Frank's Musings

You Go to War with What You've Got

Secretary Rumsfeld’s response to a soldier’s question in Kuwait on December 8 indicated a lack of confidence by administration strategists in George Bush’s reelection prospects. Yes, the Bush administration didn’t select the timing for the invasion of Iraq – it was forced by Bush’s impending reelection campaign, which he could have lost. Therefore, the U.S. was forced to invade Iraq before the administration, which was determined to oust Saddam, was in jeopardy of being replaced by the Democrats.

Here was a confluence of events that made the invasion of Iraq so urgent that the slow process of UN inspections and continued sanctions could not be countenanced. Now that George Bush has another four years to govern, his Defense strategists will spend much of their remaining time in office retroactively justifying the invasion by slowly combating the resistance our invasion has created. Unfortunately, the Congress’s and our media’s sanctimonious glorification of our troops, who have been sadly exploited, makes it unpatriotic to point to the stupidity of the Bush Administration’s Iraq policy.