What Bush has wrought. Today Iraqi police found "15 bodies in the back of a pickup truck." All indications are that the men were "strangled." Saddam was a despot and a murderer, but that is no excuse for the well documented failures of the Bush regime to plan for a post-invasion Iraq. The Guardian reports that British PM Blair's envoy to Iraq, John Sawers, called the U.S. post-invasion effort "'an unbelievable mess.'" Of course, the pre-invasion plans weren't much better. From the very start the U.S. plot to invade Iraq was characterized by

No leadership, no strategy, no coordination, no structure and inaccessible to ordinary Iraqis.

I would add that the whole thing was inaccessible to everybody but a small cabal in Washington who were hell bent on revenge and blinded by their own hubris. Sadly, the lack of leadership and a strategy continues. Speeches at American universities won't turn the corner. Speeches are little more than pep rallies. The lack of resources, both material and intellectual, has damned Iraq to what looks like a protracted and bloody civil war. I'm sure uncle Rummy will be popping up to remind us that democracy is messy. Only someone as intellectually and morally bankrupt as George W. Bush could look on events in Iraq and proclaim, "Yet out of this crisis, we've also seen signs of a hopeful future." Mr. President, when every week brings news of dozens of people strangled, hung, and shot there is very little reason to be "hopeful." Mr. President, when every week brings news of yet another deadly car bombing there is very little reason to be "hopeful." Mr. President, saying things could be worse is an insult to the Iraqis who have suffered. Mr. President, another coat of white wash won't fix the disaster your policy has wrought. Mr. President, resign; it's the only honorable course of action.
posted by Idle Crank at 3/14/2006 04:58:00 AM