Bush's Failure Tour
President Bush made surprise visits to Iraq and Afghanistan over the weekend, just five weeks before he hands the wars in both countries over to his successor. According to Gen. Douglas Lute, Deputy National Security Adviser for Iraq and Afghanistan, the purpose of the trip was to "say thanks to the troops, and pat the Iraqis on the back for all they've accomplished this last year." The visit, however, took an unexpected turn during a press conference following a meeting between Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Iraqi journalist Muntader al-Zaidi flung his shoes at Bush -- "a grave insult in the Arab world" -- yelling, "This is a gift from the Iraqis; this is the farewell kiss, you dog!" The Iraqi government denounced al-Zaidi's "barbaric and ignominious act" and is currently holding the journalist in custody. Yesterday, "thousands of Iraqis took to the streets" to demand his release. Bush dismissed the incident as "bizarre," and joked, "All I can report is a size 10." However, the insulting shoe-flinging affair is a fitting summation to Bush's failed foreign policy and the legacy of the Iraq war.
THIS IS THE FUTURE: In Iraq, Bush declared that, while the war is not yet over, "[t]here is hope in the eyes of Iraq's young. This is the future of what we've been fighting for." Though some (like Iraq war architect Richard Perle) are still holding out hope for a grand celebration of Bush's victories, the President's trip to the two war zones was in many ways "was a victory lap without a clear victory," the AP observed. Indeed, almost two-thirds of Americans believe that the Iraq war is not worth fighting, and 70 percent "say President-elect Barack Obama should fulfill his campaign promise to withdraw U.S. forces from the country within 16 months." And while Bush asserted, "I don't think you can take one guy throwing shoes and say this represents a broad movement in Iraq," it is undeniable that there is ample Iraqi frustration and unhappiness with the U.S. invasion and its subsequent mismanagement. Shi'ite protesters in Sadr City who are "fed up with U.S. policy in the region" were calling Zaidi a "hero." NPR reported that every single person they interviewed in Baghdad had "nothing but praise" for Zaidi.
WHOSE VICTORY IS THE SOFA?: Bush said that his visit was in part "to herald the passage" of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between Iraq and the United States, even though it includes a timetable for American troop withdrawal, a position that the White House has consistently advocated against. But in trying to find some modicum of victory in Iraq, the pro-war right has taken to spinning the SOFA as a defeat for Iran. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice claimed that "[Iran] did everything they could to stop the strategic forces arrangement -- they couldn't do it," while conservative writer Bill Roggio wrote in the Weekly Standard that Iran is "struggling to find its path after suffering a stinging defeat after the passage of the Status of Forces agreement between the United States and Iraq." However, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told the LA Times that "Iran had taken a more 'positive stance' in recent months," as it has "noticed finally that the American...presence in Iraq is not going to be a threat to them." CNN's Michael Ware declared that during the SOFA negotiations, "Tehran -- whether we like it or not -- was in the room."Furthermore, whereas Bush came to Baghdad "unannounced and in secret," and was "whisked from the airport via helicopter to a heavily fortified compound in the capital," Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced his March trip to Baghdad weeks in advance, traveled from the airport via motorcade, and was welcomed with a red carpet ceremony.REWRITING HISTORY: After the shoe-flinging incident, Bush sat down for an interview with ABC's Martha Raddatz. During the interview, Bush engaged in a rewriting of history to justify the war, suggesting that Iraq had been al Qaeda's home base. When Raddatz corrected him, Bush replied, "So what?" "The point is that al-Qaeda said they're going to take a stand," Bush declared. "Well, first of all in the post-9/11 environment Saddam Hussein posed a threat. And then upon removal, al-Qaeda decides to take a stand." Of course, prior to the American invasion, al Qaeda had never existed in Iraq; in fact, Saddam Hussein viewed Osama bin Laden as a threat and refused to support him. During a press conference in Kabul with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Bush also attempted to deny his previous declarations of victory over the now-resurgent Taliban, claiming, "I never said the Taliban was eliminated." In fact, Bush used the word "eliminated" to describe the state of the Taliban on several occasions, claiming in September 2004, "And as a result of the United States military, Taliban no longer is in existence." But according to a study by the International Council on Security and Development, the Taliban "now holds a permanent presence" in 72 percent of Afghanistan, while "[t]hree out of the four main highways into Kabul are now compromised by Taliban activity."
|
|
|
|
The Supreme Court on Monday revived a lawsuit against former secretary of state Donald Rumsfeld and other Bush officials. The case was brought by four former detainees who say that they were tortured at Guantanamo Bay.
THINK
PROGRESS: George Will: President
Bush to defend Harriet Miers and
other "insufficiently appreciated" decisions in his memoirs.
WONK
ROOM: Government Accountability
Office report: Medicare Advantage
exposes seniors to serious financial risks.
YGLESIAS:
The problem newspapers are having online.
TAPPED:
Pastor Rick Warren claims critics "can't accuse" him "of homophobia"
over his opposition to gay marriage.
ARIZONA:
Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) to sign an executive order
allowing 25,000 employees to select union representatives for
state meetings on
"employee pay, working conditions, disciplinary actions and other
personnel issues."
NEW
YORK:
"Bankruptcy filings are accelerating in the New York metropolitan area
at a faster pace than in the rest of the nation."
ECONOMY:
Recession could cause a $200 billion hole in state budgets over the
next two years.
"[T]hey are well treated."
-- Vice President Cheney, 12/15/08,
on
Guantanamo detainees
VERSUS
"Captives at Guantanamo Bay were chained hand and foot in a
fetal position to the floor for 18 hours or more, urinating and
defecating on themselves, an FBI report has revealed."
-- Guardian, 1/3/07
The research team that brings you The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org needs fall interns! Click here for more information.
Topic Cloud
