Obama and Iraq

Commentary By Ron Beasley

Political theater - yes that's what Obama's soap box White House speech was all about.  Unfortunately I wasn't expecting any thing more or anything less.

Good evening. Tonight, I�d like to talk to you about the end of our
combat mission in Iraq, the ongoing security challenges we face, and the
need to rebuild our nation here at home.

I know this historic
moment comes at a time of great uncertainty for many Americans. We have
now been through nearly a decade of war. We have endured a long and
painful recession. And sometimes in the midst of these storms, the
future that we are trying to build for our nation � a future of lasting
peace and long-term prosperity may seem beyond our reach.

But
this milestone should serve as a reminder to all Americans that the
future is ours to shape if we move forward with confidence and
commitment.  It should also serve as a message to the world that the
United States of America intends to sustain and strengthen our
leadership in this young century.

Mindless political double speak.

I�m old � I became politically aware during the Vietnam war and
realized that my government had no problem lying to me.  I didn�t
realize how much they were lying to me until years later when Lyndon
Johnson�s white house tapes were released but I knew they were lying to
me all along.  After I graduated from college in 1968 I went to work for
the Defense Intelligence Agency as an analyst.  It didn�t take very
long before I realized the threat from the Soviet Union was be
exaggerated to justify defense industry corporate welfare for weapons
that weren�t needed.  In an hour  President Obama will talk about Iraq. 
What will he say?  Political double speak is what I anticipate.  The
invasion and occupation was justified by lies and the lies have
continued right up to the present day.  I don�t know if Obama will lie
but he won�t tell the truth.

So who were the winners and losers of our misadventure in Iraq?

The big winner was Iran � the nemesis on it�s border was overthrown
and a probable ally was empowered -  a Shiite dominated government in
Iraq.  The military industrial complex was a big winner � they made lots
of money.

The losers were the citizens and taxpayers of the United States.  A
lot of American blood has been spilled and a lot of American treasure
has been squandered for nothing � we are less secure not more.  And then
we have the Iraqi people.  Saddam was a bad person but are the
thousands of Iraqis killed better off ?  Are the thousands of Iraqis in
refugee camps better off?