Our Mission (Accomplished) Position

Posted by Mary Mancini on May 1, 2007 under Uncategorized |

On May 1, 2003, President George W. Bush landed on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and announced an end to major combat operations in Iraq saying, “In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.” In the background was a clearly visible banner with the words, “Mission Accomplished.”

AP: “As of Monday, April 30, 2007, at least 3,351 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003…The British military has reported 146 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 20; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, six; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Romania, one death each.”

Last week, John McCain joked about setting off an IED under Jon Stewart’s desk.

WaPo: “More than 60 Iraqis also were killed or found dead across Iraq on Monday. Casualties among Iraqi civilians and security forces have outstripped those of Americans throughout the war.

The vast majority of casualties among both coalition forces and Iraqi combatants and civilians have occurred after the speech.

WaPo: “The deaths of more than 100 American troops in April made it the deadliest month so far this year for U.S. forces in Iraq, underscoring the growing exposure of Americans as thousands of reinforcements arrive for an 11-week-old offensive to tame sectarian violence.” April 2007 was also the sixth deadliest month of the entire war.

Last week, The House Oversight and Governmental Reform Committee heard testimony from PFC Jessica Lynch and the family of the deceased U.S. Army Ranger (and NFL superstar) Pat Tillman who accused the military of “intentional falsehoods” and “deliberate and careful misrepresentations” in the portrayal of Tillman’s death and Lynch’s heroism. Kevin Tillman: “Revealing that Pat’s death was a fratricide would have been yet another political disaster in a month of political disasters … so the truth needed to be suppressed.”

McClatchy: “A State Department report on terrorism due out next week will show a nearly 30 percent increase in terrorist attacks worldwide in 2006 to more than 14,000, almost all of the boost due to growing violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. officials said Friday.”

Last week, Rudy Giuliani suggested that “America will be safer with a Republican president.”

Dow 13,000, meet Iraq 13,000: The latest Iraq Survey from the Brookings Institute states that “one in four Iraqis has personally experienced or witnessed the murder of a family member as a result of violence since the U.S.-led invasion.”

Sixty-four percent of Americans surveyed recently in a CBS-NY Times poll favor setting a timetable for a U.S. troop pullout by 2008. Appearing on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos this past Sunday, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) rightly noted that the Bush administration has shown “disregard and disrespect for the will of the American people” with their stay-the-course mentality in Iraq. New York and 19 other state legislatures have passed resolutions urging President Bush not to veto the bill passed by Congressional Democrats that calls for a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Republicans in Congress are beginning to show signs of opposing the war in Iraq.

McClatchy: The cost for the war will soon top $500 Billion.

For the cost of this war we could have provided universal pre-school, universal health care for children, increased college scholarships, increased affordable housing, and a superior public education. Mission of a better society for all so not accomplished.

Armed Forces Journal: Lt. Col. Paul Yingling, an active-duty Army officer is publishing a blistering attack on U.S. generals, saying they have botched the war in Iraq and misled Congress about the situation there.

Today, the fourth anniversary of “Mission Accomplished,” President Bush promises to veto legislation that will bring us one step closer to ending this debacle explaining that it “imposes the judgment of people here in Washington on our military commanders and diplomats.”

Nashville is Talking » Thoughts on “Mission Accomplished” 4 Years Later: A Round-Up said,

[...] Mary at Liberadio: On May 1, 2003, President George W. Bush landed on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and announced an end to major combat operations in Iraq saying, “In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.” In the background was a clearly visible banner with the words, “Mission Accomplished.” … Today, the fourth anniversary of “Mission Accomplished,” President Bush promises to veto legislation that will bring us one step closer to ending this debacle explaining that it “imposes the judgment of people here in Washington on our military commanders and diplomats.” Spread It Around: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]