Bush's Bungling Of Iraq War Far More "Historic" Than Congress' "Micromanaging" Of It
March 29, 2007 -- 10:01 AM EST // // Post a Comment
A killer editorial in today's Boston Globe about how Congress is taking a stand against Bush's war:
Bush called the House vote a "political statement" and his spokeswoman said the congressional timetables amounted to "mandating failure." She said Bush would veto any bill with a withdrawal date.It is certainly true that the votes are an extraordinary challenge to a president carrying out a war on foreign soil. But what is more historic than the action itself is the accumulation of misguided strategies and bungled efforts on the ground -- all defended obstinately by Bush -- that led Congress to it.
The mid term elections last November were an undeniable vote of no confidence in Bush's war, and public support, by most measures, has only continued to sink. The recent House and Senate votes merely reflected this reality. Stubbornly resisting solid advice from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group and others, Bush has become increasingly isolated.
These are important points. Whenever some wingnut mouthes the talking point that Congress' interference is a "historic" micromanaging of the war, keep in mind that this action was made necessary -- and will continue to be made necessary as Congress slowly grinds this disaster to a halt -- by the real history-maker here: Bush's historic bungling of the war and his equally historic level of Presidential self-delusion about his own failure.
Remember, even Lyndon Johnson knew the end was nigh and decided not to run for a second term in 1968 amid Vietnam. But Bush will hang on to his delusions until the end and beyond. Indeed, he genuinely sounds as if he really thinks public opinion is still with him on Iraq in some way, and will probably continue to think as much long after Congress -- with or without the next President -- finally lowers the curtain on Bush's war for good.