Six years ago today, on May 1, 2003, President George W. Bush stood on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in an elaborately executed photo-op and proclaimed, "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended."
At that time, 140 U.S. soldiers had died in Iraq; six years later, the number of 4,281 (with three more deaths reported today), and the toll of Iraqi fatalities is perhaps a hundred times higher or more.
Today’s anniversary is all the more troubling since President Obama, who came into office firmly promising to end the U.S. occupation, seems to still buy into the idea that there is an American "mission" to be accomplished. In his press conference Wednesday night, he said:
Part of the reason why I called for a gradual withdrawal as opposed to a precipitous one was precisely because more work needs to be done on the political side to further isolate whatever remnants of Al Qaida in Iraq still exists.
And I’m very confident that, with our commander on the ground, General Odierno, with Chris Hill, our new ambassador, having been approved and already getting his team in place, that they are going to be able to work effectively with the Maliki government to create the conditions for an ultimate transfer after the national elections.
But there’s some serious work to do on making sure that how they divvy up oil revenues is ultimately settled, what the provincial powers are and boundaries, the relationship between the Kurds and the central government, the relationship between the Shia and the Kurds. Are they incorporating effectively Sunnis, Sons of Iraq, into the structure of the armed forces in a way that’s equitable and just?
Those are all issues that have not been settled the way they need to be settled.
I have bad news for you, Mr. President: those issues are not going to be settled, because the Maliki government has no interest in settling them to the other factions’ liking. I’ve watched since 2005 as the Bush/Cheneyites — with more leverage over the fledgling Iraqi government, and fewer scruples — tried to browbeat the Jaafari regime, and then Maliki, into adopting the kind of reconciliation measures just described.
I predicted then that U.S. pressure would fail, and there’s even less chance of it succeeding now. For better or worse, Iraq’s Shiite leaders view power as a winner-take-all game, and they’re not going to take any chances by sharing. Which is why, by talking up "work to do" and "conditions for an ultimate transfer," Obama is painting himself into a dangerous corner.
As Attackerman wrote yesterday, "What was true for Bush is true for Obama: devising responsible approaches to Iraq require a firm handling of the facts involved, not wishful thinking." For all the talk of conditional engagement, the only way Obama’s policy in Iraq will differ from the previous administration will be if he says flatly that reconciliation or no reconciliation, the U.S. is leaving. Six years after the disastrous "Mission Accomplished" stunt, it’s time for Obama to make that clear.
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Every supporter of this fiasco has engaged in nothing but wishful thinking from day 1, willfully ignoring the facts in front of them.
Excellent post, Swopa, by the by.
Thanks. And you’re right about wishful thinking — even the “conditional engagement” crowd buys into a fantasy that by threatening to withdraw, we’ll achieve roughly the same goals the Bushites were aiming for.
It’s not happening. Our invasion provoked a civil war in Iraq, and the Shiites won. Our choices now are to help cement their rule (which will only be “free” or “democratic” within the limits of not threatening their power), or leave.
Let’s not pull punches.
Obama sucks.
NYT
Ya just can’t make this shit up. Gotta love those who worship at the altar of the Great Dollar Almighty.
The Sunni will continue their insurgency, much like the Tamil Rebels have. In the meantime we’ll be treated to a continuing violent power struggle, ok, civil war, between various Shi’ite factions. I offer Algeria, while not an exact match, as an example. There’s been strife there since independence.
excellent post. thanks, swopa, for marking the day.
p.s. imo most of your post could be written about the “mission” in afghanistan/pakistan too (different time scale though)
Same shit, different day.
Konichiwa.
Thanks Swopa.
Being an “established” progressive blog I’m surprised there’s not be a post about this being International Worker’s Day.
From wiki, citations removed.
Apologies for the OT, Swopa.
I don’t think Obama sucks at all — he’s more cautious than I’d like in a lot of ways, but y’know, there wasn’t a “Enacting Sweeping Progressive Change for Dummies” book lying on the Oval Office desk when he walked in.
Somehow the American Occupation of Iraq is premised on the next Iraqi “strongman” being WashingtonDC’s “man”.
This much American blood,these many American-Chinese hundreds of billions of $$,putting in the superbases and that big American Embassy in Baghdad all point to an American run stage for whichever Iraqi pulls off the Chicago styled political rubouts and ascends to the late Saddam’s chair at the head of the table.
Just watching how much shapeshifting the SOFA WashingtonDC has with the Maliki regime undergoes over the next six to twelve months will be a sure tell card.
