by Mike Hersh, 12-14-03

Discuss this in our online forums

This is a great victory for the Clinton military and good news for the Iraqi people. It lets all of us dispense with the idiotic notion that any of us wish Saddam were still in charge of Iraq or that Saddam ever threatened the USA. We can all see him for the nasty little thug he is.

I'm very glad this happened now, not even in the same year as the election. I was concerned they'd catch him and hide him then pull him out Oct. 2004. Same with Osama bin Laden. No, they're not that smart. They're not even that clever. Now Bush has no excuse for failing to rebuild Iraq into a "beacon of democracy," but he still will fail.

They need a major boost like this every week just to stay in place - or it's over. They cannot keep it up. The Turkey Trot in Iraq is souring because Bush turned away several troops from their own Thanksgiving for a cheap photo-op.
Despite Bush administration and media attempts to personalize this, Bush's illegal Iraq invasion is just as wrong as it was December 13, 2003, and for all the same reasons. See: Inspect Iraq, Don't Attack:

http://www.mikehersh.com/cat_index_34.shtml

As time goes by, their spectacular special effects and publicity stunts dim or turn to sand in their mouths. Remember the "Mission Accomplished" banner that boomeranged? This too will fade or even turn negative if Saddam talks about his ties to Reagan, Rummy, Bush Sr. and Cheney - but no ties to 9/11. Is Rove looking for another Jack Ruby to silence Saddam?

To keep the public attention, Bush has to maintain an impossible level of accomplishment. They need a non-stop dog and pony show, and meanwhile Dean is already upstaging them. Remember the main reason we oppose Bush? His defenders are wrong, it's not about personality. We know his policies - domestic and foreign - are horrible for nearly all Americans. This changes nothing in terms of policy or politics. Bush is the same miserable failure he always was.

Bush and Rove can stage photo-ops every day, but they cannot overcome the tide of their own unremitting failure. On the horizon, 3 million jobs lost and not enough new jobs to break even. Republican-led 9/11 investigations over Bush-Cheney stone-walling and appropriate anger over their cover ups. Continued failure in Iraq until Bush cuts and runs in time for the 2004 Election. Because with Bush and Rove, it's always only about politics and using power to reward the powerful elite.

Mike Hersh December 14, 2003
------------------------------------
MikeHersh.com invites you to reproduce, reprint or broadcast any material at his site, provided that you identify the author and source. All Internet and email summaries, excerpts or other reproductions must include this blurb and a link to http://www.MikeHersh.com