Bush's mistakes

[igloo]

Bush's mistakes

Debra Saunders (archive)

July 23, 2003 | Print | Send

Yes, President Bush and his team have made mistakes.

There were the 16 words about Saddam Hussein's seeking "uranium from Africa," which President Bush admits should not have been in his 2003 State of the Union address. The Bush administration was cocky in its assumption that U.S. troops, unlike U.N. weapons inspectors, would virtually trip over Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.

The WMD remain maddeningly MIA. And it was probably a mistake for Bush to sort of admit to the 16-word mistake -- the CIA let him do it -- because it led to hysterical charges that Bush deliberately misled the American public to promote a war that Congress had authorized in 2002.

With the 2004 presidential election looming, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, who voted to authorize war in Iraq, charged that Bush "hoodwinked the American people," The Associated Press reported.

In time, these overplayed stories will become vague memories of Bush-haters desperately trying to paint the lack of an instant victory in Iraq as the bad fruit of Bushie screw-ups. But right now, they constitute the endless chatter of cable news.

You'd think America was losing in Iraq.

Au contraire: U.S. troops engaged in the excruciating task of rebuilding Iraq have been so victorious that they now are dealing with what Gen. Tommy Franks called "catastrophic success." Credit the law of unintended consequences -- Baghdad collapsed so quickly that mid-level Baathists were able to melt into the population. They lived to terrorize another day.

More important, however, is the fact that more U.S. soldiers lived, as well. The U.S. victory is not to be taken lightly, even if Gen. John Abizaid admitted last week that the Iraqi situation represents "a classical guerrilla-type campaign."

Again, the mouthpieces over-reacted. As the death toll of American troops killed in action since May 1 reached 38, the Bush-Bashers had begun comparing Iraq to Vietnam and calling for specifics on the administration's "exit strategy." Note United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan's call for a "clear timetable" for a staged U.S. withdrawal of troops.

That's right, the very "international community" elites, who used to put down Bush for being a hick on nation-building, are the folks who are demanding, mere months since the fighting began, "When will it be over?"

Swell idea. Release a timetable that gives Baathist loyalists a schedule for stonewalling.

America's enemies already know that it took 18 dead soldiers to prompt President Clinton to withdraw U.S. troops from a humanitarian mission in Somalia in 1993. During the first Persian Gulf War (led by the first President Bush), our enemies became too familiar with America's willingness to not finish what we've started.

Yet somehow, some of America's friends do not understand the need for Bush to stick to his pledge to keep U.S. troops in Iraq until there is a "regime change" -- which happened -- followed by a stable, democratic government -- which hasn't happened and won't happen soon.

It will be "a while," L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. civil administrator of Iraq, told NBC's Tim Russert on Sunday. "I don't know how many years."

In Bremer, America has a diplomat who knows better than to create a set number at which eager critics can snipe if it's not met. Bremer, like Bush, knows how to focus on a long-term goal.

Bush spokesman Ken Lisaius noted, "The president has said that we're going to see this mission through so Iraq can be stable and Iraq can be secure and Iraq can be on a path to democracy.

"The president is not going to put a timetable on it because it's such an important mission. He's going to see it through."

Yes, the United States will make mistakes along the way. But the biggest mistake would be to let the snipers turn victory into defeat.

[kramadas]

So great, lets indefinitely occupy Iraq. Thats gonna go really well with the ppl there who're already starting to protest the presence of American soldiers.

[mr mahs]

Originally posted by raver_mania

So great, lets indefinitely occupy Iraq. Thats gonna go really well with the ppl there who're already starting to protest the presence of American soldiers.

For someone who doesn't beleive everything in the media why do selectivley chose a report of MINOR protests as the true gospal sentiment of every Iraqi ??? Why do you ignore countless reports that say a MINORITY of Iraqi detest our presence??

I just don't get it....

[kramadas]

Originally posted by mr mahs

For someone who doesn't beleive everything in the media why do selectivley chose a report of MINOR protests as the true gospal sentiment of every Iraqi ??? Why do you ignore countless reports that say a MINORITY of Iraqi detest our presence??

I just don't get it....

Dude, the protests I've read in the papers state thousands of protestors on the street - hardly minor. And when that comes from several different news sites, its kind of hard not to believe.

[mr mahs]

Originally posted by raver_mania

Dude, the protests I've read in the papers state thousands of protestors on the street - hardly minor. And when that comes from several different news sites, its kind of hard not to believe.

The KEY word is THOUSANDS not the 25 million that live in Iraq.

Amih Taheri wrote a article claiming that the majority of Iraqis accept our presence and the removal of Sadam as a blessing.

