[Vision2020] Why are we there?

[Tom Hansen]

You can twist and mangle the truth all you want, dick.

The bottom line remains that GWB lied to the American people repeatedly.

And now that he realizes his lack of an exit strategy has cost over 2,400
American lives in May of 2003, he uses the old flawed excuse that if we
withdraw from Iraq, the terrorists win.

HOG WASH !

This commentary from the evening wrap-up edition of the Army Times echoes
just as loud as the 2,400 flag-draped coffins whose contents have finally
made it home.

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Accountability sought for Iraq war mistakes

By Gordon Lubold
Times staff writer


It was likely the longest 14 seconds on Capitol Hill that day.

Democratic representatives on the House International Relations Committee
were getting a rare opportunity to grill Bush administration officials April
26 on U.S. policy in Iraq when one question drew a long, awkward silence.

Seated before the panel was James Jeffrey, senior adviser and coordinator
for Iraq at the State Department; Peter W. Rodman, assistant secretary of
defense for international security affairs; and Army Brig. Gen. Michael
Jones, the Joint Staff's deputy director for political-military affairs for
the Middle East.

After rounds of questions, Rep. Adam Schiff took his turn. The three-term
California Democrat noted there is a growing "lack of public confidence" in
the government's Iraq policy, in part because Americans have come to better
understand the mistakes made during the planning and execution of the war.
 
He stressed that unlike Vietnam, Americans don't blame the troops but do
want answers.

"I'm curious," Schiff began. "Can any of you identify anyone who's been held
accountable for any of these pretty well-acknowledged errors?"

The room went silent and stayed that way for long seconds.

"It's way above our paygrade," Rodman finally offered.

Schiff then began a Socratic dialogue, positing premises to see which ones
Jeffrey, Rodman and Jones would agree with.

"Isn't the lack of confidence because the American people see mistakes made
but don't see any accountability for those mistakes? I think they're also
having trouble seeing how we're learning from those mistakes and taking
corrective action," he said. "Don't you agree that the public perception of
the war effort, in fact, has an effect on our success or failure?"

In an interview the next day, Schiff said the silence he received betrayed
the fact that virtually no one in the administration has been held
accountable for the mistakes made in Iraq.

"Sometimes a long silence speaks volumes, and I think it did yesterday," he
said.

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil
and steady dedication of a lifetime." 

--Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.