He told us about WMD.
Mobile labs.
Secret sources.
Aluminum tubes.
Yellow-cake.
He has told us the war is necessary:
Because Saddam was a material threat.
Because of 9/11.

Because of Osama Bin Laden. Al-Qaida. Terrorism in general.
To liberate Iraq. To spread freedom. To spread Democracy. To prevent terrorism by gas price increases.

Because this was a guy who tried to kill his dad.

Because — 439 words in to the speech last night — he trotted out 9/11 again.

In advocating and prosecuting this war he passed on a chance to get Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi.

To get Muqtada Al-Sadr. To get Bin Laden.

He sent in fewer troops than the generals told him to. He ordered the Iraqi army disbanded and the Iraqi government “de-Baathified.”

He short-changed Iraqi training. He neglected to plan for widespread looting. He did not anticipate sectarian violence.

He sent in troops without life-saving equipment. He gave jobs to foreign contractors, and not Iraqis. He staffed U.S. positions there, based on partisanship, not professionalism.

He and his government told us: America had prevailed, mission accomplished, the resistance was in its last throes.

He has insisted more troops were not necessary. He has now insisted more troops are necessary.

He has insisted it’s up to the generals, and then removed some of the generals who said more troops would not be necessary.
He has trumpeted the turning points:

The fall of Baghdad, the death of Uday and Qusay, the capture of Saddam. A provisional government, a charter, a constitution, the trial of Saddam. Elections, purple fingers, another government, the death of Saddam.

He has assured us: We would be greeted as liberators — with flowers;
As they stood up, we would stand down. We would stay the course; we were never about “stay the course.”

We would never have to go door-to-door in Baghdad. And, last night, that to gain Iraqis’ trust, we would go door-to-door in Baghdad.
He told us the enemy was al-Qaida, foreign fighters, terrorists, Baathists, and now Iran and Syria.

He told us the war would pay for itself. It would cost $1.7 billion. $100 billion. $400 billion. Half a trillion. Last night’s speech alone cost another $6 billion

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AMERICA LAND OF THE FREE HOME OF THE BRAVE--BECAUSE OF OUR CONSTITUTION.

Nice summary Rasta....military intel has shown how untrue most ofl his claims are yet here we go! We are gointg to now try to straighten out some of the self fulfilled prohecy created by George W. Bush and cohorts.

Isn't it utterly amazing the ride of lies this Criminal Dim Wit has taken this country on for the last 6 years.

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AMERICA LAND OF THE FREE HOME OF THE BRAVE--BECAUSE OF OUR CONSTITUTION.

Yes but it so complex and multifaceted. We now have the security and terrorism escalation in addition to the lack of focus on real terrorist threats.Where iraq had a aging dictator with no ties to al quaeda or iran we now have filled that with all of Saddams enemy fueled against us.

We have so many innocent lives destroyed between civilians in Iraq whom we were supposed to be making life better and our troops.

America has lost its status as a strong human rights leader and stagic military leader. The world is less safe and hundreds of thousands of lives ruined.

We have billions of dollars owed and spending continues with no plan on paying for this.Besides all the missing money that was supposed to be spent for rebuilding remains unaccounted for. It just goes on and on. Now with the vacuum people blur the lines and speak of the terrorists there. They never consider they were not there before. It really is a quagmire of errors and human tragedy!

You bring up many great points. You ever think this was the Bush Administrations plan all along to create so many contengencies at once so as politically and militarily it would be next to impossible to extricate ourselves out of the middle east quacmire for years to come.

One thing is for sure we are definitely over in Iraq and possibly even Iran until Bush leaves office. Hopefully, if the American voters put into to the W.H. a Democratic Presidendent who has both statesmen, diplomacy, and international skills to find a way out of Iraq.

I've got this sinking feeling that Bush will try and provoke Iran to justify bombing their alleged nuclear bomb making capability, thus starting WWIII.

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AMERICA LAND OF THE FREE HOME OF THE BRAVE--BECAUSE OF OUR CONSTITUTION.