Four Years Later, Bush's Fiasco Continues

It's been four years since George W. Bush strutted on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln. It's been five years since Bush started making noise about Iraq.

Let's review:

1. No WMDs. But plenty of bogus charges and plenty of evidence that Bush and Cheney lied.

2. No significant connection between al Qaida and Saddam Hussein. But repeated charges by the White House and plenty of evidence that Bush and Cheney were trying to deceive the American people.

3. If what exists in Iraq is democracy, that might explain why democracy is under attack at home. Maybe the imperious Wolfowitz believed in the democracy project but no one believes that Cheney and Rumsfeld ever gave much thought to democracy as a rationale for war. It should be noted the Paul Bremer was appointed virtual viceroy of Iraq and early efforts of democracy were tabled. That is not democracy; it is colonialism.

4. No significant progress in the war on terror. But more terrorists are being created and Osama bin Laden is chuckling and still free in Pakistan.

What then, at this late date, is Bush's rationale for the war in Iraq? There doesn't appear to be a legitimate reason.

What might be some other reasons for Bush's war?

1. Second largest oil reserve in the world. Of course, Bush still is refusing to come to grips with our serious energy problem and the issue of Global Warming. The cost of the war would have made huge strides in making the United States energy independent.

2. Asserting America's superpower status. The incompetence of the Bush Administration has damaged our credibility and even the credibility of our military because of decisions by political types like Karl Rove. Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Condi Rice and George W. Bush never served in the military (the champagne unit of the 1970s national guard in Texas will never qualify as military service by Bush).

3. Making profits for defense industries and close allies of the Bush Administration. This is the only area where the Bush Administration has been 'successful.' Keep in mind that the troops have often not received adequate equipment and supplies and some of the reconstruction projects are now languishing in disrepair. But many right wing Bush Republicans are pleased by the profits they have made.

The record, actions and behavior of the Bush Administration supports the above three as possible reasons for the war. Oil, colonialist pretensions and greed are not honorable reasons for a war. If a crooked mayor burns down the city hall so he can build a bigger one and his friends can make money, the fire fighters are still just doing their job by trying to put out the fire. Our military has been doing its job; soldiers do not get the choose the wars they fight. The overwhelming majority of our troops have been acting honorably in a difficult situation. The same cannot be said of the president and his top advisers. The fact that Bush has deliberately and arrogantly ignored the bipartisan Iraq Study Group speaks volumes. It's time to bring Bush's fiasco to a close.