the American people from the fact that the capture of Bin Laden had been a complete failure, perhaps it was about oil reserves, perhaps it was about setting up a permanent American presence in the Middle East, perhaps G.W likes to play GI Joe with human toys, perhaps it all those things. The only truth in any of this is that, the Iraq occupation is the greatest and most barbaric blunder of the Bush Administration. Aside from the human tole, the financial tole in as far as the burgeoning American debt is not only being felt in the USA, but world wide. It would be folly to blame the global economic downturn solely on the mistake that is the Iraq war, but it is symbolic of the ineptitude and madness that has been endemic in the current American administration.

So unhappy anniversary Mr. Bush, I see you have decided to hold a press conference claiming success and victory in Iraq, funny I thought I had seen and heard all that before, say 5 years ago, you had your favorite GI Joe costume on, and you got to play on an aircraft carrier, good times. I hope you are proud of all your successes, you have made your country proud.

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