Recasting Bush as the hero of Iraq is taking things much too far
I see that Fox News and top Republicans such as Mitch McConnell are insisting that President Obama credit his predecessor, President George W. Bush, for making possible tonight’s announcement that U.S. troops are no longer engaged in combat in Iraq.
I suppose that’s true, they have a point. You could certainly argue, for example, that if Bush hadn’t committed us to that misbegotten war in the first place, President Obama wouldn’t be making tonight’s speech.
In fact, if Bush hadn’t decided to try to occupy Iraq with far fewer troops than were necessary, ignoring advice from top generals that several hundred thousand soldiers would be needed to do the job right, we might have been able to bring our role to a conclusion years ago instead of now. So they’re right in that sense as well.
And if Bush had understood the nature of the conflict much earlier — if he hadn’t stood in front of that “Mission Accomplished” banner on May 1, 2003 and proclaimed that major combat had ended in Iraq, at a point when just 172 U.S. soldiers had been killed out of an eventual 4,000 — yeah, maybe Obama wouldn’t have to be announcing the ACTUAL end of major combat for U.S. forces on an August night more than seven years later.
If Bush hadn’t stubbornly, blindly insisted year after year that the war was going well, that there was no civil war, that the incompetent Donald Rumsfeld was a great defense secretary, that no change of strategy was necessary because the original strategy was so brilliant — if he hadn’t refused to acknowledge reality until after the 2006 midterms forced him to do so — yeah, maybe Bush himself would have been able to make this speech while he was still president.
But that didn’t happen. For years, Bush tried to halfway it, refusing to commit fully but refusing to withdraw either.
“Some Americans ask me, if completing the mission is so important, why don’t you send more troops?” Bush said in a typical speech in 2005. “If our commanders on the ground say we need more troops, I will send them. But our commanders tell me they have the number of troops they need to do their job. Sending more Americans would undermine our strategy of encouraging Iraqis to take the lead in this fight.”
Look, I’m not trying to dredge up ancient disputes here, and I’m not looking for another chance to bash the ex-president. He has left office, and history will now reach its own verdict on his leadership and judgment. I’m fine with that. I will also acknowledge, as I have in the past, that the 2007 surge and the change in military leadership that Bush finally implemented were more successful in rebuilding security than I and many others, including Barack Obama, had expected at the time. As I also noted earlier today, Obama doesn’t deserve a huge amount of credit for this withdrawal process, because he has merely followed the timeline set by Bush.
For that and many other reasons, it was perfectly appropriate for Obama to call Bush today as a matter of courtesy, and I hope and expect that the president will treat his predecessor with grace in tonight’s remarks.
All that said, however, it is also impossible to sit silently by while the Republicans try to rewrite a history that remains so fresh in so many minds. The invasion of Iraq was not a triumph of the Bush years, it was his greatest single mistake and probably the single greatest foreign-policy blunder in U.S. history.
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446 comments Add your comment
The Leg Lamp is a "major award", much like Cynthia Tucker's Pulitzer and Obama's Nobel
September 1st, 2010
9:39 am
Paul
September 1st, 2010
9:36 am
That’s all I’ve been trying to say.
I had a cousin who went to college and joined the national guard in the late 60s to avoid active duty. He’s neither a hero or coward. I may have done the same if I were in his shoes, but I’ll never know.
Doggone/GA
September 1st, 2010
9:39 am
“Doggone, Worse – we’re just sending them money instead. Trade cuts both ways.”
But I wasn’t referring to trade when I said “flood” them with consumer goods. I’m talking about something far more direct: like dropping crates of goods all over the country. Get those goods DIRECTLY into the hands of the citizens, and then if THEIR government confiscates them their ire will be directed against their own government and not us. All sanctions do is hurt the people LEAST able to effect a change in policy. They don’t touch the people actually in charge, and they give THOSE people a talking point to rile up the ones actually being affected.
MY idea would turn that on it’s head.
Answer man.
September 1st, 2010
9:40 am
Bush probably IS a hero to other morons with presidential aspirations.
AmVet
September 1st, 2010
9:40 am
Though generally cryptic to he point of being obtuse, I’m not sure that substance-free third 9:20 even makes any sense. Oh well…
Nice Guy, nice try. Bur not so.
If you refer to the Cong. Lewis incident, it is inconclusive. I watched that video repeatedly. The enraged screamer put both hands up to the side of his mouth and as Lewis passed him, the Cong, pulled back as some of the spittle *apparently* landed on him. Whether it was accidental or not, no one other than the two men involved knows for sure. But it is not anywhere outside of the realm of possibility, that he was actually spit upon.