WashingtonDC is going to pull another Shah of Iran install in Iraq one way or another. The American superbases are not going to be given up and Iraqi airspace for some years to come will be under USAF control and yes/no rule.
Israel wants this. WashingtonDC wants Iraq under an American thumb to apply pressure and menace on Iran. Which is also what the Americans are aiming to do on the eastern borders of Iran.
President Barack Obama and his SoS Clinton are hardly going to undo the past six years of Pentagon,CIA and western energy interests activities in Iraq.Too much oil is involved. Oil is what is backing up the American $$ around the globe. Same plan. New veneer of “smart policy” being put on it.
G.W.Bush was not overstating what he claimed to be in place with “Mission Accomplished” being Americans are now in Iraq–are not leaving unless the Iraqis basically pull a Iran on WashingtonDC. And that is the sad reality of all these lives now lost,treasure now spent and the American devastation of Iraq.
Obama wins the ‘Let’s Continue Failure’ Award.
Feh, change.
Droning on and on .
Freddie Mercury” What the hell we fighting for?”
Open season on weddings?
And If you don’t preface any Iraq murder count w/ 1,000,000 you can just quit blowing smoke up my pant leg and telling me it’s sunshine.
diary?
although…. i really have no right to suggest such a thing, as i should have written a diary yesterday to take note of the 61 people who were arrested in front of the whitehouse: http://www.100dayscampaign.org/a30
There’s so much info on May Day that it would prolly be a list of links. Mayhaps a series on the history of the labour movement in the US.
Wonder what would happen if I started wearing an orange jumpsuit to work every day. Hmmmmmm…
I recently looked at some newspaper clippings from 2007 when Petraus was installed to oversee the occupation of Iraq. What I learned was that they intended to “thin the lines” as a strategy in Iraq. I did not really understand what that meant until I saw them buy time with the Sunni’s to contain the home grown insurgents within their group, then allowed Malaki to use them to defang Sadr’s militia in Sadr city and in Basra. I guessed that they would go after the Sunni militias after I saw what they did to Sadr’s group and it appears that the Sunni groups are not being employed and financially supported by Maliki as had been promised. The Kurds would be next but they may require some real bargaining as they are armed and independent and have enjoyed a measure of freedom from Maliki’s tyranny. Why the U.S. has chosen to stay and oversee these civil wars, I do not know. The only gains made appear to have been political: Bush got his second term. Obama won his presidency and mollified the military establishment.
Aw, man, there’s a local drawbridge stuck in the up position and they don’t know why. That’s gotta piss a lotta folks off. Friday evening rush hour.
Now back to yer regularly scheduled program.
There was.
It’s called “The Prince.” It has a good chapter on change.
George bush’s mission accomplished was just what he said. You didn’t get fooled again did you?
Iraq provided 10 % of the world’s oil pre 9-11. Econ 101 supply and demand in a ,tightly controlled market,ala ken lay magic released massive oil company profits. It was never about controlling Iraq’s oil fields rather the oil market.
Spending a $ million a day george and dick won’t run out of the $ millions before they or their kids die.
They said ,thanks you American suckers . BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID.
pls excuse my bad manners. greetings SD.
swopa’s post was just what i needed to read, strange as that may be. have been feeling down about how our wars are getting less attention.
and here’s something i hope will cheer you up: May Day was born in the fight for immigrants’ rights: A history (just found it)
See what happens when you have a socialist fascist running the country. /s
Thanks for the link. Well written. Nothing like stirring the revolutionary fluids a tad.
It’s all David Rockefeller’s fault. 94 an’ still a fascist.
Scarecrow diary promoted!
Krugman: CO2 Cap and Trade Is Good Economics
It’s a small thing…..but I hate everytime I have to see a picture of the Idiot Boy King W. Almost makes me gag. We had to look at him for way too long. Now I only want to see him on Most Wanted at the Post Office. Otherwise, he should be scratched/cut out like an ex-spouse. He always shows those little tiny teeth and phony smile. Just a modest opinion.;-))
Policies set by government, as distinguished from politicians, seem never to change with the arrival of each new set of politicians.
I have said this a thousand times but Obama is much more a continuation of the Bush Administration and its policies than a break with them. In Obama’s speeches he promises major changes but in his actual policies he is really doing more of the same. Obama announces that we are leaving Iraq but then markedly slows down the withdrawal of troops and signals he wants to keep 50,000 troops in Iraq indefinitely. He thinks that though these troops will be in combat situations as long as he doesn’t call them combat troops, no one will notice or care that they are combat troops and that they are in Iraq.