Marching off the cliff

Part 2 on the Bush Speech:

This article has several takes from noteworthy individuals inside and outside of the Military.

noteworthy points:

*Bush AGAIN tries to link Iraq with al-Qaida. Michael Lind, senior fellow at the New America Foundation.
*Bush sounds almost Soviet-esque with his talk of bringing Sovereignty and Freedom, while continuing a military occupation to make sure the Freedom goes in the correct, west-friendly direction. Karen Kwiatkowski, lieutenant colonel, U.S. Air Force (ret.)
*"My central concern is he has not yet recognized the mistakes he's made and therefore does not have a basis on which to improve the situation." Lawrence Korb, former assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration
*Bush's plan consists of repeating the same platitudes about freedom and terror, trying to pass it off as a foreign policy. Turning Bush's numbers around will seriously take more than this. It appears he's in denial. Ruy Teixeira, senior fellow, the Century Foundation
*

I think that the reality of a Iraq and 9/11 connection is never going to be an issue for the president. I believe he is content to accept the lie and he will never back away from it. if he repeats it enough, it can be true. he just KNOWS it...facts be damned. and another thing. People in the press, please quit calling it a "cynical ploy." it is not a cynical ploy. it's a LIE. one word, one syllable. L-I-E. Lie.

oh, and another thing. you know this whole Abu Ghraib thing has been in the news for a bit. it's kind of a big deal. Mr. President...for me...could you PLEASE learn how to SAY THE WORDS? they're kinda relevant to our world right now.

I AM STILL LOOKING FOR ANY LIVING MILITARY LEADER THAT AGREES WITH BUSH, YET IS NOT CURRENTLY UNDER HIS COMMAND. ANYBODY GOT ONE YET?

I'll leave you with a paragraph from Gen. Anthony Zinni's new book:

"In the lead-up to the Iraq war and its later conduct, I saw, at a minimum, true dereliction, negligence, and irresponsibility; at worst, lying, incompetence and corruption. False rationales as a justification; a flawed strategy; lack of planning; the unnecessary alienation of our allies; the underestimation of the task; the unnecessary distraction from real threats; and the unbearable strain dumped on our overstretched military, all of these caused me to speak out. I did it before the war as a caution, and as an attempt to voice concern over situations I knew would be dangers, where the outcomes would likely mean real harm to our nation's interests. I was called a traitor and turncoat by Pentagon officials. The personal attacks are painful … but the photos of the casualties I see every day in the papers and on TV convince me not to shrink from the obligation to speak the truth."