And Lewis is widely recognized as a man of class, bravery and honor.
Unlike the fabricated and preposterous over-stated claims of the crowd size. Which is obviously mere claptrap proffered by know serial liars – Beck and Bachmann…
Normal
September 1st, 2010
9:40 am
Paul,
Got to admit I joined the Navy to keep out of the Shootin’ War. But it didn’t work out that way. Just couldn’t keep my mouth shut.
Doggone/GA
September 1st, 2010
9:40 am
“Thank. I think “hero” is a bit much. He was just another guy caught up in the maelstrom of Vietnam”
Of course it is…tell that to the people who actually portray him that way. Start with Peadawg.
USinUK
September 1st, 2010
9:40 am
Paul and Leg – then explain that to Peadawg – he’s the one throwing the “hero” moniker around
The Leg Lamp is a "major award", much like Cynthia Tucker's Pulitzer and Obama's Nobel
September 1st, 2010
9:41 am
G.W.
September 1st, 2010
9:34 am
If you believe CBS’s estimate of 87,000 at the Beck rally, then I’d like to refer you to a riveting piece of journalism done by Dan Rather (yes, the CBS Dan Rather) a few years back about George W. Bush and his national guard service. I’m sure you’ll devour every word.
USinUK
September 1st, 2010
9:41 am
Doggone … JINX!
jm
September 1st, 2010
9:42 am
Doggone – not going to work… the world’s a rough and tumble place. You’d just be freeing up money for them to spend on military goods as well.
Doggone/GA
September 1st, 2010
9:44 am
“You’d just be freeing up money for them to spend on military goods as well.”
and sanctioning them so they can’t spend the money on other things doesn’t?
The Leg Lamp is a "major award", much like Cynthia Tucker's Pulitzer and Obama's Nobel
September 1st, 2010
9:45 am
AmVet
September 1st, 2010
9:40 am
Oh my gosh. Now I’ve heard it all. Your detailed description and analysis of the “spittle” film reminds me of that hilarious Seinfeld episode where Newman and Kramer are describing the “second spitter” theory and Jerry dissects their assertions. Are you sure you don’t have these two incidents confused?
USinUK
September 1st, 2010
9:46 am
Leg – gosh. so, that means we shouldn’t pay attention to ANYthing CBS says. EVER.
and I’m sure you hold FOX to the same standards
Mick
September 1st, 2010
9:47 am
Bush, either you love him or hate him, there is no in between. According to polling, georgia is the state most in love with that guy. Well, at least florida went for obama after the 2000 fiasco. We also have a very good chance of getting a democratic governor, so there is hope.
paleo-neo-Carlinist
September 1st, 2010
9:47 am
jm, re: China, ever wonder why al Qeada hasn’t taken on China? I know there are some skirmishes with Muslims in remote areas of China, but the real throw down will be between Islam and China. so, China is letting us duke it out with the Muslim world (we’re the bad guys). they’re lending us money, which puts us in their pocket, and no matter who “wins” the US vs. Islam “war” the victory will be Pyrrhic at best. We have been depleting resouces and China has been hoarding. I sure hope I’m worm food when this all goes down in earnest.
G.W.
September 1st, 2010
9:47 am
Leg Lamp,
Let us not dwell in the past. After all, it is hard to remember much from the good old days. Just say whatever makes you feel good and remember that the truth is what you need it to be in order to make the sale. That’s all you need to remember in order to make it through life as a successful Republican, as long as your daddy is there to bail you out. hehehe
jm
September 1st, 2010
9:49 am
Trade sanctions put a damper on the economy, reducing funding for military goods. Of course, as you state, a lot of innocent bystanders get whacked, and in really crazy regimes like the PRK they still spend the money on weapons.
Like I said, no easy answers. But your theory stands no chance of working. Sanctions are marginally better, but don’t work either. That’s why GW decided to invade – because had the WMD’s existed, at least that would have worked.
Paul
September 1st, 2010
9:49 am
USinUK – Doggone/GA
Peadawg reads these posts. Point was made.
I think it’s not just Peadawg – ‘hero’ is badly overused to the point of referring to nearly every person who signed on to do a job. Commendable? Sure? Worthy of honor and respect? Of course. But ‘heroic’? ‘Performance, risk and sacrifice markedly above that demonstrated by one’s peers’? Hardly. And it’s a shame as it, in some ways, can serve to diminish the recognition due those few who really are heroic.
jm
September 1st, 2010
9:51 am
paleo – the Muslim world (generally full of a lot of bad guys) and China get along just fine, generally speaking. They’re both corrupt as hell. The reason China’s been successful in entering Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa, is they have no qualms about bribery, trading weapons technology, etc.