[kramadas]

Originally posted by mr mahs

The KEY word is THOUSANDS not the 25 million that live in Iraq.

Amih Taheri wrote a article claiming that the majority of Iraqis accept our presence and the removal of Sadam as a blessing.

yeah, but how long before those thousands grow. Do you really think the people of Iraq, or any country for that matter, enjoy living under foreign military rule. And indefinitely, at that.

There was even some talk a while back about censoring what the imams(sp??) say in the mosques. Trust me, an indefinite occupation by a foreign power will result in rebellion - its just human nature.

Also, when it comes to protests, I cannot remember too many incidents where millions protested. Usually, the sway is with the majority support, whether silent or voiced.

[igloo]

I tend to believe the opposite, that the majority of the Iraqi's are happy we are there. Of course, over time that can grow into discontent, but right now they want the US there to restore security and basic services.

Unfortunately, the anti-war Western media is reporting to fit their agenda, and the good news is always buried. They will report about 1,000 Iraqi's chanting at the behest of a radical cleric like 22 million are in the streets, but reports how Iraqis around the country are helping the US restore security, education, schools, commerce, police, etc. are muted. You have to dig for that news, but it is there.

Has mistakes been made--of course. Will more be made, of course. That is too be expected--you can't plan for every contingent. But you have to look at the big picture, and not get caught up in the media minutia, and their slanted reporting.

For example, the media has been heavily reporting that the US did not have a plan to restore basic services, like electricity. Well that turned out wrong----what was a frightening discovery was that the power grids were set up so Hussein can send power to those as he see fit, yet another form of terror. In addition, infrastructure was worse than predicted--not from bombs, but from neglect. Of course, billions went to palaces instead of power and water. This story of course was buried.

Of course, the media predicted a major humanitarian crisis, 500,000 civilian deaths, huge environmental damage, oil wells on fire, refugee crisis, etc......but they have forgot about those incorrect predictions, would never give US planners credit for that, so now they seek out any negative story and promote the piss out of it.

I am not saying everything is perfect over there...it is not. But it is better than being portrayed by some. It is going to take time--it is just a shame the left, some Dems, and the anti-war crowd is feeding the short attention span of Americans. That is doing nothing but hurting this country--and it is plain wrong. Ironically, it also feeds right into how our enemies portray us---gutless, can't stick to commitment, and run once the going gets tough.

IMO, one monumental mistake by US planners was we did not have enough troops, and we did not kill enough bad guys, and both are feeding off one another.

Obviously, Turkey not allowing the US to launch from the north was very damaging, as those fleeing Baghdad would have nowhere to run or hide with a major US force coming storming down. We would have clipped many of those fighting US troops now. There would have been no haven for them to regroup.

But the US could have still prevented this by chasing them with full force once Baghdad fell. Instead, we ceased major military operations. Bad call--once again, a risk averse decision that is causing US deaths now. We simply did not kill enough bad guys.

Here is an excerpt from an article on good news in Iraq:

But for a change, let's look at the good news, at what has been done in Iraq, according to the CPA and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID is the lead agency on reconstruction, which handles the $2.475 billion appropriated by the U.S. Congress for the purpose of civilian aid and reconstruction. (That is out of a total reconstruction budget for 2003 of $6.1 billion, the rest coming from oil sales and international contributions.)

Iraq is a country of 24 million people, who previously lived in a Stalinist police state, and many of them in miserable conditions, without clean water or adequate medical care. A huge amount of food and medicine has been delivered by USAID, through its 60 full time employees and 300 contractors.

Grain supplies for 120 days were brought in after the war as soon as the conditions on the ground permitted. Medical care is improving; to date, medicine for 1.9 million people for 90 days has been supplied. Schools throughout the country are now being repaired and supplied with books to be ready to open in August.

The airport in Baghdad is ready to resume commercial traffic as soon as it is secure to do so; the same will soon be true of Basra. Populations in the North and the South have more electricity than they did before the war. In Baghdad, power runs at 75 percent of what it was under the Baath regime. (Getting power back is crucial also for efforts to repair the damaged oil pipelines). Water sanitation is almost back to pre-war levels. To keep order, 34,000 Iraqi police have been rehired. On August 1, an economic team from the Treasury Department is set to arrive with the purpose of introducing by October Iraq's first unified currency in 12 years.

Admittedly, we wasted crucial time in the early summer on political reconstruction, but thanks to the arrival of Mr. Bremer, things are happening now. The first meeting of the Governing Council of Iraq in Baghdad on July 13 was an important milestone. It is a diverse group representing 25 political leaders from Iraq's various ethic groups. The National Endowment for Democracy and the International Republican Institute have programs to foster democratic grass roots work, both in Iraq and among the large expatriate community.

