Bush Talking Turkey Again

There he goes again! Standing in front of thousands of applauding soldiers at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, President Bush staunchly defended the US-led invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

"The consequences of success in Iraq will resonate far beyond that country's borders... will resonate when your children and grandchildren begin to study the history of peace," he said. "Success will frustrate Iran's ambitions to dominate the region. Success will show millions across the Middle East that a future of liberty and democracy is possible."

The president must have missed the sight of tens of thousands of Iraqis who on Friday gathered in Firdous Square where Saddam Hussein's statue once stood and chanted, "No, no, no to the occupiers!" He must have missed them dragging and pummeling his effigy with their shoes -- a gesture of contempt in the Arab world -- then jumping hysterically on it as they stamped out flames that had erupted after someone set it afire.

These telling images of "success" were beamed to millions of viewers in the Arab world. Are they waiting anxiously for a similar experience of liberty and democracy?

Today, Iraqi MPs delayed a vote to endorse a wide-ranging accord that will allow US troops to stay in the country for another three years despite reservations by Sunnis and fierce opposition by Shia hardliners. The vote is now scheduled for Thursday. It has drawn fire from Sunni groups, as well as followers of the Shia leader, Moqtada al-Sadr.

It is still expected to pass, but this is hardly a success Bush can claim. The success belongs to the Iraqi people, as they have managed to win a number of concessions in the deal, including a hard timeline for withdrawal, the right to search US military cargo, and the right to try US soldiers for crimes committed while they are off their bases and off-duty. The agreement also requires that US troops obtain Iraqi permission for all military operations and that they hand over the files of all detainees in US custody to Iraqi authorities, who will then decide their fate. The pact also forbids US troops from using Iraq as a launch-pad or transit point for attacking another country.

The Bush administration had initially opposed any firm timetable for withdrawing US forces in Iraq and resisted most of these demands.

Guess who wants a similar deal? -- Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, is demanding foreign powers set a "timeline" for the withdrawal of their forces from his country.

He told a delegation from the UN Security Council that without a timeline, he would have to seek a political solution to the Taliban-led insurgency.

According to Homayun Hamidzada, Karzai's chief spokesman, the president told the delegation that: "The international community should give us a timeline of how long or how far the 'War on Terrorism' will go.

Perhaps Bush should add this to his list of "successes."

Update:
Three weeks later...a repoter hurls a shoe at Bush during a press conference.

Jamal Dajani produces the Mosaic Intelligence Report on Link TV.

Comments

[mebble]

The agreement for the withdrawal of U.S. occupying forces from Iraq is essentially an armistice. It spells the end (read defeat) of the U.S. strategy of occupying and controlling Iraq and the region for decades to come. The obvious victor is Iran. It's a big ironic tragedy.

[jad114]

History repeats itself Iraq=Vietnam

[Salpha]

May I suggest the biggest Irony of the Irak war is the approved US Nouri al-Maliki(PM) government which clearly has strong connections with Iran. We rarely see any debate or disscussion about the political achievement of Bush's War in Irak. Wasn't Iran one of the three countries that was the axis of evil in Bush words?

It is not to hard to predict that if the US want anything done in Irak they will have to pass through some active diplomacy with Iran.

[Jamal Dajani - Huffpost Blogger]

Iran may control the key to stability in Iraq and in Afghanistan. I blogged about this a couple of weeks ago:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamal-dajani/ahmadinejad-guns-n-roses_b_143835.html

[Salpha]

Thankyou Mr. Dajani, It will be a pleasure to read your opinion about the Iran/Irak/ Afghanistan's stability.

[rmreddicks]

"The success belongs to the Iraqi people, as they have managed to win a number of concessions in the deal, including a hard timeline for withdrawal, the right to search US military cargo, and the right to try US soldiers for crimes committed while they are off their bases and off-duty. The agreement also requires that US troops obtain Iraqi permission for all military operations and that they hand over the files of all detainees in US custody to Iraqi authorities, who will then decide their fate. The pact also forbids US troops from using Iraq as a launch-pad or transit point for attacking another country."

You'd be hard-pressed to know any of this from the U.S. media. I wish luck, good future, and sovereignty to the people of Iraq. Perhaps Saddam was not your choice but I'm certain we, as invaders, were not.

[11907281]

You're right, saddam was not their choice, he was the CIA's choice. Just like Operation Ajax installed another dictator in Iran in the early 50's.

[jad114]

We supported Saddam during his war against Iran and we supplied him with the helicopters that bombed the Kurdish village of Halabja with mustard gas.

[leonardox1]

"He must have missed them dragging and pummeling his effigy with their shoes -- a gesture of contempt in the Arab world."

I like this "gesture", perhaps we should pummel with shoes all the politicians who dragged us into this mess and destroyed our economy.

[justice2008]

I totally agree! But this should also apply to the auto execs, the crooked mortgage brokers, the bankers, and all those who have been crying for bailouts.

[newsjunkie5]

This is a great article Mr. Dajani...really interesting...way to go!

I do wonder, however, if the accord passes, which it seems like it will, whether the US will REALLY follow through with the concessions promised. I have a hard time imgaining this administration or even the next handing over files of detainees or allowing Iraqi troops to inspect cargo.

Would our troops really stand for this? I wonder. I guess it will be interesting to see how this will actually play itself out.

[jad114]

This agreement might be moot since prez-elect Obama has promised to withdraw the troops within 16 months.

[joz22]

The only successful act Bush has done in the past eight years is to fool millions of Americans over and over:
1. Getting him elected and re-elected
2. Invading Iraq and Afghanistan
3. The War on Terror
4. Telling them: the US economy is robust

And the list goes on!