War-Monger-in-Chief Delivers "Lies and Delusion" Speech

In March 2003 the United States invaded Iraq, a sovereign nation, justified by the purported "fact" that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was conspiring with Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda to kill Americans.

Not one shred of evidence was found to prove either claim. Since then, over 4000 troops have been killed, tens of thousands maimed or wounded, and $500 billion wasted. We don't even know how many innocent Iraqis have been killed or wounded. Last Summer, the United States sent an additional 30,000 soldiers--the infamous "troop surge"--with the goal of slowing the sectarian violence in and around Baghdad and Al Anbar Province, creating a secure environment that would lead to fundamental political change in the war-ravaged country. While the violence has indeed lessened, we now know, given the recent outbreak of Shite government and Shite militia bloodshed, that the slowdown was more due to the 6-month truce (which recently fell apart) negotiated with Moktada al Sadr, head of the Mahdi militia, than it is the troop surge. And as far as any political progress, fugeddaboudit. But the obvious facts on the ground still have not prevented President Bush from taking to the podium for yet another in a seemingly never-ending series of "Lies & Delusion" speeches.

"Fifteen months ago, Americans were worried about the prospect of failure in Iraq," The Decider told a small White House group Thursday, attempting to bolster support for the war. "Today, thanks to the surge, we’ve renewed and revived the prospect of success."

Bush has a very strange definition of success: failure. Accomplish nothing you set out to accomplish, and, voila, you have success!

Bush reiterated his commitment--and his endorsement of Gen. Petraeus's position--to keeping the troops in Iraq as long as it will take to complete the mission, whatever the hell that is. What's more, the Great Conflator continued his deceptive rhetoric about al Qaeda and Iran.

"Iraq is the convergence point for two of the greatest threats to America in this new century: Al Qaeda and Iran...If we fail there, Al Qaeda would claim a propaganda victory of colossal proportions, and they could gain safe havens in Iraq from which to attack the United States, our friends and our allies...Iran would work to fill the vacuum in Iraq, and our failure would embolden its radical leaders and fuel their ambitions to dominate the region." More