[mr mahs]

Originally posted by igloo

I tend to believe the opposite, that the majority of the Iraqi's are happy we are there. Of course, over time that can grow into discontent, but right now they want the US there to restore security and basic services.

Unfortunately, the anti-war Western media is reporting to fit their agenda, and the good news is always buried. They will report about 1,000 Iraqi's chanting at the behest of a radical cleric like 22 million are in the streets, but reports how Iraqis around the country are helping the US restore security, education, schools, commerce, police, etc. are muted. You have to dig for that news, but it is there.

Has mistakes been made--of course. Will more be made, of course. That is too be expected--you can't plan for every contingent. But you have to look at the big picture, and not get caught up in the media minutia, and their slanted reporting.

For example, the media has been heavily reporting that the US did not have a plan to restore basic services, like electricity. Well that turned out wrong----what was a frightening discovery was that the power grids were set up so Hussein can send power to those as he see fit, yet another form of terror. In addition, infrastructure was worse than predicted--not from bombs, but from neglect. Of course, billions went to palaces instead of power and water. This story of course was buried.

Of course, the media predicted a major humanitarian crisis, 500,000 civilian deaths, huge environmental damage, oil wells on fire, refugee crisis, etc......but they have forgot about those incorrect predictions, would never give US planners credit for that, so now they seek out any negative story and promote the piss out of it.

I am not saying everything is perfect over there...it is not. But it is better than being portrayed by some. It is going to take time--it is just a shame the left, some Dems, and the anti-war crowd is feeding the short attention span of Americans. That is doing nothing but hurting this country--and it is plain wrong. Ironically, it also feeds right into how our enemies portray us---gutless, can't stick to commitment, and run once the going gets tough.

IMO, one monumental mistake by US planners was we did not have enough troops, and we did not kill enough bad guys, and both are feeding off one another.

Obviously, Turkey not allowing the US to launch from the north was very damaging, as those fleeing Baghdad would have nowhere to run or hide with a major US force coming storming down. We would have clipped many of those fighting US troops now. There would have been no haven for them to regroup.

But the US could have still prevented this by chasing them with full force once Baghdad fell. Instead, we ceased major military operations. Bad call--once again, a risk averse decision that is causing US deaths now. We simply did not kill enough bad guys.

Here is an excerpt from an article on good news in Iraq:

But for a change, let's look at the good news, at what has been done in Iraq, according to the CPA and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID is the lead agency on reconstruction, which handles the $2.475 billion appropriated by the U.S. Congress for the purpose of civilian aid and reconstruction. (That is out of a total reconstruction budget for 2003 of $6.1 billion, the rest coming from oil sales and international contributions.)

Iraq is a country of 24 million people, who previously lived in a Stalinist police state, and many of them in miserable conditions, without clean water or adequate medical care. A huge amount of food and medicine has been delivered by USAID, through its 60 full time employees and 300 contractors.

Grain supplies for 120 days were brought in after the war as soon as the conditions on the ground permitted. Medical care is improving; to date, medicine for 1.9 million people for 90 days has been supplied. Schools throughout the country are now being repaired and supplied with books to be ready to open in August.

The airport in Baghdad is ready to resume commercial traffic as soon as it is secure to do so; the same will soon be true of Basra. Populations in the North and the South have more electricity than they did before the war. In Baghdad, power runs at 75 percent of what it was under the Baath regime. (Getting power back is crucial also for efforts to repair the damaged oil pipelines). Water sanitation is almost back to pre-war levels. To keep order, 34,000 Iraqi police have been rehired. On August 1, an economic team from the Treasury Department is set to arrive with the purpose of introducing by October Iraq's first unified currency in 12 years.

Admittedly, we wasted crucial time in the early summer on political reconstruction, but thanks to the arrival of Mr. Bremer, things are happening now. The first meeting of the Governing Council of Iraq in Baghdad on July 13 was an important milestone. It is a diverse group representing 25 political leaders from Iraq's various ethic groups. The National Endowment for Democracy and the International Republican Institute have programs to foster democratic grass roots work, both in Iraq and among the large expatriate community.

[igloo]

For some, Tuesday's confirmation that Saddam Hussein's sons were killed in a firefight with U.S. troops in Mosul was the first good news to come out of Iraq in weeks.

But others maintain that despite the almost daily reports of attacks on U.S. forces, the good being done in Iraq outweighed the bad -- even before the reports of the demise of Qusay (search) and Uday (search).

