-- George W. Bush's Lamest Speech Yet

The following are excerpts from tonight’s speech by the President-select of the United States, along with my comments:

Tonight in Iraq, the armed forces of the United States are engaged in a struggle that will determine the direction of the global war on terror - and our safety here at home.

The “global war on terror” that he's referring to is actually limited to Iraq, which is hardly global. Iraq, whether historically or currently was never a threat to us here at home. Typical for W; he has used the word “terror” in some form or other in every speech he has given since the attack on the World Trade Center. It’s his way of keeping America afraid, which he used to his advantage to attack an innocent nation.

When I addressed you just over a year ago, nearly 12 million Iraqis had cast their ballots for a unified and democratic nation. The elections of 2005 were a stunning achievement. We thought that these elections would bring the Iraqis together - and that as we trained Iraqi security forces, we could accomplish our mission with fewer American troops.

Who is “we” exactly? Most of the world felt that invading Iraq was a bad idea. Much of America did too, for that matter, but one person refused to listen. This was never “our” mission, this was George W. Bush’s mission, and it’s been a huge failure. Own up to the miserable mess you've made, George. Three messes, if you include your drunken daughters.

Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me.

Finally, an ounce of truth.

It is clear that we need to change our strategy in Iraq. ... Failure in Iraq would be a disaster for the United States.

No, failure in Iraq would be a disaster for George W. Bush. This is your mess, not America’s. Own up to your own disgrace and stop trying to put it on the rest of America. By the way, the majority of us didn't elect you. Keep that in mind.

On September the 11th, 2001, we saw what a refuge for extremists on the other side of the world could bring to the streets of our own cities. For the safety of our people, America must succeed in Iraq.

Of course he had to bring in 9/11, even though Iraq had nothing to do with that. As always, he tries to obfuscate the truth and mislead the American public by throwing his 9/11 red herring across the path.

So I've committed more than 20,000 additional American troops to Iraq.

This in spite of the fact that twice in the past year we have sent additional troops into Baghdad, only to be shown that it won’t work. The time to send in a large army is at the start of a war, not when you’re trying to end one. According to some experts, even 20,000 troops won’t be enough. We would need over 100,000 troops, and to get that many additional soldiers would require a draft.

America's men and women in uniform took away al Qaeda's safe haven in Afghanistan - and we will not allow them to re- establish it in Iraq.

Right, and we got bin Laden too, didn’t we?

Succeeding in Iraq also requires defending its territorial integrity - and stabilizing the region in the face of the extremist challenge. This begins with addressing Iran and Syria. ... We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria.

And if that doesn’t work, we’ll just attack Iran and Syria, just like we attacked Afghanistan and Iraq. We have the troops, don't we? George seems to think we have an unlimited supply.

We will expand intelligence sharing and deploy Patriot air defense systems to reassure our friends and allies.

We don’t do “intelligence sharing” within our own government, but we’re going to do it with other nations?

On the other side are extremists who kill the innocent, and have declared their intention to destroy our way of life.

Just as we destroyed theirs.

The question is whether our new strategy will bring us closer to success. I believe that it will.

And look at how successful W’s track record is so far. And who is he referring to when he says “our” new strategy? This is his strategy, and there isn’t anything new about it.

Victory will not look like the ones our fathers and grandfathers achieved.

In other words, we won’t be the winners.

We also need to examine ways to mobilize talented American civilians to deploy overseas - where they can help build democratic institutions in communities and nations recovering from war and tyranny.

I suggest we send Barbara Bush for starters. She really is the one who created this mess in the White House. Oh, and George H. W. Bush too. Send him with her. He has new hips now, so he doesn't have an excuse not to go and work to improve his country. W. can join him in two years, when he'll be out of the White House and will need something to do.

These young Americans understand that our cause in Iraq is noble and necessary - and that the advance of freedom is the calling of our time.

Our cause in Iraq has neither been noble nor necessary. There were better ways to deal with Saddam than attacking his country, but George W. Bush refused to listen to any voice of reason who tried to tell him this. George was out for blood, and no one could stop him. In that, he has succeeded.

And what did the Republicans have to say about George’s speech?

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina: "President Bush made a very persuasive case for strategy change. I appreciate his willingness to acknowledge past mistakes and chart a new course to achieve victory in Iraq."

Wipe that brown off your nose, Lindsey.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas: "Simply abandoning Iraq now, as some would have us do, would ensure failure and put America's national security at risk. The strategy presented tonight represents a real opportunity for peace and stability in Iraq."

In the first place, how would America’s national security be at risk? Iraq never attacked us, and certainly does not have the weaponry to attack us now, so this doesn’t put us at risk, it puts the credibility of the Republican party at risk, and in case you haven’t been paying attention, the nation has already caught on to you guys. This strategy does nothing to ensure peace in Iraq.

Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Oregon: "Iraqis need to be their own street cops, not U.S. forces. This is the president's Hail Mary pass. Now it is up to the Iraqi Army to catch the ball.”

Because if you want to make your point, use a sports analogy!

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona: "We are paying a very heavy price for it, but I do believe we can win."

Write this down, everyone, so when McCain is running for President in ’08 you can remember why you should NOT vote for him.

Ohio Republican Sen. George Voinovich: "At this point I am skeptical that a surge in troops alone will bring an end to sectarian violence and the insurgency. What we need first is a political solution between Sunni Arabs and Shia militias that are adding to the violence."

Wow, a Republican with common sense. There is a God!