Bush's Milestones in Iraq
Still waiting for the definition of victory…
06-16-06

Fresh off of the news that his "Evil Machiavellian Toad," Karl Rove will not be indicted for actions uncharacteristically Rove-Like" (as in getting CAUGHT when he is pulling dirty political tricks), Bush marked a day of milestones with a rousing speech of his continued belief in our war plan in Iraq. Now with his approval rating "soaring" to the mid-30s, Bush is back on the offensive just in time for Mid-term Elections, beating the same tired drum of freedom, to the same one-note tune; "We will not leave until the job is complete." (sung to the tune of "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy").

Rove was back in rare form with his chorus/bridge of the same song, making sure that the Iraq war remains a partisan debate for the upcoming elections. "When it gets tough, and when it gets difficult, they fall back on that party's old pattern of cutting and running."

However, there was not much "cutting and running" from the Senate, as they overwhelmingly approved the new spending bill that will add $66 billion for Iraq. Deficit? What deficit? If the "Bush Singers" are going to continue with the same song, then I am inclined to do the same…namely asking them to DEFINE victory, so we know when the hell we can get out of this mess.

No matter how many different ways the Neocons want to parse the definition of our mission, the facts are not exactly pointing toward anything resembling our "game plan" (whatever the heck it is or was) producing the kind of results that would give us a definable "victory."

• Since 2003, 2,500 American Troops and 113 coalition forces have lost their lives.
• More than 18,000 American troops have been wounded, many with devastating, life altering injuries.
• More than $400 Billion has been spent thus far with another $66 Billion being approved this week.
• Between 42,000 and 68,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed since 2003, with May being the highest second highest month since records were kept.
• The event that precluded the war was the loss of 3,000 lives on 9-11-now more than $133 million spent per life lost to avenge their deaths. · Iraqi insurgent attacks have increased significantly with an estimated average of over 600 attacks per month.
• As part of the original provisional government agreement, all Iraqi militias were to be disbanded by 2005. As of today, there are more than 100 officially sanctioned militias, with the largest, one led by radical cleric Moqtada Sadr representing more than 60,000 armed soldiers.
• Sectarian violence has erupted on a level that would be defined by even the most strict standards as "Civil War," with an average of 35-50 deaths committed by "murder squads" each day.
• Of the more than $400 billion spent in Iraq, less than $3 billion of $13 Billion earmarked for reconstruction has been spent.
• By a recent Brookings Institution poll, two-thirds of Iraqis feel less secure now than they did before the invasion. Fewer than 1 per cent believe that the occupying forces have improved security. Before the invasion the Baghdad morgue processed fewer than 100 corpses a month. In the first three months of this year, it processed 3427.
• A year ago, 67 per cent of Iraqis believed that their country was at least heading in the right direction. At present a mere 30 per cent still believe that this is so.

If we are to allow the debate about Iraq to be reduced to "patriots who support the President, and cowards who want to cut and run," then we will also have to face some very difficult realities regarding our mission and any definition of "victory."

We have done one thing that would go into the "plus good" side of the ledger. We have allowed the Iraqi people to vote for their own government. Unfortunately for the "spreading freedom" crowd, most of those elected are staunchly against our continued occupation of their country. Furthermore, the division between the Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish factions in the country have never been more pronounced, as the rise in sectarian violence increases.

It can no longer legitimately be called a "war on terror" or even part of the "Global War on Terror," because the largest number of Iraqis killing and being killed are not al Qaeda or even from organizations who want to pursue global terror outside of Iraq. Instead, the deaths are over power in the government, as well as retribution for past ills perpetrated by Sunni Baathist Party members upon the rest of the population during Saddam's rule.

The death of Iraq al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi this past week, was followed closely by the announcement of a replacement, once again proving that when it comes to fighting an idea (Terror), eliminating a leader of the movement has about as much effect as digging a hole in wet sand. The faster and deeper you dig, the faster and easier the hole is filled by water and sand.

If there is any good news, it is that the targets of violence are for the most part, no longer American forces. While there has been a bit of a rise in the past two months to an average of 60 American deaths per month, it is FAR more lethal to be one of the "rescued" than one of the "rescuers" in Iraq, as more than 50 Iraqi civilians PER DAY have been killed.

Once again, if we allow the debate to devolve for political reasons into one of "If you don't support the war, you don't support the troops, and are a traitor to the country," as Toady Rove would have it, we are doomed to continue spending money and lives aimlessly for as long as the American people will allow our "Fiscal Credit Card" to be pegged into the red to pay for this feckless folly.

It is time to demand a REAL definition of "victory." This administration has wiggled out of the big question for far too long. As the financiers of this "adventure in freedom-spreading," we are owed at least a simple bullet-point outline of specific goals, and an exit strategy. I realize that G.W.'s history in business is not filled with this kind of clear planning, but at least one of the Neocon planners of this debacle should be able to rustle up a spread sheet and a couple of bar graphs.

The numbers don't support the investment in time and lives. It is time to figure out how to wind down and hand off our involvement in Iraq…before another day of milestones is reached.