"We have made progress, steady progress, in restoring hope in a nation beaten down by decades of tyranny," President Bush said Wednesday.

A new Iraq governing council (search) made its first debut at the United Nations this week. City councils are being created, as is an initial economic agenda for the country. A trading bank is being set up to guarantee payment for imported goods and services, especially food and materials needed in reconstruction.

"It is going to take time and a great deal of outside assistance to transform and bring steady growth to the economy of Iraq," Paul Bremer (search), the U.S. civil administrator in Iraq, said Wednesday at the National Press Club.

"The legacy of Saddam hangs like a black cloud over every aspect of the lives of the Iraqi people and that black cloud extends also over the economic future."

Within the next two months, the United States will form a new Iraqi army battalion, restore power to pre-war levels, distribute new schoolbooks void of Baathist ideology, refurbish about 1,000 schools, re-establish the Iraqi border patrol, and try get the economy up and running smoothly.

Coalition forces have cleared land mines from the vital southern port of Um Qasr (search) and opened it for business.

Oil fields are up and running. Bank robberies aren't plaguing the country. Hospitals now have much-needed medicine, and more than half of the Iraqi schools are open again. Water is running in many parts of the country and more than half of Baghdad has electricity.

"Right now, we're in the process of rebuilding the country," Sgt. J.J. Johnson, of the Coalition Press Information Center (search) in Baghdad, said recently. "A lot of these problems were not problems we caused or the Iraqis caused themselves but they're issues we have to deal with.

"We've got 20 years of neglect to make up for" that occurred during Saddam's regime. "A lot of that we can't do overnight."

Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez of U.S. Central Command (search) said Wednesday from Baghdad that 11,000 Iraqis are interested in being part of the Iraqi army and will start training within 10 days under civilian control. Courts are functioning and Iraqis are beginning to set conditions to try felony cases "in the near term."

The coalition has distributed more than $26 million for humanitarian assistance projects -- 31 of which have already been completed.

"Am I optimistic about the future of Iraq? You are absolutely right," Sanchez said. "But the war continues."

There's no question that the almost daily attacks on coalition forces may slow some of these efforts.

"What I hear on the street is pretty discouraging. There is a big security problem and that does interfere with humanitarian operations," said John Steinbrner, director of the Center for International Security Studies (search) at the University of Maryland. "Street talk here says things are going worse rather than better."

Others have a more optimistic view.

"It's not perfect, there are problems and there will continue to be problems …" but ousting Saddam "was the right thing to do," said Fox News military analyst Col. David Hunt, adding that, "I think the political story is overcoming the humanitarian success."

James Dobbins, director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center (search) at RAND, said the daily attacks get all the press because without security, other initiatives involving humanitarian and reconstruction efforts will "wash away like the sand when the surf comes in."

"I think that there's sort of a hierarchy of priorities in a post-conflict situation," Dobbins said. "The emphasis on security is an appropriate one. Unless you succeed there, your investments in the other areas will ultimately not pay any return."

Air conditioning units and light fixtures are being installed in hospitals and schools. Iraqis are turning in their guns. Waste and sewage collection systems are being established. Food is being distributed en masse. Various countries and organizations are donating food. Coalition troops are rebuilding soccer fields and women's colleges, and working with Iraq police to learn how to safely patrol and install order.

"We know that Iraqis are watching what we're doing and they appreciate what we're doing," Emad Dhia (search), Iraq's reconstruction director, told Fox News' Bret Baier. "Iraqis now are in better living standards than they were before.

"Iraqis know who is on their side and who is against them. I'm confident the free Iraqis and the coalition authority will prevail over Saddam's thugs and terrorists."

Johnson of the press center agreed, saying many Iraqis are more than willing to lend a hand than not.

"The majority of the Iraqi people over here are very cordial, very open to what's going on, more than willing to take a part in the betterment of their country," he said.

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said Wednesday that morale of U.S. troops in Iraq remains high and Iraqis have expressed "enormous gratitude" for coalition efforts to topple Saddam's regime.

Hunt suggested that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Bush themselves stand up and let the American public and the world know of the good going on in Iraq.

"They've got to get on it and use the bully pulpit and say 'it's better,'" Hunt said.

Coalition forces say despite all the downfalls, they are seeing the fruits of their labor and are in it for the long haul.

"It might not be that way from what you see on the news every day … [but] you actually see that acts you're doing on the ground make a place better, people better," Johnson said.

"There's no way you couldn't be in a positive mindset. I'm a soldier, so definitely, you're on a mission here and you see it getting better, you see it coming to fruition."