Our good president, George Bush the Younger, addressed the nation by radio last Saturday.
He made no coherent argument; he made no case for staying in Iraq or continuing to fight in that morass; his address consisted entirely of clich+â-¬s and platitudes strung together in a grotesque caricature of rationality. -á
Bush's central thesis is a simple claim: We will prevail. He gives no reason why we will prevail; he gives no evidence beyond anecdotes that we are prevailing; he simply assumes it true, demonstrating that he does not, in fact, understand the concept of logical integrity.
Bush follows this claim with the absurd notion that "We are using every element of national power to defeat the terrorists."
Apparently, our good president is unfamiliar with the concept of economic mobilization: The United States has not mobilized its economy for war, as retired Major General John Batiste noted in his interview with National Public Radio's Scott Simon on Aug. 5.-á
The government has asked no sacrifice of us the people beyond our personal freedoms and the lives of our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. How can the president claim that we are using every element of national power to defeat terrorism when we haven't even begun to tap into what our economy can do?-á
Bush continues by identifying Iraq as a "vital part of our strategy to defeat the terrorists": Apparently, he does not realize that his prophecy is self-fulfilling.
Iraq had nothing to do with terrorists before our invasion and, as the administration's report on weapons of mass destruction found, Bush's initial justification for war was a nonexistent threat.
Apparently, Bush also believes Iraq has not spiraled down into civil war, despite the Pentagon's opinion that the violence in Iraq has increased, as well as former Iraqi prime minister Allawi's claim that Iraq is already in a state of civil war.-á
Next, Bush declares, "... we recently launched a major new campaign to end the security crisis in Baghdad."
That's right: After three and a half years, the United States has been unable to even secure Iraq's capital, let alone rebuild the country! Yet, Bush persists in his ridiculous claim that victory is inevitable, that we will prevail.
Why should we prevail when we're failing?-á
Bush then blasts those who claim our best option is to pull out of Iraq: "... but they [the people who say our best option is to pull out of Iraq] could not be more wrong."
Bush is thus, presumably, unfamiliar with the economic concept of sunk cost: When you fail, the best way to minimize your losses is to accept that everything you've invested so far has been in vain, and simply stop investing resources into the project. Staying the course out of pride, instead of because of a rational assessment, is foolhardy and destructive. -á
If we withdraw from Iraq, the country will almost certainly continue its collapse into civil war, destabilizing the region further, and thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians will die.
If we remain in Iraq, the country will almost inevitably continue its collapse into civil war, destabilizing the region further, and thousands of innocent Iraqi and American lives will be lost.
There's no difference beyond the waste of American resources.
Bush concludes his speech with a characteristic declaration: Apparently, the outcome is not in doubt: "... we can be confident of the outcome, because America will not waver - and because the march of history leads toward freedom."
Unfortunately, unswerving resolve does not guarantee victory, as Vercingetorix, Hannibal Barca, Adolf Hitler, Chiang Kai-Shek, Prime Minister Tojo, Mark Antony, Marcus Licinius Crassus and Joan of Arc learned to their eventual dismay.-á
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