“Bush is a stubborn man,” columnist David Brooks wrote. “Well, without that stubbornness, that unwillingness to accept defeat on his watch, he never would have bucked the opposition to the surge.
“Bush is an outrageously self-confident man. Well, without that self-confidence, he never would have overruled his generals.
“The fact is that Bush, who made such bad calls early in the war, made a courageous and astute decision in 2006. More than a year on, the surge has produced large, if tenuous, gains. Violence is down sharply. Daily life has improved. The Iraqi military has been given time to become a more effective fighting force. The Iraqi government is showing signs of strength and even glimmers of impartiality. Iraq has moved from being a failed state to merely a fragile one, as Vali Nasr of the Council on Foreign Relations has put it.
“The whole episode is a reminder that history is a complicated thing. The traits that lead to disaster in certain circumstances are the very ones that come in handy in others.”
54 Comments
And Bin Laden is still out there. We’ve installed a government in Iraq that has the potential to put Saddam’s human rights issues to shame, and is friendly with Iran.
Yay Bush!
Shrub is the Jon Lovitz of politics.
Remember the Lying Guy skits?
Keep changing the premise in hopes that somehow it works out to your advantage.
“The Surge” was first proposed by Howard Dean in Iowa in 2004.
After a couple of years of failed Rumsfedlian “go to war with the army you’ve got” (as if it were the troops’ fault!), the “Surge” was supposed to provide that stability that would create an independent, sovereign, democratic state in the middle of the Middle East oil patch and assure us all cheap petroleum.
Just how has that worked out?
I have a question for you Ed. Are you racist against Jews or are you just angry at the US policy regarding Israel?
Most of the time I find you SOM, but I just have to ask. Most of the people who use the term Zionist are racist.
“Bush is a stubborn…[and] outrageously self-confident man.”
What Brooks writes here in the NYT piece is true, but taken together Brooks’ truths don’t absolve the careful observer from coming to the following most logical conclusion of all possible conclusions about GW Bush. Namely, Bush is an idiot.
He’s an idiot because of his unique combination of stubbornness and self-confidence. Bush’s unique combination of these 2 character attributes borders waaaaay too uncomfortably close to another character attribute, one with far more damaging results. Namely, arrogance. His arrogance isn’t only uncomfortable on its face, but his particular combination of stubbornness and self-confidence is that combination which leads the holder straight to another bad character place, hubris.
Bush’s problem in a nutshell is that his unique combination of stubbornness and self-confidence leads all to often to what pilots call “augering in.” Augering in happens when a self-confident and stubborn pilot refuses to either believe or check his flight controls while performing a loop and crashes his aircraft (augers it right into the ground). He augered in with his father, with alcohol, with the TANG, in the Midland oil patch, with the Texas Rangers, with the decision to invade Iraq, with the CPA in Iraq, with US renditions and torture, with Abu Graib, with Katrina, with Medicare Part D, with Cheney, with the Dept of Justice….it’s a long, long, sad, sad trail of failure resulting from Bush’s unique combination of stubbornness and self-confidence.
I still can’t believe we elected this idiot prez once, much less twice.
Sounds like it’s time then to bring home our troops.
Bush’s “outrageous self-confidence” has been nothng but runaway arrogance. As a result of his misadventure, the region is as unstable as ever and we’ve removed one of the biggest hurdles to bolstering Iran’s power and influence in the Middle East.
There is even evidence that Bush augered in — with respect to national security — all during the first nine months of his first term. It’s not conclusive (yet).
Namely, his stubbornness and self-confidence led him to discount the Clinton administration’s heavy emphasis on (1) intelligence gathering, and (2) border security to protect the US from acts of terrorism. Certainly these events, in this order, don’t speak well for Bush’s unique combination of stubbornness and self-confidence.
1. Dismantle Clinton’s anti-terrorism policing actions.
2. Receive in summer 2001 a NIE with the headline “OBL determined to strike in the US.”
3. 9/11.
In fact, one could argue that part of Bush’s overreaction to Hussein is attributable to guilt he felt, personally, over OBL’s “success” on 9/11.
A stopped clock is right twice a day, after all. Doesn’t mean it should serve as POTUS.
I think the North Korean issue was resolved mostly by the Chinese who are the lifeblood of North Korea by reason of trade, foreign aid thereby lessening world wide (American) sanctions against them and general historic interests. The North Koreans still look upon China as their saviour in the Korean War and will always be grateful, hence listen when spoken to. It was in China’s interest for the North Korean issue be resloved, for without that caveat the matter would still be on the front burner. Remember, Bush wanted help from nobody then saw his policy floundering and had to turn to the(gasp) Communist Chinese, amongst others.
