As would be expected, Bush's speech to the nation was full of half-truths and outright distortions, and here are just a few of the worst statements:
Bush: "...we acted in Iraq, where the former regime sponsored terror, possessed and used weapons of mass destruction, and for 12 years defied the clear demands of the United Nations Security Council."
Where is the proof that the regime sponsored terror? Did Bush forget that it was under the United States watch that Iraq used WMD. Moreover, Iraq's defiance of the "clear demands of the United Nations Security Council" is more complicated than what President Bush makes it out to be. A brief look at the politics related to UN Resolution 1441 and other resolutions demonstrates that Iraq did not simply refuse to comply, rather it was a situation where the threshold for compliance was continually raised.
Bush: "Our coalition enforced these international demands in one of the swiftest and most humane military campaigns in history.
Bush left out the fact that the "coalition" was made up of only 40 countries hardly an international coalition of any consequence. Rather, it represented the degree to which the Bush administration has alienated much of the world community during the push for war in Iraq, as the participating countries were far lower than those who supported the Afghanistan war (this is not to say that the war on Afghanistan was legitimate, indeed that act was also a mistake).Moreover, the assertion that this was one of the "most humane military campaigns in history" is disgusting. The Iraq Body Count Project estimates that between 6,118 and 7,836 people were killed directly during the invasion, while the AP had a more conservative estimate of 3,240 killed. However, both estimates leave out the fact that thousands of people died as a result of sanctions imposed on Iraq in the 1990s and early part of the 2000s, with an estimate of 350,000 through 2000. This is hardly a "humane military campaign."
Bush: "Though their attacks are localized, the terrorists and Saddam loyalists have done great harm. They have ambushed American and British service members -- who stand for freedom and order. They have killed civilian aid workers of the United Nations -- who represent the compassion and generosity of the world. ... This violence is directed, not only against our coalition, but against anyone in Iraq who stands for decency, and freedom, and progress."
While it is impossible to know the true motives of many of the people attacking the occupying forces, the choice of targets consists predominantly of symbols of foreign occupation, whether that be soldiers, Iraqi citizens working with the occupiers, or people tied to corporations profiting from the occupation. As is the case with terrorism from groups like Al-Qaida, there is more to the attacks than a so-called "hatred of freedom."
Bush: "Our strategy in Iraq will require new resources. We have conducted a thorough assessment of our military and reconstruction needs in Iraq, and also in Afghanistan. I will soon submit to Congress a request for $87 billion. The request will cover ongoing military and intelligence operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, which we expect will cost 66 billion dollars over the next year."
This war has already cost 72.9 billion dollars with no tangible results. More on the cost of war can be found on costofwar.com, an excellent website that keeps a running total of costs and allows costs to compare what other resources could have been obtained with this kind of money.
There are of course other statements in the speech that can be countered, such as the absence of any discussion of weapons of mass destruction. Other criticisms will no doubt be made in the next few days--this is merely a quick analysis of some of the issues that jump right out.
