In all of America, Bush could not have chosen a less critical, more muzzled and gullible crowd to peddle his pull-out from the quagmire. No embarrassing outbursts from this plebeian crowd, only rapturous ovation on every cue. Nevertheless, Bush stumbled immediately by pointing out the military record of his Neocon crony, Rubberstamp Rumsfeld, who was sitting in the audience. This only emphasized to everyone, the chickenhawk President's own sorry AWOL military desertion and his "VEEP-for-torture's" five deferments. The cowardly hypocrisy of it all hung in the mind's eye for the duration of the oration. One wonders what went through the minds of the midshipmen, whose "Honor Concept" code of ethics states that "Midshipmen are persons of integrity: who stand for that which is right. They tell the truth and ensure that the full truth is known. They do not lie, cheat or steal." What were they thinking, these future torturers, cluster-bombers, DU and Willy Pete dispensers, as they listened to, and dutifully applauded their Commander-in-Chief?
Here's the nutcase "Plan for Victory" in a nutshell:
(with emphasis)
2) "...We will never back down. We will never give in. And we will never accept anything less than complete victory..." (Applause.)
3) "...And as the Iraqi security forces stand up, coalition forces can stand down -- and when our mission of defeating the terrorists in Iraq is complete, our troops will return home to a proud nation..." (Applause.)
1 and 2 we've already heard ad nauseum, so lets have a look at the standing up and standing down business. Here's a bit of recent history to set the context for Bush's latest brainwave:
Apr. 5, 2004 "...Suddenly the Iraqi Civil Defence Corps (ICDC), a paramilitary force trained by the Americans, turned on the US soldiers and started to shoot at them instead . The Americans fled their vehicles and began to battle both the Mehdi Army of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and the ICDC members. Their vehicles were set ablaze..."
Nov. 8, 2004 "... Iraqi battalions fighting alongside Americans during the assault of Fallujah suffered mass desertions. One Iraqi battalion was reduced from 500 men down to 170 -- with 255 members quitting over one weekend.
Dec. 21 2004 "...Nineteen US soldiers were killed in a suicide attack inside a massively fortified US military base in Mosul. George W Bush offered his condolences but stressed that troops had a vital mission of peace in Iraq.
Aug. 8, 2005. "...Iraqi soldiers being trained by US troops inside Taji military base, are afraid to set foot outside."We're all afraid. I can't go outside the base wearing these military clothes," "We all know soldiers who notice people photographing them with mobile phones and being followed," said a Shiite Muslim from Amara.
Sept. 29, 2005 "...The number of Iraqi battalions capable of combat without U.S. support has dropped from three to one, the top American commander in Iraq, Gen. George Casey, told Congress Thursday, prompting Republicans to question whether U.S. troops will be able to withdraw next year..."
Oct. 03, 2005 The Senate heard testimony from America's generals, including top General George Casey, that only 1 out of 119 Iraqi army and security battalions are able to operate in combat situations without U.S. military backup. The generals' testimony meant that after two and a half years of U.S. efforts, only 750 men out of 200,000 can be relied upon to operate and obey orders independently in combat situations.
But according to Bush's Plan for Victory, just two months later:
"...Now, there are over 120 Iraqi Army and Police combat battalions in the fight against the terrorists -- typically comprised of between 350 and 800 Iraqi forces. Of these, about 80 Iraqi battalions are fighting side by side with coalition forces, and about 40 others are taking the lead in the fight. Most of these 40 battalions are controlling their own battle space, and conducting their own operations against the terrorists with some coalition support -- and they're helping to turn the tide of this struggle in freedom's favor. America and our troops are proud to stand with the brave Iraqi fighters." (Applause.)
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