The Iraq occupation has definitely taken a turn for the better. Whether we should have ever gotten involved at all in questionable. But a lesser man would have abandoned the Iraqi people when things were going badly and the press was teeing off daily on him.
There never was a blueprint for handling this unique situation. Perseverance and stubbornness were critical to have resisted the left’s cries to quit and go home when things got difficult. This was, of course, what the terrorist were trying to accomplish. The president deserves credit for refusing to quit.
Still, a less than rousing success like this should be reason to give us pause to any thoughts of any such adventure in the future.
Let us hope the next president, stands for his convictions and is not wishy-washy on policy based upon the daily changes in the polls. A flip-flopper is not what this nation needs.
“But a lesser man would have abandoned the Iraqi people when things were going badly…”
—–
A better man would have never created this problem.
6 months, 25 days, 22 hours, 28 minutes
THEN, finally, we’ll have a better man to handle the many problems created by bushco.
Comes word yesterday that the Taliban has now re emerged as an effective fighting force in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan, remember? The place where Osama bin Laden was hiding?
By the way Phillip?
I see what it is you are up to.
You’ve never been in the tank for bush. But you ARE deep down in the aquarium gravel for Obama.
You have correctly surmised that Obama has no intention of getting the US out of Iraq and you are now setting the stage to help make that ok.
Ironic.
In order to make Obama “ok”, it will be necessary to make bush “not that bad”.
Won’t work for me. bush is the worst President in the history of this country.
Only the 28%ers will ever believe bush is anything more than THE WORST PRESIDENT! He has taken our country to depths never imagined.
It has to look good in Iraq so we can be convinced going into Iran will be a good thing, too. Same administration, same b.s. Wake up, America.
Most of the people who use the term Zionist are racist.
Uh, no. Check your histoy, P_Mom.
I have a friend who is married to a Jewish man. SHE uses the term Zionist. And she’s about as NONracist as a person can be.
bush’s stubborness paid off?
Uh huh. For the oil companies it has.
They are now negotiating to sell the crude under the feet of our troops and on the dime of the American taxpayer to the highest bidder.
More than 4,000 troops killed. Five times that number seriously maimed. The occupation is estimated to cost 3 TRILLION dollars.
And the price of gasoline continues to climb.
Likely to get worse if the warmongers — read bush and / or McCain! — have anything to do with it!
Iran says Gulf oil route at risk if attacked
“Iranian officials have in the past sent mixed signals about whether Iran would use oil as a weapon. But such threats, when made, have sent jitters through the crude market for fear of disrupting supplies from big OPEC producers in the Gulf.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSBLA82623620080628
bushco accomplishing his promises to his base — the haves and have mores!
PMom, I’ve read Ed_Friedemann and done quite a bit of research on the PNAC movement. I am convinced he is not racist but sorely aware of the dangers of the neocon movement! I wish he would sound less radical but it is such a dangerous movement it’s hard not to sound like one has gone a little off the edge when discussing it. Writerdog has helped me in my research — some days I thank him because it’s something I needed to know; other days I cuss him because I do know. They aren’t even hiding! Their plans to take over the world, control the world, inflict their value systems on the world’s population are carried out in the open with the blessings of too many!
Neocon is an overly used word that has terrible implications and shouldn’t be tossed about and allowed to be just an everyday slam. It doesn’t involve many who are called neocons but there are too many who are comlicit due to lack of understanding.
Meanwhile, in today’s paper is an article about the Taliban gaining strength inthe “forgottrn war.” And extremists appear ready to take Peshawar in Pakistan. But Bush would rather attack the ENEMIES of alQuada - Iraq and Iran.
“Uh huh. For the oil companies it has.”
Who are the oil companies? Buy some XOM stock and you can start benefiting too.
Those of us who own energy stocks, thank-you for your patronage.
“the haves and have mores!”
Those that have worked hard, saved, and invested from their efforts, will always have more.
Those that feed out of the federal trough will always have less.
You may have been created equal, but nothing says we have to live equal.
Enjoying your blood money then “American way”?
Too bad your dividend check doesn’t come with the picture of a maimed serviceman.
But theirs is not to question why. Just to do and die.
So some sonofabitch like you can have another nickel to squeeze.
There is much that is more important than money.
—–
“Money is in some respects life’s fire: it is a very excellent servant, but a terrible master.”
“When money speaks, the truth keeps silent.”
“Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of its filling a vacuum, it makes one.”
- Ben Franklin
—–
I am blessed by knowing what it is to be poor and with all that money will never buy.
Bluejay grow up. You are having a hard time separating good financial planning/investing, and
politic’s.
That the Iraq War, the Afghan War, and the world war on terror is influencing the markets is only a small part of the financial picture.
