by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright March 19, 2008
All Rights Reserved.

ive years after Cruise missiles hit Baghdad, President George W. Bush declared that the Iraq War was worth the price. “The world is better, and the United States of America is safer,” said Bush, refusing to admit the colossal miscalculation that has torpedoed the economy, tanked the U.S. dollar and driven oil and gasoline prices to record highs. A new CNN/Gallup poll indicates that 66% of Americans oppose the Iraq War and 71% believe it hurts the U.S. economy, bad news for GOP presumptive nominee Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) who, like Bush, must sell voters on a continuation of the White House policy. Nearly 4,000 deaths and approaching an unthinkable $1 trillion price tag also gives voters second thoughts heading into November. Bush insists that keeping 158,000 troops in Iraq keep Al Qaeda from over-running the country and keep terrorists off American streets.

      Continuing the Iraq War is built on the premise that leaving would embolden Al Qaeda and lead to more terrorism on U.S. soil. “No one would argue that this war has not come at a high cost in lives and treasure,” said Bush, defending the war at a White House ceremony. “But those costs are necessary when we consider the cost of a strategic victory for our enemies in Iraq,” selling the idea that a U.S. withdrawal would reverse all gains and cause an Al Qaeda victory. Bush points to the dramatic decline in U.S. casualty rates, beginning Sept. ‘07 as proof of success. Yet U.S. forces have avoided high-risk neighborhoods and transportations routes, responsible for past ambushes and roadside bombings. Despite improvements in violence, 29 U.S. soldiers lost their lives in February with hundreds more injured, contributing to the false perception that the U.S. is making dramatic progress.

      Most Americans recall Bush's original justification for invading Iraq: To find and destroy Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. When no WMD were found, the White House shifted the rationale to enforcing U.N. sanctions and stopping Saddam's “intent ” to reconstitute his deadly weapons' program. “Having come so far, and achieved so much, we're not going to let this happen,” said Bush, promising no retreat while he's in office. Five years of training Iraqi troops should have equipped soldiers to defend their country. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney insist that it dishonors the dead to consider pulling out. Democratic front-runner Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.) promises to start withdrawing U.S. troops within sixty days upon taking office. Obama believes he can begin an orderly and phased withdrawal of U.S. combat brigades, prompting an end to the war.

      Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz's recent book, “The $3-Trillion War,” argues that the Iraq War has sacrificed the U.S. economy and spiraled oil and gasoline prices. Plundering the tax-base of $12-16 billion a month to fund the war plunged the country into recession and hurt national security by robbing the country of the resources for more essential defense spending. “To allow this to happen would be to ignore the lessons of Sept. 11 and make it more like that America would suffer another attack like the one we experienced that day,” said Bush, refusing to talk about his mistakes or an exit strategy out of Iraq. Despite all intelligence concluding no connection between Sept. 11 and Iraq, Bush still insists leaving Iraq would lead to more terrorism on American streets. There's no evidence that terrorists fighting in Iraq—Al Qaeda or otherwise—had anything to do with Sept. 11.

      Instead of commemorating the five-year anniversary of the Iraq War by charting a coherent exit strategy, Bush took the occasion to justify the ill-advised invasion. No one knows what happened to Iraq's oil revenue that was supposed to pay for the invasion and reconstruction. Stretching the U.S. economy to the breaking point has turned Iraq into the pivotal issue in the 2008 presidential elections. It's no longer possible for Bush to ignore Iraq's catastrophic damage on the economy. While McCain wants to give Iraq a blank check, Iraq has been given five long, costly years to develop military self-sufficiency. Bush insists that without U.S. presence Iraq will fall to Al Qaeda. Iraq's new government, powerful Shiite militias, including that of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, Sunni warlords and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters will not surrender Iraq's sovereignty to Osama bin Laden.

      Iraq War's five-year anniversary gives a bitter reminder of how the White House ignores the will of the people. Bush's abysmal approval ratings, hovering around 30%, tell a different story than his self-declared success story. “War critics can no longer credibly argue that we are losing in Iraq,” said Bush, “so they argue the war costs too much,” showing the kind of disconnect that had him befuddled at a recent press conference that unleaded gasoline was over three-dollars a gallon. Lowered casualty rates do not equate with “victory” in Iraq. Bush's so-called “troop surge” has cleared out terrorist nests in Baghdad but hasn't resolved irreconcilable differences between Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. More U.S. deaths, disabling injuries and debilitating costs to the treasury, causing recession and spiraling fuel prices, cannot be regarded as “winning” or making the country safer.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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