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Should cowboy Bush ride into the
sunset?
As a former combat infantryman in World War II, I've always
believed we must fully support our troops. Reluctantly, I
now believe the best way to support troops in Iraq is to
bring them home, starting with the "hand-over" on
June 30.
Only a carefully planned withdrawal can
clean up the biggest military mess miscreated in the Oval
Office and miscarried by the Pentagon in my 80-year lifetime.
In Journalese, the traditional five Ws of Who, What, When,
Where, Why:
Who? George W. Bush.
What? His cowboy culture. Ride fast and
alone or with just a few buddies. Shoot first. Ask questions
later.
When? After 9/11. Bush bravely took on
a necessary fight against terrorists who attacked us. But then
he diverted his attention to an unrelated and unnecessary
"pre-emptive" war.
Where? Iraq. He led us astray by
falsely claiming Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass
destruction that threatened us. After the "Mission
Accomplished" boast in May 2003, he put our troops in new
jeopardy by taunting terrorists from other countries with his
"Bring 'em on!" challenge last July 2. His
anything-goes-against-the-bad-guys attitude and his total lack
of postwar planning helped prompt the ongoing prison-abuse
embarrassments and brutal retaliations.
Why? Because he believes he can be
re-elected as a tough-talking, self-proclaimed "War
President."
Maybe Bush should take a cue from a
fellow Texan, former president Lyndon Baines Johnson, who also
had some cowboy characteristics.
LBJ, after mismanaging the Vietnam War
that so bitterly divided the nation and the world, decided he
owed it to his political party and to his country not to run
for re-election. So, he turned tail and rode off into the
sunset of his Texas ranch.
How do you say déjà vu in
Cowboyese?
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