March 28, 2008

Bush’s Simplistic Vision
by Dan Froomkin—The Washington Post

The new wave of violence sweeping Iraq is not just a powerful rejoinder to President Bush's insistence that the U.S. troop surge has been a success -- it's also a reminder of how the problems facing that troubled country are much more complex than he will acknowledge.

In the vision Bush puts forward, there are just two sides in Iraq: The good guys and the bad guys; our team and an enemy. . . .

That the current battle in Basra is essentially between rival Shiite militias fighting for political power doesn't alter his narrative.

[According to] Sudarsan Raghavan and Sholnn Freeman of the Washington Post "As President Bush told an Ohio audience that Iraq was returning to 'normalcy,' administration officials in Washington held meetings to assess what appeared to be a rapidly deteriorating security situation in many parts of the country."
^^^
Peter Baker writes in The Washington Post: "The images from Baghdad and Basra bristled with explosions, burning buildings, angry street protests, rocket smoke wafting from the Green Zone. The words from Dayton were 'remarkable' and 'victory' and 'rebirth.'

"'Normalcy,' President Bush said, 'is returning back to Iraq.'

"Meanwhile, Bush advisers in Washington held a series of meetings to assess what appeared to be a rapidly deteriorating situation in southern Iraq as three rival Shiite militias battled for political power.
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6 comments:

Distributorcap said...

we live in 1984.... the surge is working cause violence is down, the surge is working so violence increases. victory is a day away!

up is down, oceania is always at war with eurasia

and 30% are STILL buying it

LET'S TALK said...

I must be getting soft and meek in my old age. I recall seeing a wounded troop with one leg and wondered how this President could justify this while constantly filling the pockets of those with big business in Iraq.

This war is wrong and at some point we need to get out of Iraq and stop making the rich richer with billion dollar contracts.

We need to stop seeing the death of our men and women in this war.

jmsjoin said...

Bush is an idiot! It really peeves me that he has no problem playing the fool until he gets what he wants.
Basra is already ours and this middle east breakdown is now under way. I blogged on it but Fallon was due to be replaced in a few months. To me that is the key to escalation.
Well, they let him go (not coincidentally)Friday just as this is blowing and they are finding out they are way over their heads. This is just the beginning but anyway as soon as they find his replacement and it won't take long watch this go!

Jolly Roger said...

Chimpy doesn't do nuance; you're either 100% in agreement with him, or you're Osama's partner in a Thursday Bowling League.

The Chimpletons don't seem to get it, though. It is truly frightening to realize that around 1 in 5 of us think that this stupid man is the Second Coming.

two crows said...

hi, AAP--
we've had one foot on the slippery slope for so long it has become the norm.

I fear we just put the other foot on it and we're ready to go over the cliff.

two crows said...

hi, jolly roger--
when people say 20% favor Bush it sounds low.
but, when you say 1 in 5 -- it sounds staggeringly high!
funny how that works.