A (not very scientific) sampling of opinion from the Op-Ed pages of America’s local newspapers over the last few weeks:
From the editorial page of the Rutland Herald, the newspaper of record for Rutland, Vermont (pop. 17,292), comes this op-ed written by the paper’s Outdoor editor, Dennis Jensen:
It wasn’t that long ago that we were told by the Bush White House that victory in Iraq was inevitable, if we just trusted and believed our president.
Now, we know that it was all talk, public relations and playing on the fears of Americans. The result? Billions of dollars wasted, young lives ruined, the families of our war dead mourning the loss of their loved ones. At the other end of this sad equation is Iraq, a country now in ruins and torn apart by civil war.
For what?
For President Bush, this war was all about hubris.
We were told of Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction.
Lies.
We were told that American troops were going to be welcomed as liberators and that we would bring democracy to that Middle East country.
Lies.
We were told that fighting the enemy in Iraq was part of the war on terrorism.
More lies.
(cont.)
A sample of what has been published by local newspapers across the country:
From the editorial pages of South Florida’s Sun-Sentinel, comes this op-ed piece written by Jim Mullins, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy:
George W. Bush promised “a humble foreign policy” and rejection of “nation-building” in his 2000 presidential campaign. They were the first of a long list of deceptions as, in his first National Security Council meeting, he outlined an invasion of Iraq as the most pressing foreign policy issue facing the United States.
From the editors of the Sacramento Bee, hometown paper for Sacramento, California (pop. 407,018:
… Woodward’s book, for all its wealth of detail about how an ill-considered adventure became a grossly mismanaged attempt to remake the Middle East, is but one part of a larger picture becoming depressingly clear — of a wrongheaded administration that’s also arguably one of the most incompetent and devious in recent memory. That we already knew that offers no comfort.
From the editorial pages of the Denver Post, staff columnist Diane Carmen:
“My son was a fourth-generation Army officer,” said Meredith, who said she believes the U.S. needs a strong military. “But I don’t want one more family to hear, ‘We regret to inform you ….”‘
Meredith said she never supported the war in Iraq.
“It took me a long time to use the word ‘lie’ about this war,” she said, but she believes she and her son and the rest of the world were deceived about the reasons for invading Iraq. “It was illegal.”
From the editorial pages of the Greeley Tribune, hometown paper for Greeley, Colorado (pop: 76930 ), comes this guest commentary by Willard G. Jones, former administrator of the University of Northern Colorado:
George W. Bush is the master of deception with the guidance of Vice President Dick Cheney, the war hawk; Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, the incompetent, and Karl Rove, the political wordsmith. Bush has also had masterful thespian training. We all remember when he was unable to utter a complete sentence. Now with intense body, facial and podium histrionics, he delivers his deceptive, political messages as if fact and truth. Rather his pronouncements are designed to misinform, confuse, scare and intimidate the public. There have been so many times that Bush has said “he understands” and that we should “trust him,” and when we did, he duped us, lied to us, changed the subject and violated federal laws. Bush’s initiatives and public policies are solely designed for political impact.
From the Argus Leader, hometown paper for Sioux Falls, South Dakota (population 123975) comes this reprint of a column by E.J. Dionne:
That is why news of a National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq is especially troublesome for Republican electoral chances. By finding that the war in Iraq has encouraged global terrorism and spawned a new generation of Islamic radicals, the report by 16 intelligence services inside the government undercut the administration’s central argument that the Iraq War has made the United States safer.
It is no wonder that the administration immediately insisted that news reports were “not representative of the complete document,” in the words of a White House spokesman. The phrase was a classic instance of the non-denial denial, a defensive response from an administration that has tried, with some success, to remain on offense on the terror issue all month.
From the editorial pages of the Anniston Star, hometown paper for Anniston, Alabama(pop. 24276,comes the reprint of a commentary by Trudy Rubin, columnist and editorial-board member for the Philadelphia Inquirer:
There’s a compelling argument for why the United States can’t set a time line for an Iraq troop withdrawal.
But President Bush can’t make the case. It would require a degree of honesty about his failings in Iraq that he won’t muster. Instead, his pre-9/11 presidential speeches have offered more bromides and false optimism. “We’re carrying out a clear plan to ensure that a democratic Iraq succeeds,” Bush said — though the “plan” is failing and Iraq is in chaos.
From the editorial pages of the The University Star, local paper for San Marcos, Texas (pop. 34733), comes this column by Fred Afflerbach:
Several dozen fans showed up for the Dixie Chicks’ concert Sunday at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. They hadn’t heard the trio had rescheduled their show, a result of slow ticket sales over lead singer Natalie Maines’ comments three years ago about President Bush. Back in 2003, before a concert in London, Maines spoke out against Bush and his planned invasion of Iraq. She said she was ashamed that Bush was from Texas.
Maines is one of the few public figures — politicians, entertainers and clergy included — who spoke out against Bush before the war. With the Iraq war spiraling out of control, Maines’ comments seem prophetic today.
Back before “Shock and Awe,” this chick stood up. Before “Bring it on” and “Mission Accomplished,” before Abu Ghraib and dog leashes on naked prisoners, she stood up. Before body armor shortages, this chick stood up.
Before 2,700 soldiers were shipped back in flag-draped caskets — caskets the Pentagon refuses media access to because they think we are too weak-stomached to witness — one chick stood up.
Before Cindy Sheehan’s son Casey was killed in Sadr City and Sheehan planted her lawn chair in a Texas ditch in August 2005 outside the president’s ranch, one chick stood up.
Before Rummy said “Stuff happens” and “You go to war with the army you have,” to explain lack of equipment for the troops and before Jessica Lynch’s rescue was exposed as a farce, this chick stood up.
Before Nicholas Berg’s beheading was posted on the Web and before two American contractors were mutilated and hung from a bridge over the Euphrates River, this chick stood up.
Before CIA agent Valerie Plame was outed because her husband wrote a New York Times editorial critical of the Bush administration’s rationale for war, Maines stood up.
And lastly, from the editorial pages of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio (pop. 331285), comes this guest commentary by Ken Duerksen, local resident:
Certainly; it’s tough to peddle an overt lie, but the unwarranted credulity of people like Edward L. Smith (“Record shows many contacts between al-Qaida, Iraq,” Sept. 3) makes Bush’s job a whole lot easier.
In fact, even though Bush himself has on at least two occasions been forced by reporters’ questioning to deny any involvement of Iraq in the 9/11 attacks – (“Nothing,” he said in his most recent press conference in response to the question “What did Iraq have to do with 9/11?”), and more recently the Republican-dominated Senate Intelligence Committee released Phase II of their analysis of pre-war intelligence declaring explicitly that there is not and never has been any evidence of any ties between al-Qaida and Saddam – Smith and a small, diminishing number of others persist in touting the discredited fairy tales that lubricated our unwarranted, unwise, and untenable invasion of Iraq.
What is your local paper saying about Bush and Iraq?