Frustrated, but hanging in there

President Bush, in his weekly radio address, criticized Democrats for not providing him with the full $196 billion dollars he is requesting for his wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And as expected, he accused the Democrats of failing to meet their responsibilities to the troops.

Oh how he’s loves to beat that drum over and over again… the troops, the troops, the troops. As if the only way to support them is to provide Bush with the sufficient funds to continue getting them killed for his delusional plan for Iraq.

And as much as I am used to it … it still annoys me to no end due to the hypocrisy and the total distortion of the truth that Bush continues shove down our throats.

This is a man who lied to the American people, the United Nations, and the entire world community in order to sell them the war in Iraq. And when the rest of the world would not go along with his fabricated case for war he decided to take it upon himself to boldly hand them an ultimatum.. you are either with us or against us.

When the world rejected that ultimatum he ordered our military into the middle of Arabia to fight innocent people who did not want war with us over manipulated intelligence cooked up by his neoconservative crew of chicken hawk intellectuals who have no clue, care, or concern regarding the devastation that unnecessary war inflicts upon millions of people.

Bush ignored the predictions of General Eric Shinseki, he sent our troops in alone, with inadequate manpower, without the proper equipment, with no plan to win the peace, and no exit strategy. As a result we have now lost 3,867 Americans in this illegal war. And the death count of innocent Iraqis is so high that the actual number is unconscionable and unable to be determined.

And this idiot wants to criticize his political opponents for not giving him more money to continue his failed neocon experiment in Iraq. Well boo-hoo.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has been inserted into this debate and claimed that he will have no choice but to layoff approximately 200,000 civilian employees and have partial base closings due to the blank check not being handed over to Bush. I feel bad for the civilian employees who “may” be laid off, but at this point – oh well.

People are dying, their lives are being wasted, and that supersedes Bush’s desired defense budget.

As a Democrat, I was pleased that my Senator from Pennsylvania, Bob Casey gave the Democratic response to Bush. According to the AP Casey stated that our troops " will face hatred they did not create and sectarian violence they cannot possibly resolve." "They are doing a remarkable job, a heroic job, but the Iraqi leaders are not holding up their end of the bargain."

And as much as I agree with Senator Casey this situation just goes way beyond his analysis. It is not that simple. The Iraqi leaders he is referring to are puppets of the United States. Furthermore, Bush assured them that we will not leave Iraq. So there is no real motivation for them to step up to the plate and take control of their country. So in my opinion we should just dismiss the Iraqi leaders as the ineffective sellouts they are – meaning they sold out their own people for a stooge like Bush.

It is blatantly obvious that our elected officials, both Democrat and Republican, still do not understand the Iraqi people and Muslim culture in general. The Iraqis will never adapt to American ideology and our way of life that we keep trying force upon them with military might.

What politicians in Washington need to realize is that the military phase of “Operation Iraqi Freedom” has long been achieved. Our troops have done everything they can do to transform Iraq to the liking of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. However, it is mission impossible. Those clowns will never accept that reality. But why can’t Congress?

I have been very critical of how Democrats in Congress have been operating recently -- especially with the passage of HR 4156 in the House of Representatives. The bill only gives Bush a partial amount of funding ($50 billion) and does call for a redeployment of our troops from Iraq.

The problem is that the Democrats knew for a fact it would not pass the Senate or make it to Bush’s desk for a veto. And even if it were passed Bush could just take the money and do as he wishes because the bill is a “non-binding” piece of legislation with no legality to force Bush to change course.

So what was the real purpose of this attempt by the Democrats? I can’t call it.

Was it so they could put on an act that they stood up to Bush and the Republicans? I guess they will need that cover in order to face their constituents while they are on their two-week Thanksgiving recess. I’m sorry, but at a time like this, the recess should be forfeited, and members of Congress should stay in Washington and do their jobs -- primarily working on a solution to this mess.

I know that I’m being harsh on the Democrats, my own party affiliation, but as a totally frustrated Iraq veteran who gave so much to the anti-war movement I just expected more out of them.

I still support Speaker Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Reid, and the Democrats in Congress. However, my patience is wearing thin. I do not entirely trust that they will have the courage to actually exercise the power of the purse (like Reid said they will) in the face of a defiant Bush and his loyal subjects in Congress who continue to ignore the wishes of the American people who want an end to the war. I hope they prove me wrong.

I feel obligated to speak out when leaders that I have supported are not being tough enough when the stakes are so high. I want to see solutions not smoke screens.

I think it is time for our elected officials to learn from their past mistakes -- to realize what works and what doesn't work. Make the corrections and keep pushing forward with change.

I know my rhetoric is harsh, but the war in Iraq is brutal and criminal. As is the continuation of it.

John Bruhns
Iraq Veteran