Bush had his exit strategy all along
I've been saying this for years .. it's good to hear someone agree.
"Bush policy to bequeath Iraq to successor"
And get ready for years of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney on Sunday talk shows pointing out how Democrats screwed up the troop draw-down, etc. etc. etc.
Paul Richter of the LA Times is spot on:
"WASHINGTON -- The talk in Washington on Monday was all about troop reductions, yet it also brought into sharp focus President Bush's plans to end his term with a strong U.S. military presence in Iraq, and to leave tough decisions about ending the unpopular war to his successor.
....to improve his chances for a decent legacy. He can say he left office pursuing a strategy that was having at least some success in suppressing violence, a claim that some historians may view sympathetically. [..]"
Just like the rich, spoiled brat I always thought he was, once again Bush doesn't have to clean up his messes or live with his mistakes .. let alone own up to them.
He believes what he wants to believe while all his yes men and hangers-on tell him only what he wants to hear. And now he's responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and has bankrupted all of us.
He's probably had this "plan" ever since it became obvious that the strewn roses Bush expected were actually IEDs, and installing a Democratic government in Iraq was like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube.
His "foreign policy" is not only a failure .. it has been destructive to United States interests.
And I think future historians will be smart enough to see that Bush's presidency was defined, diminished and paralyzed by this war, and by his attempts to avoid being embarrassed by it. They'll see how his single-minded focus on it allowed other important domestic and foreign problems to go to hell.
Also .. when historians study this administration it will become clear that Bush was going to invade Iraq from the time he entered office. 9/11 just gave him a propaganda tool to speed up the invasion.
Bush has not only ruined America's standing in the world, he has strengthened our enemies and weakened our military, economy and infrastructure .. the only way to go from here is up.
Too bad we can't levy a special tax on Bush voters and campaign contributors .. let them pay for this war they foisted upon us .. let them pay for the damage they supported.
