The Deception by George W. Bush
... aids and protects terrorists, including members of al-Qa’ida.” (Independent) The source continues to claim that President Bush said he had new evidence of the link: Evidence from intelligence source, secret communications and statements by people now in custody, reveal that Saddam aids and protects terrorists, including members of al-Qa’ida. (Independent) Some Arab leaders and Osama Bin Laden view Saddam Hussein as a person who opposes the Islamic religion and all that it represents; therefore, Bush’s insinuation that Hussein and al-Qa’ida are allies is unjustified. Bush manipulated and deceived the public and later said “We’ve had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the September 11th [attacks],” Bush stated on September 17, 2003. Most Americans thought Saddam’s reputed role in the attacks was a major reason why we went to war. (Independent) Thus the U.S. went to war. Bush and his cabinet say that the war would be quick and simple. Bush “administration spokesmen repeatedly suggested it [the war] would be a ‘cake walk.’ ” A cakewalk consists of moving from square to square, having the music stop and receiving a prize if a player is on the correct number. In the case of the war against Iraq, there is no music and the grand prize is OIL. If the war was supposed to be a cakewalk, how does the Bush administration feel about the daily deaths of soldiers since President Bush said that “major combat operations” had ended on May 1? As if the war weren’t bad enough, Bush dresses in a flight suit lands on an aircraft carrier floating off San Diego—where he stood below a banner that read MISSION ACCOMPLISHED and declared “an end to ‘major combat operations’” (TIME, 32) What was intended to be a great photo opportunity backfired and this arrogant move bacame a big mistake for two reasons. One, Bush was dressed in military clothing when he has not served in active duty and two, November of 2003 was “the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Iraq since the war began in March.” (TIME, 33) The MISSION ACCOMPLISHED slogan was a huge hoax. In order to offset the deception, Bush made a secret undisclosed trip to Baghdad. What a great photo-op! Americans watching television at home heard that their President had made a secret visit to Baghdad to share Thanksgiving dinner with the troops. (TIME, 32) This trip was a highly political move according to TIME magazine journalists in which the President wanted to wipe out images of his bonding with troops and the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED fiasco. (TIME, 32) Bush was both criticized and praised for the trip to Baghdad. The praise was obvious, but the criticism was that Bush never left the military base and he never met with any of the Iraqi people. “Says Alah Ghanam, 31, as he stands guard outside a western Baghdad restaurant: ‘He did it all for the coming election.’” (TIME, 33) Bush’s visit did not help the family of the soldier who died in Mosul: The morning after Air Force One left Baghdad, a U.S. soldier was killed in a mortar attack in Mosul. By the weekend, 79 Americans had been killed since Oct. 31, making November the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Iraq since the war began in March. (TIME, 33) What has not been discussed in any detail are the feelings of the Iraqi people now that the U.S. is occupying Iraq. There are many stories to be told about the Iraqi people since Americans have arrived. Some examples are: The story of Mohammed Ali Karam, who wants revenge against the U.S. for killing his brother when they were simply driving through the neighborhood to obtain water. Mohammed was not a Saddam Hussein supporter, and was happy when Americans arrived. But now, he “wants to kill a U.S. soldier.” (TIME, 35) Mohammed’s brother was talking excitedly about his upcoming wedding when the 82nd Airbone paratroopers opened fire. His brother was found “gurgling blood through his throat” and no weapons were found on any of the men. He died three days before his wedding. “The Americans are frequently guilty of excesses that are turning ordinary Iraqis into foes.” (TIME, 35) The war continues to wage on as the death toll of Americans and Iraqis continues to rise. The Presidential election of 2004 will cause Bush to be faced with an increasing call to bring the troops home. As American troops continue to occupy Baghdad, now what’s to be done? Not only are Americans being killed, the international community is being affected. Examples are the Turkish terrorists’ bombings which resulted in many deaths and can be attributed to America involving Turkish troops in Iraq by bringing “the Turkish and Jordanian armies because they supposedly know how to deal with ‘the natives.’” (National Review, 18) Other countries who were initially sending troops to Iraq to aid the American cause are now reconsiderin...