Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) stopped just sort of calling President Barack Obama a hypocrite on Iraq and says Obama should be giving credit to former President George W. Bush for the war's successes.
Obama — a vocal critic in the Senate and on the campaign trail of the Iraq troop surge — plans to highlight its success in his second speech from the Oval Office. But McConnell, in a speech in Lexington, Ky., planned to say that credit should be given to "another president," George W. Bush, who had the "determination and will to carry out the plan that made [this] announcement possible."
OK, Mitch. Let’s play.
Can we give credit to George Bush for starting a war of choice, not of necessity? He certainly should get credit for convincing Americans that Saddam Hussein was involved in the 9/11 attacks, when the truth is that his secular society was an anathema to bin Laden and his religious zealots. He could take full credit for spending upwards of $750 BILLION on the war, when the administration early estimates to Congress were in the $50 billion neighborhood.
Can we give him credit for the torturing of prisoners and the Abu Ghraib scandal? How about credit for disbanding the Iraqi army, and failing to pay for the war with Iraqi oil sales revenue, as promised? I think credit could be given to him for giving Al Qaeda a haven (Iraq) that they did not have in 2001 (Hussein hated Al Qaeda).
How much credit does he deserve for undersupporting the troops with adequate numbers and protective gear? Or eliminating a strategic counterbalance in the Middle East against Iran , leaving Iran
Can we also extend credit to George Bush for his fiscal policies that have led us into these days of economic distress? Does he deserve credit for turning a budget surplus into a budget deficit?
If you want credit for choices and policies initiated between 2001 and 2008, then please accept the blame for the same.
Note: As a matter of politics, I love that the GOP wants to make this a discussion about the wisdoms of George Bush. I thought Obama owned everything after Nov. 4, 2008. Apparently, that guideline is flexible, depending on conditions on the ground.
Hey, Joe. Be nice. "The Wisdom of George W. Bush" is my favorite pamphlet. It almost made it to tri-fold status!
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ReplyDeleteWe can give credit to every intelligence agency in the world who advised the President through their respective heads of state, as well as our own intelligence agencies who advised the President, as well as to the Senators who voted to authorize force (that includes our SECSTATE and a few other notables). Every war is a war of choice.
ReplyDeleteRegarding our financial shape, look no farther than Frank/Dodd.