LAT editorial: Finish What Job? Bush's ominous, open-ended Iraq commitment

[DeepModem Mom]

EDITORIAL
Finish What Job?
President Bush's simplistic rhetoric could be used to justify open-ended commitment in Iraq.
August 22, 2006

PRESIDENT BUSH EMPHASIZED no fewer than 10 times in his news conference Monday that U.S. forces would not leave Iraq "before the job is done." It's a clever piece of rhetoric, appealing to Americans' sense of duty as well as their pride. Just one question: What was that job again?

Is it to end the sectarian violence in Iraq? Prevent terrorists from flocking to the United States? Bring democracy to Iraq and thus provide a beacon for reformers throughout the Middle East?

All of the above, apparently — and then some. Previous rationales, such as locating Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and avenging 9/11, are no longer convincing even to the president (which should give pause to those few still clinging to them, including some members of Congress). But on Monday, Bush had others at the ready.

At times, the loudest noise at his news conference was the sound of mission creep. In June, Bush conceded that a democratic Iraq will at some point have to stand or fall on its own. ("Success in Iraq," he said, "depends upon the Iraqis.") On Monday, however, Bush said U.S. forces would remain until the Iraqi people "achieve their objectives and their dreams, which is a democratic society." Success may depend on the Iraqis, but it is defined by the Americans....

The debate that needs to take place is about which, if any, of those objectives can justify the president's ominously open-ended commitment.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-bush22aug22,0,6551661.story?track=mostviewed-homepage

[Richard Steele]

1. We stay until they "achieve their dreams", while they dream of us leaving.

Yup, sounds like a B*sh plan alright.

[Nay]

2. We'll stay until every possible penny has been drained from

the public coffers into the pockets of the rich, or until a decent Dem puts a stop to the hemorrhaging. God, what a waste.