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Those affected by the Vietnam War during the 60's said, "Never again." But, Republican chicken hawks that maneuvered themselves out of the draft never got the message.
Bush, in all his arrogance, is now ignoring the 2006 election anti-war mandate and plans to save-face and further beat the dead horse of his Iraq War by futilely sacrificing more troops. He is stupidly repeating the tragic mistake of LBJ and Nixon periodically escalating their war. Each time they sent more troops to 'Nam', they announced on television that the increase would win the war. But, as we all know, they lied or were lied to by their military brass because their ill-fated policy of escalation only resulted in the very long Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington DC.
Bush says he wants to finish the job. But, exactly what job is he talking about? His given reason for being there has always been murky, changing many times. Initially, he sounded the alarm claiming Saddam Hussein possessed "weapons of mass destruction" and that "a mushroom cloud should be feared" soon. The WMDs turned out to be a pack of lies and Hussein was toppled very quickly. So, why are our troops still there four years later?
Bush uses 9/11 as a bogus excuse for his preemptive attack on Iraq as well as slashing our Constitutional liberties. But, he has failed to keep his promise of capturing the one chosen to be perceived as the 9/11 perpetrator, former CIA agent and son of a Bush family business partner, Osama bin Laden. Instead, Bush has slaughtered scores of Iraqi babies in his place.
Inept Bush cannot beat back the waves of insurgents from the region. Their supply is inexhaustible because the Koran mandates all Muslims to fight-off any foreign "infidels" occupying their territory. Actually, Bush is playing right into the hands of the extremist Mullahs. They are using his war as a rallying point for their cause against moderate Muslims and are successfully garnering scores of recruits. Now, with the feared Saddam Hussein gone and Bush essentially defeated, various Muslim groups are engaged in civil war to slice up Iraq.
Perennially being a stooge for big business, particularly big oil, Bush's primary concern is preventing Iraqi nationalization of the oilfields and keeping them privatized for the oil companies. In effect, our troops are fighting for the oil companies. And in light of their obscene profits and CEO pay, the oil companies should be obliged to pay large bonuses to all soldiers risking their lives in Iraq and to contribute heavily to their medical care and disability support.
It is heart breaking to realize how many American lives could have been bettered by the trillions Bush squandered on his bloody war. The U.S. could have advanced to the level of other first world nations and made available tuition-free college education and vocational training as well as universal health care.
It is time for members of the new Democratic Congress to exchange their kid gloves for Iron fists and stop funding Bush's war.
