Dick or Peter?
by digby
Remember how our president used to say this stuff all the time?
It’s not the kind of war that we’re used to in America. The Greatest Generation was used to storming beachheads. Baby boomers such as myself, were used to getting caught in a quagmire of Vietnam where politics made decisions more than the military sometimes. Generation X was able to watch technology right in front of their TV screens — you know, burrow into concrete bunkers in Iraq and blow them up.
And this:
I learned some good lessons from Vietnam. First, there must be a clear mission. Secondly, the politics ought to stay out of fighting a war. There was too much politics during the Vietnam War. There was too much concern in the White House about political standing. And I’ve got great confidence in General Tommy Franks, and great confidence in how this war is being conducted. And I rely on Tommy, just like the Secretary of Defense relies upon Tommy and his judgment — whether or not we ought to deploy and how we ought to deploy.
The Bush administration is split over the idea of a surge in troops to Iraq, with White House officials aggressively promoting the concept over the unanimous disagreement of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to U.S. officials familiar with the intense debate.
I think he wants to escalate so badly he can taste it. Fred Barnes says:
It turns out you only have to attend a White House Christmas party to find out where President Bush is headed on Iraq. One guest who shook hands with Bush in the receiving line told him, “Don’t let the bastards get you down.” Bush, slightly startled but cheerful, replied, “Don’t worry. I’m not.” The guest followed up: “I think we can win in Iraq.” The president’s reply was emphatic: “We’re going to win.” Another guest informed Bush he’d given some advice to the Iraq Study Group, and said its report should be ignored. The president chuckled and said he’d made his position clear when he appeared with British prime minister Tony Blair. The report had never mentioned the possibility of American victory. Bush’s goal in Iraq, he said at the photo-op with Blair, is “victory.”
(Of course, Fred also thinks we were on the verge of a great victory in Vietnam in 1974 until the congressional hippies cut off the funds so I think he may have had a bit too much of the eggnog.)
This should be very, very interesting. Rummy’s gone. What are the Joint Chiefs going to do?
.