Mission Accomplished

[lyeag]

Honestly? Yes, we are WAY better off than we were 5 years ago. My husband is in the military, and he is getting ready to leave us again in the near future.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

Is the Administration still blaming the crew of that ship for taking it upon themselves for hanging that sign or did they finally admit that it was a White House PR stunt?

 

[CPT Tripss]

They just don't get it and keep blaming the "little fish" in the Chain of Command.

May 1, 2003
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Admiral Kelly, Captain Card, officers and sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln, my fellow Americans: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. (Applause.) And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country.

In this battle, we have fought for the cause of liberty, and for the peace of the world. Our nation and our coalition are proud of this accomplishment -- yet, it is you, the members of the United States military, who achieved it. Your courage, your willingness to face danger for your country and for each other, made this day possible. Because of you, our nation is more secure. Because of you, the tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free. (Applause.)

Operation Iraqi Freedom was carried out with a combination of precision and speed and boldness the enemy did not expect, and the world had not seen before. From distant bases or ships at sea, we sent planes and missiles that could destroy an enemy division, or strike a single bunker. Marines and soldiers charged to Baghdad across 350 miles of hostile ground, in one of the swiftest advances of heavy arms in history. You have shown the world the skill and the might of the American Armed Forces.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/05/20030501-15.html

That was then . . . this is now (according to the liberal media at FOX) on April 30.

WASHINGTON — The White House said Wednesday that President Bush has paid a price for the "Mission Accomplished" banner that was flown in triumph five years ago but later became a symbol of U.S. misjudgments and mistakes in the long and costly war in Iraq.

Thursday is the fifth anniversary of Bush's dramatic landing in a Navy jet on an aircraft carrier homebound from the war. The USS Abraham Lincoln had launched thousands of airstrikes on Iraq.

"Major combat operations in Iraq have ended," Bush said at the time. "The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on Sept. 11, 2001, and still goes on." The "Mission Accomplished" banner was prominently displayed above him — a move the White House came to regret as the display was mocked and became a source of controversy.

After shifting explanations, the White House eventually said the "Mission Accomplished" phrase referred to the carrier's crew completing its 10-month mission, not the military completing its mission in Iraq. Bush, in October 2003, disavowed any connection with the "Mission Accomplished" message. He said the White House had nothing to do with the banner; a spokesman later said the ship's crew asked for the sign and the White House staff had it made by a private vendor.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353541,00.html

 

[ChrisFL]

I'm proud to be an American.

I used to be

 

[duckfan78]

Our country is a democracy. We voted for President Bush, we voted for our representatives and they voted a majority to approve the war in Iraq. Now once things started to get hard, many people wanted to bring the troops home and end the war. Is this the same country that fought in WWII? Everyone basically left President Bush out to dry. If we all supported the President these past 5 years the war would probably would have gone a lot smoother.

And for people who say that al Qaida were not in Iraq, well right now al Qaida is in Iraq, and we need to defeat them as we are doing. If not, they will follow us home, that is something far worse than a bad economy.

Its easy to blame the person at the helm

 

[minniecarousel]

Well, whatever "spin" is placed on the war - as a nation, I don't believe that we're better off and I am personally not better off.

 

[marybet]

AGREED!

P.S. I love reading your posts!

Why thanks! Sometimes I wonder if anyone reads my posts, nice to know you do and even better that you like them.

 

[marybet]

Our country is a democracy. We voted for President Bush, we voted for our representatives and they voted a majority to approve the war in Iraq. Now once things started to get hard, many people wanted to bring the troops home and end the war. Is this the same country that fought in WWII? Everyone basically left President Bush out to dry. If we all supported the President these past 5 years the war would probably would have gone a lot smoother.

And for people who say that al Qaida were not in Iraq, well right now al Qaida is in Iraq, and we need to defeat them as we are doing. If not, they will follow us home, that is something far worse than a bad economy.

Its easy to blame the person at the helm

Well WWII was a world war, not one country's civil war. I've never believed that line that they will follow us home. But if we hadn't gone there they wouldn't be able to follow us home now would they. Things got hard because Bush mismanaged the war from the start. If the person at the helm isn't responsible, who is?

 

[MO Disney cruiser]

Am I better off than before the unprovoked invasion of the sovereign nation of Iraq? Can't say I am. Can't say our country is either. We had so much support on 9/11. It's all gone. My great grandchildren will still be paying for the invasion.

It's sad really.

 

[Angelhalo]

Why thanks! Sometimes I wonder if anyone reads my posts, nice to know you do and even better that you like them.

Heehee no problem. You often say what I'm thinking but in a better way than how I would say it!

 

[transparant]

Honestly? Yes, we are WAY better off than we were 5 years ago. My husband is in the military, and he is getting ready to leave us again in the near future.

 

[JARNJ3]

Am I better off than before the unprovoked invasion of the sovereign nation of Iraq? Can't say I am. Can't say our country is either. We had so much support on 9/11. It's all gone. My great grandchildren will still be paying for the invasion.

It's sad really.

Exactly. This Iraq decision - a very bad mistake that will go down in history as the one of the worst ones......

 

[salmoneous]

Is this the same country that fought in WWII?

Yes - but this is a very different war.

