Iraq and The Madness of King George

[babylonsister]

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/8650

Iraq and The Madness of King George
by Randolph T Holhut | Jul 11 2007

DUMMERSTON, Vt. — How delusional is President Bush when it comes to the Iraq war?

In a recent speech at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., Bush called al-Qaida "the main enemy" in Iraq, even though his own intelligence agencies have rejected that assertion.

According to the McClatchy News Service, Bush referred to al-Qaida 27 times in the speech in a calculated attempt to tie the lingering outrage of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks with the ongoing "surge" of U.S. forces in Iraq.

The problem is that al-Qaida had no presence in Iraq until the U.S. invasion in 2003. U.S. military and intelligence officials say the group calling itself "Al-Qaida in Iraq" represents only a small fraction of the threat to American soldiers and is not under the control of Osama bin Laden or his top aides.

The main catalyst for bloodshed in Iraq is the sectarian fighting between Sunnis and Shiites, which U.S. military and intelligence officials say is the greatest source of violence and insecurity in the country. Again, this violence did not exist until the U.S. invasion — a fact that President Bush glosses over in his speeches.

President Bush pleads for patience in Iraq, but the American people have no stomach to see more of their sons and daughters sacrificed in a increasingly futile war.

One of the conditions that Congress made earlier this year for continued funding of the war was that President Bush certify on July 15 and Sept. 15 that the Iraqis were living up to the promises they made to the United States.

The administration is in the process of completing the July 15 report to Congress. According to those who have seen the draft version, the U.S.-backed government in Iraq has not met any of its targets for political and economic reform, nor has it met any of its goals of taking more responsibility for security.

The administration's reaction to this assessment was to downplay the report and try to come up with alternative ways of measuring progress.

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