Bush celebrates 5 years of war in Iraq - and he's proud of that?

George Bush has chosen to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the illegal invasion of Iraq by making some of his most grandiose claims about his successes. The man clearly has no shame which, I guess, if you are President of the United States would not be an emotion which played well among your political disciples. It's like a poker player. You have to somehow stagger to the end game without admitting that you had a losing hand all the time.



But he talks about the 'surge' turning the country round and producing the 'first arab uprising against Osama bin Laden' Does Bush have any inkling how many shades of buffoon that remark makes him look? Before the US and British invaded Iraq and destroyed the military infrastructure of the country there WAS no faction supporting Osama Bin Laden. It took the deaths of 100,000 Iraqis and the destruction of the whole political, military and social fabric of the country to allow a vacuum in which insurgents of Al Queda could thrive. Before that Saddam Hussein kept Al Queda very firmly out of Iraq.

There has certainly been a weakening of the insurgents position in the north of the country and, with 30,000 additional US troops sent to furnish the 'surge' you would expect that.

But the infighting between the Iraqi factions, Shia, Sunni and Kurd has not stopped and the political future of the country looks as uncertain as ever. Allied to that there is still a terrible state of deprivation with thousands of Iraqis still without water and drainage, 5 years on from the invasion.

Apart from the cost in human lives which is inestimable, this invasion, and supporting it, has cost the US $500 BILLION. What has it achieved? Well it killed 100,000 Iraqis, many of them women and children blown to pieces by 'shock and awe;. It removed a local tyrant who had no weaponry of any consequence, let alone the armoury which the American government bull-shitted to the world. Oh and Al Queda? Well the brains behind 911 are still free, Bin Laden is reportedly in Pakistan and other organisers of Al Queda are well out of the rifle sights.

Basically Bush should stand up there, hand on heart, and say 'I am a war criminal. I committed an evil, unforgiveable attack on a nation not in a position to defend itself and which did not threaten the United States. I acted on the advice of the greatest bunch of right wing hawks ever to disgrace the Republican Party. I should be impeached.'

That's his true 5 year legacy. But of course he won't do that. Let's just hope this nasty little man buries himself in some domestic bill or other until he can shuffle off the world's stage. Whoever he leaves that stage to, be it Democrat or Republican, can only bring a greater honour and prestige to the office of President of the United States than he has managed in eight dreadful, nightmare years.