They’re all a bunch of ignorant thiefs and crooks.
G.W.
September 1st, 2010
9:52 am
I am a hero and Texas history books will prove it.
Doggone/GA
September 1st, 2010
9:52 am
“Sanctions are marginally better, but don’t work either”
If they don’t work they aren’t any kind of “better”…and you don’t know they’re better than MY idea, because as far as I know my idea has never actually been tried at all.
“That’s why GW decided to invade – because had the WMD’s existed, at least that would have worked”
Again, the end justifies the means? Sorry, but you’ll never convince me he didn’t KNOW there were no WMDs. The inspectors were on the ground, could go EVERYWHERE they wanted to go. The found no WMDs, they told the world there were no WMDs. There WERE NO WMDs..and the Bush admin knew it.
USinUK
September 1st, 2010
9:54 am
Paul – 9:49 – well said. the bar has been dropped so low as to make the word meaningless.
Normal
September 1st, 2010
9:55 am
I have a cat named Hero.
USinUK
September 1st, 2010
9:56 am
my mister likes a sammich named Hero.
jm
September 1st, 2010
9:56 am
Doggone – 2 answers to your last point. We’ll never know. And, asymmetrical information and game theory – we couldn’t know for sure what saddam had or didn’t have because he was an untrustworthy adversary. No amount of inspections would have been ultimately satisfactory.
jm
September 1st, 2010
9:57 am
clarification – “We’ll never know what was in GW’s head for sure”
mm
September 1st, 2010
9:58 am
“but, hey, human rights is not real high on the agenda these days, are they?”
That comment represents the wingnuts mindset perfectly. They are more concerned about the Iraqis than they are the Americans here in our country that have lost their jobs, losing their homes, and starving to death.
Doggone/GA
September 1st, 2010
9:58 am
“No amount of inspections would have been ultimately satisfactory.”
The inspectors said there were no WMDs…no WMDs have ever been found. It satisfies ME that there are no WMDs.
jm
September 1st, 2010
10:02 am
Doggone, you have a very good rearview mirror. Those aren’t much help when driving in anything other than reverse. Or for watching tailgators.
The Leg Lamp is a "major award", much like Cynthia Tucker's Pulitzer and Obama's Nobel
September 1st, 2010
10:03 am
John Cusack Calls for ‘Satanic Death’ of FOXNEWS, GOP Leaders…
Ah yes, the level headed eloquence of a liberal.
paleo-neo-Carlinist
September 1st, 2010
10:03 am
jm (and Scout – last night’s post about “evil”). like it or not, sometimes we’re the bad guys. or more accurately, we are asked to “do the bidding” (Goering quote) of others, whose motives are not just (national interest). in many ways, all parties (Islam, China, U.S.) employ the same fear-based patriotism or god’s work blueprint. re: Bush and Obama and AfPak and Iraq, same old same old, both men are self-serving and somewhat arrogant in their belief they can wage wars to attain a greater good (as defined by their skewed political/economic views). in this regard, Bush was a “success”. he gave the war-mongers their war, and he presented it to Americans as “democracy in the Middle East, national secuirty, etc.; and he even kinda alluded to the Biblical upside).
Paul
September 1st, 2010
10:04 am
Normal
And Hiro was a character on Heroes. When he got to NY, he developed an affinity for their sandwiches…. heroes!
Paul
September 1st, 2010
10:05 am
USinUK
gotta learn to read through all the posts before I write. What can I say, ‘cept for ‘great minds’ and all that?
Crocodile Dundee
September 1st, 2010
10:06 am
You can’t make a hero sandwich with Bush meat.
Paul
September 1st, 2010
10:06 am
mm
“starving to death.”
Source?
Or is it just literary hyperbole? If not, Democrats have really dropped the ball this time, eh?
jm
September 1st, 2010
10:08 am
paleo – i don’t agree. They sold the war based on WMD’s that turned out not to exist. Of course, after the WMD’s failed to materialize, they revised and layered on other reasons (that they probably had before, but didn’t present in public as far as the UN and US public goes).
I think the US is a much more ethical actor in the world than the rest. That said, we’re far from perfect (Iran-contra, slavery, CIA assassinations, etc etc)
Paul
September 1st, 2010
10:09 am
Leg Lamp
Did Cusak make a terroristic threat?
I kinda think most of his followers won’t take him seriously, him being an actor and all. But his whackjob followers…. I think Fox might want to hire extra security to deal with those folks who think Fox has the right of free speech but need to be prepared for the consequences…..
