Leadership and Trust

The President goes on the offensive declaring how every day that Congress does not provide emergency funding for his war effort undermines and endangers the troops. His spokesmen have hit the media circuit trumpeting the same message. "Either give President Bush unconditioned emergency military funding immediately, or you are undermining the war effort and failing to support the troops." This is a clear and unequivocal soundbite.

The major problem is that it is an outright lie. The most recent Congressional Budget Office Report states that the war effort could continue without negative impact on the basis of funds already appropriated by Congress until at least July 2007. And further, if Congress approved transfers of funds among Military budget accounts, existing funding could extend for an additional two months or more without any additional funding from Congress.

Let us set aside the question of whether it makes sense to send additional troops into Iraq for the latest "surge," a strategy that so far has resulted in MORE casualties and violence in Baghdad and surrounding areas. Whether or not the strategy is well reasoned or working as planned, the President has urged the American people to trust him and give his plan a change to work. When the President of the United States will come before the public and deliberately misrepresent the facts, and for no real practical purpose other than ego and arrogance, why on earth should the public extend him the benefit of doubt. No one doubts that additional funding will be required at some point, unless Bush decides to abruptly end US occupation in Iraq. Even a phased redeployment that Congress has called for would require additional funding. But why lie to the American people and attempt to bully Congress based upon knowing false statements?

There is a difference between leadership and intimidation. People follow leaders because they believe in the leader's vision and the ability of that leadership to tackle problems realistically and with a sense of purpose and integrity. Despite repeated calls for Bush to articulate any credible or realistic purpose or plan for this invasion and occupation of Iraq, no coherent vision has emerged. Weapons of mass destruction were never discovered, yet we are still there. Saddam Hussein has been deposed through unilateral invasion for regime change [a violation of international law], yet we are still there occupying Iraq. There is no evidence that the continued occupation is reducing the threat of terrorism in the world, and indeed there is credible evidence that the continued occupation is doing the exact opposite. When asked about a strategy for resolving or concluding US involvement in iraq, Bush only states that it will be the problem of his successor to solve and that he refuses to consider any timetable or benchmarks that would hold his Administration or the Iraqi government accountable for bringing about peace in the war ravaged country.

The strategy of bravado and BS is wearing thin for the American public. When the GOP was in control of Congress and there was no oversight or challenge to Bush initiatives, he could get away with empty rhetoric. Now that he no longer has an automatic smokescreen and rubber stamp Congress, he is required to provide coherent and at least minimally persuasive justification. The American people have a right to expect from the President an explanation of the merits he sees in the choices and commitments that he makes that involve the sacrifice of so many lives and such a large portion of the country's treasury. What the public does not deserve is blatant lies and deception.