This doesn’t sound like someone who saw the same election results that most pundits saw. It doesn’t sound like someone who’s cooly evaluating all policy options. It sounds like someone indulging in faith-based policy. George Bush in Vietnam:
The president said there was much to be learned from the divisive Vietnam War _ the longest conflict in U.S. history _ as his administration contemplates new strategies for the increasingly difficult war in Iraq, now in its fourth year. But his critics see parallels with Vietnam _ a determined insurgency and a death toll that has drained public support _ that spell danger for dragging out U.S. involvement in Iraq.
“It’s just going to take a long period of time for the ideology that is hopeful _ and that is an ideology of freedom _ to overcome an ideology of hate,” Bush said after having lunch at his lakeside hotel with Australian Prime Minister John Howard, one of America’s strongest allies in Iraq, Vietnam and other conflicts.
“We’ll succeed,” Bush added, “unless we quit.”
If you haven’t read Bob Woodward’s book yet, READ IT.
This sounds like the same government policy by positive affirmation that the book revealed and that stunned so many people (including some supporters of the war). It sounds as if there is a belief, an ideology and the rest is going to be fit into it — versus a thoughtful evaluation, cost-benefit analysis, a weighing of what is in the national interest — and charting an effective path to achieve that national interest. Question: why is the bipartisan Iraq Study Group even bothering? It sounds like his mind is made up.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.