TaxPayer
September 1st, 2010
10:11 am
The mutual fund managers must be back from their summer vacation.
Swede Atlanta
September 1st, 2010
10:13 am
JM, I have to disagree with your statement about rearview mirrors. History which is pretty much what a rearview mirror provides is infinitely helpful. In fact history provides the paradigm for change and progress.
A child places his hand on a hot stove and gets burned. He learns that hurts and doesn’t do it again. A scientist finds that one chemical compound kills a virus but another doesn’t. He/she takes that fact that is discerned based on a historical experiment and focuses on improving the effectiveness of the compound that works.
We should learn from whatever failures and successes we have had and adjust our future behavior accordingly.
jm
September 1st, 2010
10:17 am
Swede – History is helpful, not “infinitely helpful.” It is highly over-rated when trying to determine a future course.
History would have said Russia was still part of the USSR, until it wasn’t. Greece wasn’t going to default on its debt until it pretty much did / was going to without an EU bailout. Politics, social progress, and economics are anything but a “science.”
Swede Atlanta
September 1st, 2010
10:22 am
JM
History would not have said Russia was STILL part of the USSR. History, however, might have taught Kremlin leaders that empires that are cobbled together through force rarely survive the test of time.
History would have taught Greek leaders that if you overextend yourself too far you will eventually have significant debt and solvency problems.
You and I are looking at this from two different perspectives and will just have to agree to disagree.
paleo-neo-Carlinist
September 1st, 2010
10:43 am
jm, the “pitch” to America was never the issue. 9/11, WMDs, liberating Iraq; take your pick. Bush has been dialed in on Iraq since before he was elected. Frontline or some PBS documentary on the war has a disturbing interview with Bush in November 1998 or 1999 (he may have not even officially declared). he opined about what he would if if Saddam “got out of line” (paraphrase). the war was always about oil and the Bush (and Cheney) ties to Big Oil and the Saudis. but let’s say you or I are in Bush’s shoes; are you going to tell Americans; “I plan to initiate a $1 trillion war, which will kill 4,000 Americans and injure tens of thousands more. I plan to do this for private reasons, and only a handful of my close friends and business partners will benefit. not only will I use taxpayer funds to pay for this, but I will borrow from China.” OR, he can say, “Saddam has WMDs, Saddam helped plan 9/11, Saddam needs to be taken out of power for the greater good.” let’s be honest, if the “intelligence was flawed” why did he not wait until he got accurate (actionable) intel? his political benefactors wanted a war and he did what he was told to do. in many was, he was “just following orders” (as dim-witted rich kids usually do). in my opinion, there are no “ethical actors” on the world stage. this doesn’t make us better or worse than anyone and the idea that we haves some sort of ethical or moral foundation for our behavior is no different than when some guy blows himself up in a market or hijacks an airliner and flies it into a building. people wrap themselves in flags or holy documents (including the Constiturion) and the end up “doing the bidding” to which Goering referred. Hitler preached of the fatherland, the UK sent soliders to die for “God and Country”. Bush warned of WMDs because some pollster (or Karl Rove) told him it was the best pitch. agaim, the Frontline piece presents (not suggests, presents) the “reverse engineering” approach Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al took to 9/11. within hours of the attacks, the Bush adm tried to establish a (no-existent) link between Iraq and al Qeada. There is a sobering clip of the “brain trust” in the Camp David war room and Cheney is DEMANDING all intel focus on Iraq. not exactly ‘ethical’ in my book.
Sam Sewell
September 1st, 2010
10:53 am
Can You Pass the Obama Eligibility Logic Test?
Does This Document Make Me ELIGIBLE to be POTUS? (or get a passport to go on a Dream Cruise?)
http://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2010/08/does-this-document-make-me-eligible-to.html
Paulo977
September 1st, 2010
12:49 pm
Doggone/GA @8:55am..YES we are murderers!! And how does this nation deal with murderers ? Why are we dragging our feet on this one?
Tony
September 1st, 2010
11:46 pm
I do believe that Bush made some stupid decisions when he was in office. But I don’t think that all of his decisions should be blamed only on him because it seemed like he made a big mistake in giving the order to invade Iraq, and his subsequent actions were made by him in an effort to try to fix this mistake but ended up digging him in a deeper hole. There was false intelligence spreading around Congress that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. Bush acted upon this intelligence and caused a whole string of unfortuneate events. I’m not saying that Bush is not at fault, but I’m hoping that Congress may improve as well to help reduce the chance of this happening again. Above all, I hope that this is an incident that we can learn from so that this can be prevented from happening again.
Better Off Training
September 3rd, 2010
8:00 pm
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