‘Mission Accomplished,’ five years later — if only ( Duluth News Tribune)

[struggle4progress]

Published Thursday, May 01, 2008

If only. What other way to consider the ill-conceived “Mission Accomplished” banner that hung behind President Bush as he delivered his even less-accurate assessment of the “end to major combat in Iraq” from the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln five years ago today.

If only it had really been the end of the war, or truly of major operations, U.S. military casualties would have stood at 139 dead and 524 wounded, according to the independent Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. Today, Americans have suffered the staggering loss of 4,051 killed and 29,780 wounded.

If only the war had really been over, its financial burden would have been $53 billion, not $525.9 billion and counting ...


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Our view: ‘Mission Accomplished,’ five years later — if only
Duluth News Tribune
Published Thursday, May 01, 2008
If only. What other way to consider the ill-conceived “Mission Accomplished” banner that hung behind President Bush as he delivered his even less-accurate assessment of the “end to major combat in Iraq” from the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln five years ago today.

If only it had really been the end of the war, or truly of major operations, U.S. military casualties would have stood at 139 dead and 524 wounded, according to the independent Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. Today, Americans have suffered the staggering loss of 4,051 killed and 29,780 wounded.

If only the war had really been over, its financial burden would have been $53 billion, not $525.9 billion and counting, according to the Brookings Institution.

If only “Mission Accomplished” had meant the emergence of democracy and stability in Iraq and the broader Middle East, instead of widespread unrest and the deaths of as many as 150,000 Iraqi civilians.

If only it had meant the apprehension and capture of Osama bin Laden.

And if for no other consideration than our pocketbooks, if only the end of “major combat” had meant economic stability, with oil prices then at $26 per barrel rising only with inflation rather than to $119 a barrel today.

If only “accomplished” had really meant accomplished.

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=65556§ion=Opinion

[DCKit]

1. "$119 a barrel today" sounds pretty accomplished to me. n/t