Just when we were prone to think that President George W. Bush had pushed the limits of imagination in terms of incompetence, arrogance and poor judgment, our feckless leader seems to find a new way to top his latest achievement.
One recent rung achieved on the ladder of incredulity is the decision to send additional (ranging from 20,000 to 40,000) troops to Baghdad in the face of the deteriorating Iraqi civil war currently playing out. The Joint Chiefs of Staff have expressed their professional opinion that sending such additional troops would be ill-advised and quite possibly counterproductive. Past troop surges have done little or nothing to quell the rising sectarian violence and have provided additional cannon fodder, both political and physical, to warring factions who object to the US occupation forces. Additional troops signal Bush Administration intent to stay in Iraq indefinitely and to occupy the country under an already discredited puppet regime. Additional troops also provide more physical targets upon which these warring sectarian factions can direct and vent their wrath.
Former high ranking military officials, including Gen. Colin Powell (former Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former Secretary of State), have stated that there really are no additional troops to send. The redeployment would require sending troops who have already served their tours of duty back to Iraq, and requiring those already in theater to remain longer. While it is not news that President Bush would ignore seasoned professional military advice regarding Iraq, his current proposal in the face of an already overtaxed military constitutes dereliction of responsibility as Commander in Chief.
Rising to even greater heights, or sinking to lower depths (depending upon one’s political viewpoint) the Bush Administration has also displayed publicly how poorly it can manage the Iraq fiasco. Just prior to the end of 2006, and coinciding roughly with the Hajj, one of the most holy events in the Muslim world, the Shiite led Iraqi regime that is tenuously propped up by the Bush Administration and US occupation forces chose to execute Saddam Hussein. This execution was carried out in haste, without time for a thorough appeal process or the opportunity for international diplomacy to weigh in. Moreover, the execution was apparently conducted in an unruly and disrespectful manner ill befitting a responsible government. The execution was recorded in video on a cell phone and the footage was subsequently broadcast, showing scandalous jeers and cheering by Shiite officials in charge of the proceeding. There is little wonder that Sunni claims of unfairness, political vendetta and impropriety could feel well grounded.
More importantly, history has taught those of us willing to learn that a martyr is a far more powerful foe than a deposed and incarcerated one. President Bush, rather than use his influence to forestall the execution, went to bed leaving an aide to issue a vacuous press statement following the hanging of Saddam Hussein. In an Iraq rife with sectarian violence, Bush took no action to prevent fuel from being thrown upon the current conflagration. This response to the official execution of a major "villain" over whom the President has taken this country to war and sacrificed the lives of many thousands is a travesty. And having allowed the conflict to escalate, through incompetence or impotence, Bush now wants to send yet more US soldiers into Iraq to add more deaths to the toll that has already climbed above 3000. He has failed to articulate any strategy or plan that would justify the additional deployment or respond rationally to the clearly stated opposition voiced by experienced military experts. Folks, I would say that it cannot get any more absurd than this, but I believe I said that last time….
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