Straight talk from the 'commander guy'

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by Eugene Robinson - WaPo


Is George W. Bush even trying to make sense anymore? On Wednesday, speaking to the Associated General Contractors of America, Bush gave himself a new nickname. Responding to a question from the audience, he asked rhetorically whether "the Congress or the commanders" should decide how many U.S. troops are needed in Iraq.

"And as you know," he went on, "my position is clear -- I'm the Commander Guy."

{snip

OK, I know that most of the president's off-the-wall locutions are dangerous only to the English language. But to the extent that carelessness of speech reflects carelessness of mind, much more is at stake. The Commander Guy's rationale for sending more U.S. troops to fight and die in Iraq is as elusive as his reason for starting the war in the first place. He says his goal is victory, but he can't explain coherently what victory would look like, much less how to get there.

In Tipp City, just before his reminder about the Oval Office rug, Bush said success in Iraq would be defined as "a country that is stable enough for the government to work, that can defend itself and serve as an ally in this war on terror, that won't be a safe haven, that will deny the extremists and the radicals."

But that doesn't necessarily mean an end to bloody suicide bombings, he added. "Think about that: If our definition is no more suiciders, you've just basically said to the suiciders, go ahead."

Speaking to the contractors' group on Wednesday, the president elaborated: "Either we'll succeed or we won't succeed. And the definition of success as I described is sectarian violence down.

Success is not, no violence. There are parts of our own country that have got a certain level of violence to it. But success is a level of violence where the people feel comfortable about living their daily lives. And that's what we're trying to achieve."

What is the man talking about? What "parts of our own country" experience violence even remotely comparable to that in Iraq? Is he serious? President Bush now says that even after "success" in Iraq -- after more American and Iraqi deaths -- there will still be sectarian violence and there will still be suicide bombers killing innocent civilians. Which is the situation right now. So why stay in Iraq even one more day, except to validate the unwise decisions of our ineloquent Commander Guy?


article: http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070505/NEWS/705050319/1033/NEWS01

[luckyleftyme2]

1. AND HE CERTAINLY HAS THE CREDENTIALS

This guy (bush) has sullied the meaning of commander in chief. He should go down in history like "custer last stand".
Never has an opportunity slipped through a leaders hand like this man has mis-managed
the Afghan. and iraqi war.
think about it: 4 years after the photo opp. on the air craft carrier stating that the conflict is" WON".
WE'RE STILL THEIR LOSING GROUND EVERY DAY!
SOUND BYTE THIS: YOU LOST THE EDGE NOT US THE PEOPLE!