Would Americans accept the Iraq situation easier if Bush would simply say, "The Iraq War is 'belly up in the ditch'"?
Would honesty and directness make our military involvement in Iraq more palatable?
" If US forces were to step back from Baghdad before it is more secure a contagion of violence could spill out across the entire country .There will be good days and bad days ahead as the security plan unfolds."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6467689.stm
The above comments are just a few "stock" statements Mr. Bush tends to make regarding this war. I would rather not be fed pablum on a regular basis.
IMO I would feel 100% better if Mr. Bush would admit where we fell short in our initial and ongoing assessments of the war, and truthfully speak to the public regarding what we realistically can expect to happen with our Iraq involvement. I totally realize that many presidents have not been public speakers but for heavens sakes........ It's been four years and nothing has changed except our death toll continues to rise and worldwide opinion has worsened!
Would honesty and directness make our military involvement in Iraq more palatable?
" If US forces were to step back from Baghdad before it is more secure a contagion of violence could spill out across the entire country .There will be good days and bad days ahead as the security plan unfolds."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6467689.stm
The above comments are just a few "stock" statements Mr. Bush tends to make regarding this war. I would rather not be fed pablum on a regular basis.
IMO I would feel 100% better if Mr. Bush would admit where we fell short in our initial and ongoing assessments of the war, and truthfully speak to the public regarding what we realistically can expect to happen with our Iraq involvement. I totally realize that many presidents have not been public speakers but for heavens sakes........ It's been four years and nothing has changed except our death toll continues to rise and worldwide opinion has worsened!
QUOTE(ottimista @ Mar 19 2007, 07:41 PM) 
Would Americans accept the Iraq situation easier if Bush would simply say, "The Iraq War is 'belly up in the ditch'"?
Would honesty and directness make our military involvement in Iraq more palatable?
" If US forces were to step back from Baghdad before it is more secure a contagion of violence could spill out across the entire country .There will be good days and bad days ahead as the security plan unfolds."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6467689.stm
The above comments are just a few "stock" statements Mr. Bush tends to make regarding this war. I would rather not be fed pablum on a regular basis.
IMO I would feel 100% better if Mr. Bush would admit where we fell short in our initial and ongoing assessments of the war, and truthfully speak to the public regarding what we realistically can expect to happen with our Iraq involvement. I totally realize that many presidents have not been public speakers but for heavens sakes........ It's been four years and nothing has changed except our death toll continues to rise and worldwide opinion has worsened!
Bush and his fellow warmongers aren't going to admit anything, of course. They know that the war has been a dismal failure, it's just that they have no idea what to do about it. So they temporize, hoping against hope that something will make the situation right. Their main objective is that they won't have to be the ones to look the American people in the eye and say that it was all a colossal mistake. They will thus have the luxury of sitting back in their comfortable retirements and saying that Iraq would have been a great success if only President Edwards, or whoever is president next and has the sad duty of announcing withdrawal, hadn't given up on the glorious project.
[quote name='ottimista' date='Mar 19 2007, 07:41 PM' post='210609']
Would Americans accept the Iraq situation easier if Bush would simply say, "The Iraq War is 'belly up in the ditch'"?
Irrelevant. He will never say it. He has never owned up to mistakes. He may occasional use the "mistakes were made" cliché, favored by many politicians of both parties whereby blame is implied to belong somewhere up in the clouds. Clinton used this term too.
Would honesty and directness make our military involvement in Iraq more palatable?
No, not at this time. If used at the beginning, we would not be in Iraq. Besides, he did not use it today. He lied to us again. I distinctly heard him say that the reason we went to war in Iraq was to depose Saddam Hussein because he posed a threat to Middle-Eastern peace. I almost spilled my coffee at that one. WMDs, AL-Queida, are no longer reasons why we went there. To his credit, he is savvy. The Oprah/Gerry Springer set will hear this and believe. I am reminded of the guy in Orwell's 1984 whose job it was to re-write history books every time the Government changed allegiances.
Had he used honesty today, IMO, all people would want our troops out of there. The President can't go there. He made a terrible mistake and cannot admit it. His character is weak in that regard.
" If US forces were to step back from Baghdad before it is more secure a contagion of violence could spill out across the entire country .There will be good days and bad days ahead as the security plan unfolds."
This one is the big question. Regardless of why we invaded and occupied, what harm or good will be achieved by our leaving? I don't know the answer. Law and order is pretty bad now. Probably the worst it's been in a hundred years or more. The Iraqi Government appears partisan and corrupt (against Sunnis). Kurds are happy, provided that nobody tries to take their land (they are fairly autonomous now and are not Iraqis). My guess is that some form of Civil War would follow our departure and that the maps would be redrawn yet again. If we stay forever, we may sort-of postpone it, but at American human cost. So, if we leave, we will be blamed for the atrocities that follow. If we continue, we will be blamed for the atrocities that happen every day. If we leave now; no more American casualties, but many more Iraqi casualties. If we stay; the usual. Although, I think the deaths are increasing even as we stay. The polls today show that very ordinary Iraqis are turning against us.
