Pro War Rallies Not Helping Sell That Lemon

And still Democrats in the Senate refuse to call Bush out on illegal spying on American citizens.

Bush Fails to Resolve Public Doubts About War

By David S. Broder

Thursday, March 16, 2006; Page A23

On the third anniversary of the war in Iraq, President Bush once again finds himself trying to rally American public opinion to support that costly venture. The series of speeches that began this week comes against a background of deepening skepticism on the part of voters about the effort that began in March 2003 with a lightning strike against Saddam Hussein's forces.

A CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll, taken just as Bush began this latest oratorical push, found 57 percent of those surveyed said it was a mistake to start the war and 60 percent believe the struggle for democracy and order in that country is going badly. Only 1 voter in 3 believes Bush has a clear plan for winning or ending the war.

I can't stop scratchin' my head over the Democratic "leadership's" inability to get the point that, not only is this Admin actually guilty of unconstitutional behavior, the american public supports the Congress doing something about it!* Taylor Marsh has more on that little bit of American individual's assessment of Bush's behavior.

Add to the poll numbers the ever growing mountains of evidence from former Administration officials (remember Paul O'Neil anyone?) and Military personnel who say they predicted much less in way of ROI for taking out Sadaam than BushCo has ever acknoledged, and it makes the likelihood that his administration can be trusted with the Constitutional power it already has, much less with abilities which, uhm, temporarily abrogate that foundation of our country's commitment to Freedom and Liberty.

In his new book, "The Battle for Peace: A Frontline Vision of America's Power and Purpose," Zinni and co-author Tony Koltz recall the general's testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Feb. 11, 2003, just a few weeks before Bush took the nation to war.

Zinny is a retired Marine General, who used to be in charge of t heUS Central Command, including the Middle East. He is also the author of a new book, "The Battle for Peace: A Frontline Vision of America's Power and Purpose," which makes him yet another former BushCo employee to tell tales of how they had warned the Administration it was being unrealistic in its expectations for any Iraqi invasion. Most telling to me is the following.

Zinni knew, he says, that many of his military colleagues believed Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld was underestimating the manpower needs for an occupation of Iraq. "And I had heard interpretations of intelligence that many of us with deep experience in the region felt were far off the mark from the true threat."

So when Sen. Norm Coleman, a Republican from Minnesota, asked Zinni if he did not agree that anything would be an improvement on Hussein, the general demurred. Recalling that the ouster of the Soviets from Afghanistan had left that country in the hands of the Taliban, Zinni said, "Anyone who has to live in this region and has to stay there and protect our interests, year in, year out, does not look at this as a start and end, as an exit strategy, as a two-year tenure. As long as you are going to have a U.S. Central Command, you are going to be out there and have to deal with whatever you put down on the ground."

(emphasis mine)

BushCo have been untrustworthy and utterly inept guardians of American Democracy for too long already. The American public is voicing more concerns for this Admin that for any since Nixon was going down for the final count.

If the Democrats can't see this, ... {shakin'head}

Let the Republican base get riled up and motivated. That segment of the voting populace is smaller than that of the hardcore Libertarian establishment. (Sadly so, IMO) I just don't understand how these generally intelligent so-called progressive Liberal folks can't see this obvious need to make Bush face the facts the he is NOT the Emperor. I mean it regardless of Party affiliation.

Not all Republicans - despite my Senators pathetic take - are neoconservative theocrats.


* Thanks to Vichy Democrats for the tip on the poll.