Deceptive or Delusional? Bush's appalling Iraq speech.

[babylonsister]

Deceptive or Delusional?
Bush's appalling Iraq speech.
By Fred Kaplan
Posted Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007, at 11:42 PM ET

President Bush's TV address tonight was the worst speech he's ever given on the war in Iraq, and that's saying a lot. Every premise, every proposal, nearly every substantive point was sheer fiction. The only question is whether he was being deceptive or delusional.

The biggest fiction was that because of the "success" of the surge, we can reduce U.S. troop levels in Iraq from 20 combat brigades to 15 by next July. Gen. David Petraeus has recommended this step, and President George W. Bush will order it so.

Let's be clear one more time about this claim: The surge of five extra combat brigades (bringing the total from 15 to 20) started in January. Their 15-month tours of duty will begin to expire next April. The Army and Marines have no combat units ready to replace them. The service chiefs refuse to extend the tours any further. The president refuses to mobilize the reserves any further. And so, the surge will be over by next July. This has been understood from the outset. It is the result of simple arithmetic, not of anyone's decision, much less some putative success.

It is true that Bush is ordering the withdrawal of 5,700 of those troops—one Army brigade and a Marine expeditionary unit—before Christmas, a few months earlier than they need to go home. This is clearly in response to a request by Sen. John Warner, the ranking Republican on the armed services committee. The Republicans need political cover on the war; they need to show they're bringing some troops home soon; they hope that doing so will defuse the war as an election issue. Bush hopes this will be enough to keep them on his side—and limit the support for Democrats' proposals of speedier withdrawals.

But by acceding to this political compromise—and by selling the larger withdrawal as a decision instead of as an inescapable fact of life—Bush undermined his case that the fight for Iraq is the central fight for civilization. If this claim is true, why pull any troops out earlier than necessary?

His showcase example of success was the recent alliance between U.S. troops and Sunni insurgents to join forces against jihadist terrorists in Anbar province (an alliance, by the way, that was formed before the surge). Yet even so, the president said in tonight's speech, "In Anbar, the enemy remains active and deadly." Again, under the president's own assumptions, what's the substantive case for letting any troops leave?

The speech was rife with evasion and fantasy from the outset.

more...

http://www.slate.com/id/2173902/nav/tap2/

[Ganja Ninja]

1. The man is clearly delusional and it's not going to change.

He continues to live in a fantasy world where failure only happens if you admit you've failed. He's a danger to the troops and to the nation as a whole. It's time for the legislative branches of our government to do their job and remove him from office and bring the troops home.

[babylonsister]

2. Something's gotta give. I think, after the blowback today, with

articles like this and the fact checking that's going on as I type, perhaps Congress will find some bravado and stand up to the bully.

[Virginia Dare]

9. Correct, and I think this is why you are seeing people like John Warner

and Chuck Hagel announcing retirement right now. There is a faction (albeit a small one) of the GOP that's had enough. Bush is nuts and he's dangerous and he needs to be stopped.

[DCKit]

3. Thanks again Sis (as usual). K&R n/t

[bdamomma]

4. dangerously delusional and needs to be impeached.

[babylonsister]

8. I wonder if impeachment will even be considered now that he seems

to be universally reviled?

[bdamomma]

10. I wish we could get him on crimes against humanity.

[opihimoimoi]

5. Mega EGO and NPD ......leading to the fact BUSH is the worst the GOP ever offered America

[madrchsod]

6. soon he will be calling books trees....

[Felinity]

7. That would make some sense

Compared to calling abject failure delayed victory.

[WinkyDink]

12. Wait for Barney to replace Cheney.

[lazyriver]

11. And just wait to see how many photo op's there will

be of those 5700 troops coming home by Christmas. Bush will wrap himself in the event and parade some of these men and women to the Whitehouse Christmas party. It will be obscene how he will use them to make it look like he cares. I'm sick already.

[glitch]

13. Yes. nt

[BurtWorm]

14. Kaplan is always good on Bush's uselessness as a foreign policy "leader"

Thanks for the link.

[applegrove]

15. What bowled me over was Bush long list of specific victories. And how each type of victory

took place only in one place in time. To win one needs multiple victories .... of every type...everywhere.