Dear President Bush,
A rare and extraordinary moment in history is before us today. And it is a real tribute to your unwavering vision for the future of the nation and the people of Iraq and the stability of the middle east.
Rightly or wrongly, you led America and a small coalition into a preemptive war with Saddam Hussein and the nation of Iraq. And, even when faced with sagging public opinion at home and abroad, you ignored the critics and the polls and stayed the course to bring stability and plant the seeds of democracy in this once enslaved land.
As Congress demanded withdrawal, you successfully forced a major surge in troops and fought off every attempt to end the war and subsequent occupation. Hell, you won every single funding battle.
You took the hard road and made certain beyond all doubt that there were no weapons of mass destruction in the hands of this potentially powerful nation. More importantly, you deposed the despotic and unstable leader and his sadistic sons and returned this land to it's varied and noble peoples.
Today, the leader that has been duly elected by all the of Iraq people has reported to you, in both words and deeds, that Iraq has grown and is now ready to chart it's own course and resume its rightful place in among the world's sovereign nations.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq is in ruins and Iraq's own military has now assumed the lead role in routing the remaining forces. In Basra, in Sadr City, and in Mosul, Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki has shown that he has both the will and the means to control his country.
Now is the time for you to accept the victory you have long sought. Now is the time for you to accept Nouri al-Maliki's most generous offer for a strategically negotiated timetable for withdrawal of combat troops.
There is no doubt that your acceptance of a timetable for withdrawal drawn up by the Iraqi's in consultation with our military leaders on the ground will literally turn around your entire Presidency. Your approval ratings will jump twenty points overnight.
You're not bowing to some politically mandated withdrawal plan coming from no-nothing Washington politicians. You've won that battle for the last four difficult years. No, you would be leaving on your terms. Settling the war BEFORE you leave office. What a victory!
Sure, there is a side benefit that this will benefit Senator McCain in his quest for the Presidency. Yes, as one of the original architects of the surge, McCain will share in your victory. And yes, it will effectively remove a political weapon from Barack Obama's arsenal.
And, frankly, if you fail to grasp the olive branch of victory today, you will effectively hand it to the future Persident Obama, who will not repeat your mistake. Trust me on this one, President Obama will negotiate a timetable for withdrawal. Why let Obama steal your moment in the spotlight?
The only way to prove you were right all along is to accept al-Maliki's pathway to independence. It will totally disarm your critics who claimed this was all about oil. Or power. Or greed.
Negotiate today and you can depart on your terms, at a pace dictated by the real events on the ground.
But, no matter what, negotiate today. Accept victory when it is handed to you by the Iraqi's themselves.
6 comments:
Rightly or wrongly, you led America and a small coalition into a preemptive war with Saddam Hussein and the nation of Iraq.?
Where's the 'rightly' in pre-emptive war?
Oh for heaven't sake "vigilante", must you keep banging on about the pre-emptive thing? How about pro-active then? is that better? Must one always wait for a catastrophe to respond or shouldn't one attempt to take pro-active measures to lessen it's impact or avoid it completely?
Have you noticed that we recently removed 550 TONS of yellowcake uranium from Iraq?
BTW, there are those (including myself) who feel that this was an escalation of the existing war with Iraq, which had not ended since Saddam invaded Kuwait. From that viewpoint it wasn't pre-emptive at all.
Mojo, obviously your opinion is not shared with the fact-based community. Otherwise Bush and Blair would not have gone to such lengths to obtain U.N. accord with their un-provoked, unnecessary, largely unilateral invasion and unplanned occupation of Iraq (UULUIUOI).
As far preventive wars. that's against international law. It's settled.
As for the story of yellow cake in Iraq, that's just A Case Study in Conservative Mendacity.
So, Wizard, this is sorta baffling and fascinating all at the same time.
If Bush refuses, and keeps going without negotiation, will you see him as stupid or see him as I and many do... someone who went in immorally out of greed?
Its so hard to hear words like "earn" and deserve... I am trying to wrap my brain around the rhetoric and realize you are really setting Bush up here to act responsibly or setting him up to show his true immoral, unconscionable colors.
How did he "earn" a damn thing? He sat in the White House cracking jokes and ruining out country while the solider were out there breaking their backs and being killed.
I really do want to know what you will think if he does not act in the way you denoted here.
K. It really doesn't matter!
I personally doubt that Bush will accept my advice, but even if he did, the road map will be completely rewritten by Barack Obama (or, although highly unlikely, John McCain).
What does matter is the upcoming election. Bush is the lamest of lame ducks.
My essay was intended as satire. A put on. Still, my advice was damned good. Bush shoould take it.
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