My earnings are based on liberals fear of drilling for oil, poor energy policies enacted by the now democratic lead congress, as well as a myriad of other things, not the least of which is America’s thirst for oil. Gotta love those big pickemtrucks, monster SUV’s, and soccer mom minivans! God bless them, every one.
It’s just silly of you to blame the war, and the war casualties as victims, for the high price of gas.
See GM in the news lately? Just what I’ve always posted - the American automakers are going broke just as I predicted.
Congress gave them until 2022 to increase FLEET Average MPG, and that’s exactly what they planned to do (using their political clout in Congress).
So instead of adjusting to consumers who are now demanding higher MPG - because they HAVE to at over 4 bucks a gallon, the greedy big three continue to live in the past.
Thank goodness for high gas prices. Let’s pray for $6.00 a gallon.
Ford tough? Ha!
“So some sonofabitch like you can have another nickel to squeeze”
Me and over 120 million other Americans who own equities and are invested in the markets. Be it straight up stock ownership (most of the oil companies offer DRIP plans), mutual funds, 401 plans, or their company retirement plans (defined), literally millions of Americans own the oil companies.
So cry me a river Bluejay. You lack understanding. Your anger is directed at the wrong end of the process.
bush is an idiot with no clue.
yeah… another phillip brownlee bullshit story.
“Thank goodness for high gas prices. Let’s pray for $6.00 a gallon.
Ford tough? Ha!”
so, in other words, you are happy the american car companies are having a rough time now ??
and, you “pray” for 6 buck gas ??
you are an idiot…
actually maybe too dumb to live in the u.s.
Green people, and the liberals have been crying for oil conservation for years. Nothing works, in fact all their efforts have done nothing to decrease American’s addiction to oil.
Only the good old American free enterprise and the market place is working.
Yes, it will take even higher prices for energy before America wakes up. The proof is already and rapidly being demonstrated as Americans begin taking public transport, sell their gas guzzlers, and cut unnecessary consumption.
Isn’t free enterprise grand?
Except when it isn’t: when the American auto industry sucks up to congress with billions of freebees and contributions over the years. All to SLOW the MPG standards.
Never post early in the day, or before the third cup of coffee. I just noted the topic thread, I thought it was Korea! Mea culpa, mea cupla, mea maxima culpa
American_Way
Posted June 28, 2008 at 1:02 pm | Permalink
Green people, and the liberals have been crying for oil conservation for years. Nothing works, in fact all their efforts have done nothing to decrease American’s addiction to oil.
——————————–
A truer statement has never been made American Way.
What have we as a country gained by “George and Dick’s Excellent Adventure in Iraq?”
We have lost 4,110 Americans and have spent $1 trillion dollars. For that……………
We are no safer from terrorism than we were on 9/10/01.
The Middle East is more unstable now than it was in February 2003.
Iran has greater influence in the region now than ever before.
Oil prices are now at all time record levels.
The American National Debt and forecasted deficits are at record levels, with no end in sight.
Our military, by their own admission, is stretched thin.
America’s position in the world has been severely diminished.
And David Brooks writes that Bush’s stubbornness has paid off?
WTF!?!?!?
There has been no payoff - none.
And, our military and Iraq’s civilians are still getting blown up daily. All Hail the Stubborn Man!
Not as obvious, but the OPEC countries now have very little incentive to placate our thirst for affordable/cheap oil. The potential threat (Saddam) to their soverignity has been removed, and they will now bleed us dry.
I’m well aware of the PNAC and they are a frightening bunch as well as the “Israel will convert or die” groups that are all about making that happen by supporting Israel.
Israel does a lot of bad stuff as well as the others. I get sick of them using our protection as a means to be hostile. When they’re right, we should protect them. When they’re wrong, they should be on their own.
And yeah, Ed does sound like a racist freak.
What crap is this? The GAO just came out with a report on the results of the escalation. The report said absolutely no gains were made.
So Bush’s huge claim to success is that things didn’t get worse?
I’ve seen no actual evidence that anything is better in Iraq, other than the Swiss bank accounts of it’s leaders and our contractors. Brook’s opinions are not evidence. There are still car bombs in the markets and IED’s on the roads, our soldiers and their civilians getting killed, an economy worse than the great depression there and coming here fast, and no appreciable improvement in the lights and plumbing we blew up and have been paying billions to get fixed for five years now. Afghanistan is at least improving its opium production; Iraq is still producing more dead bodies than anything else. It will be decades at least before they make it back to where they were during the embargo.
Sursam
On the China issue, you do not have a clue as to what you are talking about.
Bush Sr. was a former Ambassodor to China.
George W. Bush is well familiar with China and China policy.
“George W. Bush is well familiar with China and China policy”
Oh, are the opium dens back in business?
