The Iraq invasion marks its second anniversary today and I still beg the question: what’s it going to take for the Warmonger in Chief to publicly acknowledge the elephant in the room? I’m not referring to the Republican Elephant minions he surrounds himself with; I’m talking about the fact that we’re fighting his never-ending war.
Commentary and rant below…
From a recent CNN article:
“Our troops will come home when Iraqis are capable of defending themselves,” Bush told a news conference.
…More than a dozen countries have withdrawn troops over the past year, complicating efforts to keep the peace while Iraq’s new government builds up its own police and military units.
Bush said he understood the desire of countries to bring their troops home. “What you’re going to find is that countries will be willing, anxious” to leave — but only when Iraqi police and security forces are capable of taking over the work now done by coalition forces.
I wonder what it’s going to take for the rest of the country to finally call “Bullshit” on the lies. The reality on the ground tells us that violence is increasing across Iraq; yet the spin-masters claim that “freedom is on the march”. I’m hopeful that our collective consciousness is starting to wake up. The strain is finally starting to surface in the polls as well as in military recruitment.
According to a USA Today article published two weeks ago, the Army missed its enlistment goal for February by 27%. This is despite the fact that the Pentagon raised incentives for new recruits.
The February shortfall is especially worrisome because it comes as the Army is trying to lure recruits with the largest enlistment bonuses it has ever offered: up to $20,000 to some recruits willing to sign on for four years. The Pentagon has also been adding thousands of recruiters for the Army and other branches.
Doug Smith, a spokesman for U.S. Army Recruiting Command at Fort Knox in Kentucky, attributed the shortfall in part to competition from the improving economy and parents’ fears that their children could be injured or killed in Iraq.
Obviously. It doesn’t take a load of common sense to understand that if you sign up for military service, you are guaranteed a tour in the war zone. Rather than make a real effort to build bridges worldwide with our allies, Bush continues to mock the progress of the past. John Kerry was correct, with Bush we are getting more of the same. It’s dangerous and it’s wrong.
Our brave soldiers have lived up to their expectations, and exceeded them honorably, by honoring the oath they pledged at their enlistment ceremony. It is time for President Bush to do the same.
This weekend patriotic Americans all over the United States and the world will exercise their democratic rights to denounce the lies that were told. We raise our voices together despite the name calling and demonizing that the Republicans are so good at spewing. We do it because we refused to allow history to be re-written in the name of democracy and freedom. We do it because we’re calling “Bullshit”.
