From the start, the Bush White House has had a credibility problem on Iraq. It began with the rotating rationale as two of the original premises that might justify a war -- that Saddam Hussein was armed with weapons of mass destruction or that he was somehow assisting al Qaeda -- proved unfounded. The Bush administration also woefully miscalculated -- or misrepresented -- the difficulty of stabilizing Iraq after the U.S. military quickly demolished Hussein's regime. In a prewar interview on "Meet the Press, " Cheney was downright dismissive of suggestions that it might take several years and hundreds of thousands of troops to establish the peace in Iraq. Cheney predicted "they will greet us as liberators."
Last night, Bush repeatedly and disingenuously portrayed the combat in Iraq as part of the "global war on terrorism" he declared after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. There is little doubt that terrorists from other nations have been drawn to Iraq in the chaotic aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion -- but that is reason to question the wisdom of this pre-emptive war. Each day seems to bring another suicide bombing, claiming more civilian lives and adding to the death toll of U.S. troops that is now approaching 1,800.
Bush's "clear path forward" was far too vague for the dedicated soldiers who are risking their lives and the U.S. taxpayers who are providing hundreds of billions of dollars for this ill-defined mission. The difference between stubbornness and resolve can be dangerous when lives are at stake.
An administration that can't seem to admit a mistake is continuing to ask Americans to share its faith that everything will turn out fine in Iraq. The war so far gives no reason to inspire such confidence.
From an editorial in today's San Francisco Chronicle. Read more from Talkleft. Or check out Wonkette's "liveblogging" notes taken during the speech.