I don’t think Bush is “much aware” of anything other than taking care of and providing for his friends….the ones who have become rich off his war.
American_Way posted June 28, 2008 at 1:02 pm
“Green people, and the liberals have been crying for oil conservation for years. Nothing works, in fact all their efforts have done nothing to decrease American’s addiction to oil.”
—————-
Because “their efforts” have been BLOCKED by Detroit, and the oil industry.
Plus Reagan(’R') in 1985 rolled back CAFE standards to help(sic) GM and Ford, who unlike other auto makers couldn’t meet the mpg standards.
U.S. oil demand dropped from the late 1970’s until 1985.
Calculate U.S. oil demand, if everyone drove 1970 model gas-guzzlers.
The only thing that will break our addiction to oil is for the cost of fuel to remain high and innovative folks who will create ways to adapt.
In Houstin there is a massive effort to build mass transit and people are moving into the city in droves to live closer to their work….my niece who works for Bank of America now has her office at home. There are many things we can do to change our lifestyle and even become healthier in the process. I have a patient who has bought a bicycle and does his errands that way, he also needs to lose wieght and this idea much better than dieting….one of my peers bought a motorcycle that she rides to do her home visits on nice days..and she loves it.
This whole process doesn’t have to be totally painful..and we’ll survive and probably be much better off for it.
one of my peers bought a motorcycle that she rides to do her home visits on nice days..and she loves it. — Caruso
Peer to patient? My doctor warned me that the trauma risk of riding a bicycle is much greater than the health benefits gained by doing so.
“And yeah, Ed does sound like a racist freak.”
You mean Ed Friedeman political mama?
Ed has been proven right about an awful lot of things.
You’ve been hanging with your pal Gsheridan too much.
David Brooks of the NYT, the newspaper that conservatives love to hate, comes off as a paid shill, paid by Bush Jr.’s daddy, always trying to defend and rationalize George W. Bush.
He’s arguing that Bush Jr.’s “surge” and a few similar minor tactical moves are sufficient to cover up for the Mother of All Strategic Blunders?
Don’t think so.
How does Brooks keep his job?
Republicans are right. David Brooks? Bill Kristol? Might as well sell the gray old lady to Rupert Murdoch.
We have lost 4,110 Americans and have spent $1 trillion dollars. For that……………
We are no safer from terrorism than we were on 9/10/01. ****How many more attacks on American soil since?
The Middle East is more unstable now than it was in February 2003. ****In what way. Many report that the stability of Iraq is progressing far more than the media will report.
Iran has greater influence in the region now than ever before. ****Iran has always been jockeying for power. They would be there regardless
Oil prices are now at all time record levels. ****Demand is at record levels with China & India’s use increasing sharply. If you are trying to blame bush, blame those who would not allow US drilling. Cuba is drilling 90 miles off the Florida coast, but our liberal DEMs have rejected drilling.
The American National Debt and forecasted deficits are at record levels, with no end in sight. ****Congress has a lot to do with the budget, and therefore debt. There is plenty of blame to go around in DC.
Our military, by their own admission, is stretched thin. ****Agree
America’s position in the world has been severely diminished.
And David Brooks writes that Bush’s stubbornness has paid off?
WTF!?!?!?
There has been no payoff - none.
“George W. Bush is well familiar with China and China policy”
Yeah, but can he find the door to get out of the room?
He’ll just give backrubs until someone kicks him out of the room.
Beber…I’m not sure if she has ANY health benefits from riding a motorcycle to work…but she’s saving lots of money on gas and having a blast at the same time…and being a nurse, I sure she wears a helment.
That’s “helmet”
“How many more attacks on American soil since?”
What did Iraq have to do with the War on Terror(ism?)
“In what way.”
The War on Iraq has been the best recruiting tool terrorists could ever have.
“Iran has always been jockeying for power. They would be there regardless”
Iraq was a counter balance to Iran - now they are allies.
“but our liberal DEMs have rejected drilling.”
There is no drilling off the Florida Gulf Coast at the request of Jeb Bush. The drilling off the continental shelf was denied under executive order signed by George HW Bush. Cuba is not drilling off shore. Besides, there are 68 million acres in the US under drilling permit that are not being explored.
“Congress has a lot to do with the budget, and therefore debt. There is plenty of blame to go around in DC.”
When in the last 32 years has a Republican president proposed a balanced budget? Answer: never.
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[...] that unwillingness to accept defeat on his watch, he never would have bucked the oppositionhttp://blogs.kansas.com/weblog/2008/06/bush%e2%80%99s-stubbornness-finally-paid-off-in-iraq/CharacterEd.Net - Character TraitsWhat is Character Education? Character Traits. Developing positive [...]