I read the polls today, oh boy!
For me, the worst news is that few in America care. I stand in line at Starbucks and chat with strangers. I hang out in the kitchen at work and chat with friends. If they get political, it's to talk about current candidates for party nominations. Mostly, they talk of Borat, American Idol, and the great new bar/restaurant. They remember Clinton as the President who screwed around. Yugoslavia? Never heard of it.
Would Americans accept the Iraq situation easier if Bush would simply say, "The Iraq War is 'belly up in the ditch'"?
Irrelevant. He will never say it. He has never owned up to mistakes. He may occasional use the "mistakes were made" cliché, favored by many politicians of both parties whereby blame is implied to belong somewhere up in the clouds. Clinton used this term too.
Would honesty and directness make our military involvement in Iraq more palatable?
No, not at this time. If used at the beginning, we would not be in Iraq. Besides, he did not use it today. He lied to us again. I distinctly heard him say that the reason we went to war in Iraq was to depose Saddam Hussein because he posed a threat to Middle-Eastern peace. I almost spilled my coffee at that one. WMDs, AL-Queida, are no longer reasons why we went there. To his credit, he is savvy. The Oprah/Gerry Springer set will hear this and believe. I am reminded of the guy in Orwell's 1984 whose job it was to re-write history books every time the Government changed allegiances.
Had he used honesty today, IMO, all people would want our troops out of there. The President can't go there. He made a terrible mistake and cannot admit it. His character is weak in that regard.
" If US forces were to step back from Baghdad before it is more secure a contagion of violence could spill out across the entire country .There will be good days and bad days ahead as the security plan unfolds."
This one is the big question. Regardless of why we invaded and occupied, what harm or good will be achieved by our leaving? I don't know the answer. Law and order is pretty bad now. Probably the worst it's been in a hundred years or more. The Iraqi Government appears partisan and corrupt (against Sunnis). Kurds are happy, provided that nobody tries to take their land (they are fairly autonomous now and are not Iraqis). My guess is that some form of Civil War would follow our departure and that the maps would be redrawn yet again. If we stay forever, we may sort-of postpone it, but at American human cost. So, if we leave, we will be blamed for the atrocities that follow. If we continue, we will be blamed for the atrocities that happen every day. If we leave now; no more American casualties, but many more Iraqi casualties. If we stay; the usual. Although, I think the deaths are increasing even as we stay. The polls today show that very ordinary Iraqis are turning against us.
I read the polls today, oh boy!
For me, the worst news is that few in America care. I stand in line at Starbucks and chat with strangers. I hang out in the kitchen at work and chat with friends. If they get political, it's to talk about current candidates for party nominations. Mostly, they talk of Borat, American Idol, and the great new bar/restaurant. They remember Clinton as the President who screwed around. Yugoslavia? Never heard of it.
Would Americans accept the Iraq situation easier if Bush would simply say, "The Iraq War is 'belly up in the ditch'"?
That'll never happen, because Bush is incapable of admitting his mistakes.
Would honesty and directness make our military involvement in Iraq more palatable?
I didn't even bother watching his 4-minute or whatever/no questions allowed "speech" on the 4th anniversary of this misbegotten war, because I knew it would just be more of the same "hard work" "be patient" "fight them there so they don't come here" "we'll stand down when they stand up"...blah blah blah
Speaking for myself (and I would imagine quite a few others), I've long since given up on Bush being honest with the American people. I don't believe he is capable of honesty.
That'll never happen, because Bush is incapable of admitting his mistakes.
Would honesty and directness make our military involvement in Iraq more palatable?
I didn't even bother watching his 4-minute or whatever/no questions allowed "speech" on the 4th anniversary of this misbegotten war, because I knew it would just be more of the same "hard work" "be patient" "fight them there so they don't come here" "we'll stand down when they stand up"...blah blah blah
Speaking for myself (and I would imagine quite a few others), I've long since given up on Bush being honest with the American people. I don't believe he is capable of honesty.
Does the man not realise that violence has spilled out across Iraq already or does he think Baghdad is Iraq. It is bad enough that he thinks the US can impose US style democracy on the country, why do you not tell him that Islam and democracy do not compute.
Bush is clearly a puppet who says things certain people want him to say. What else explains such delusion? Did any American even care to notice he didn't specify exactly what gains have been made? A carrot on a stick again. The proverbial 'light at the end of the tunnel' tripe. Of course, and I think this most likely, perhaps the gains have been made but it's a part of the true reason the US is illegally occupying Iraq so it's impossible for Bush and Co. to say what those gains are.
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