If we all supported the President these past 5 years the war would probably would have gone a lot smoother.

How so.

well right now al Qaida is in Iraq,

Everyone does realize that the group calling themselves al Qaida in Iraq is a different group than attacked us on 9/11, right?

and we need to defeat them as we are doing.

Can you define "defeat" for a neboulous group like al Qaida in Iraq?

If not, they will follow us home,

How? If folks are going to say "they will follow us home" they really need to explain what they mean by that. If they have the abilility to come the US and attack, they will do so. Having our troops involved in the Civil War in Iraq isn't stopping them from coming to the US.

Our troops have accomplished their mission in Iraq. Now we are just spending billions and seeing troops die.... for what? Time to start coming home.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I support our troops one hundred and thirty-thousand percent.


I do not support the man that makes them go fight civil wars in other countries. Mission Accomplished my backside. I'm also not liking the spin the White House has brainwashed others with out that banner.



And for the poster who said we voted for him...really? REALLY? I didn't and I'm certain a lot of other flag-waiving Americans did not as well. (Hanging chads, anyone?)

 

[LukenDC]

Our country is a democracy. We voted for President Bush, we voted for our representatives and they voted a majority to approve the war in Iraq. Now once things started to get hard, many people wanted to bring the troops home and end the war. Is this the same country that fought in WWII? Everyone basically left President Bush out to dry. If we all supported the President these past 5 years the war would probably would have gone a lot smoother.

And for people who say that al Qaida were not in Iraq, well right now al Qaida is in Iraq, and we need to defeat them as we are doing. If not, they will follow us home, that is something far worse than a bad economy.

Its easy to blame the person at the helm

And at the helm is where the blame needs to be. Yes, this is the same country that fought in WWII. The same country that nearly single handedly defeated Imperial Japan and contributed to a group effort to defeat Nazi Germany. The same country that did that won a WORLD WAR in LESS THAN FOUR YEARS. The Iraq disaster has been ongoing for more than five years now with no end in sight.

Bush was extremely derelict in his planning for this war. His negligence and arrogance are what allowed the Al Qaeda in Iraq group to form and the insurgency to get out of hand. Meanwhile, Bin Laden's al-Qaeda branch is plotting against this country in Afghanistan and Pakistan. And with Saddam out of the way, a Shiite majority in power in Iraq, and America bogged down, Iran is emboldened as never before and plotting its own nefarious agenda.

 

[ChrisFL]

Honestly? Yes, we are WAY better off than we were 5 years ago. My husband is in the military, and he is getting ready to leave us again in the near future.

are you referring to yourself or the country? You may be better off, the country, by any reasonable and actual measure is NOT

 

[CPT Tripss]

Honestly? Yes, we are WAY better off than we were 5 years ago. My husband is in the military, and he is getting ready to leave us again in the near future.

Just curious. What are your metrics for "bettter off?"

 

[Barbossa]

Are you better off?

Hell freakin' no. Dubya and his minions (or is that Cheney and his minions) have systematically gutted this country. We won't see the "good old days" for another 10-20 years, if ever.

 

[disneyfan67]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Everyone should take the time and rent the PBS documentary Bush's War. I did and it was worth my time. I actually bought the DVD. See link below

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/bushswar/

I watched this two part series when it first came on and they interviewed over 400 people and I highly recommend it. It isn't a one sided affair and a lot of people had the guts to get in front of the camera and tell what the mindset at the time was. Paul Bremer, Tommy Franks, and host of former administration officials and assistants tell their story. The producers use a time line and present the facts as they all went down. It shows the big mistakes that were made, the drama behind the closed doors, and the fallout from those mistakes. It's time some people take off their blinders and watch this with an open mind. It made me flinch and wince at times, but it was worth it. Please don't dismiss this documentary as some Micheal Moore piece of garbage. It's far more than that and it deserves to be seen, IMO.

 

[DixieDolphin]

Are we better off? Most assuredly not.

In the past five years, I've watched my father go from a well-paid computer programmer for a large, nationally recognized company to having to read water meters for the city for a living. My mother was let go from the mortgage company she worked for when they went bankrupt and dissolved. Now my family worries how they will get through each month on an income of barely a 1/4 of what they once made. And I've made the decision to move in with them to help out.

I've watched gas prices shoot through the roof, to where I spend over $300 per month on fuel alone (even with an extremely gas efficient vehicle!). I've seen on average 9 out of 10 homes on my route home from work go up for sale or fall into foreclosure. And now I watch as the economy continues to go down the toilet, with food prices starting to climb, housing costs skyrocket, and the value of our currency failing against world markets.

I've been witness to the steady decline international credibility for this country that I love so much. Respect for America and Americans has plummeted, despite the worldwide sympathy we garnered following the 9/11 attacks (even Iran expressed sympathy in that aftermath!).

And that's to say nothing of the disaster we've unleashed in the Middle East. The thought of those 4000+ Americans who have perished in Iraq fighting in this endless war deeply saddens me. How many of our fellow Americans have to die over there before they will end this? My cousin is over there right now and I fear every day for his safety.

And the untold number of Iraqi innocent civilians who have died in this conflict... how many families will grow up under the shadow of brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers killed in this mess... only to be viewed as 'collateral damage.' It's no way to spread positive sentiments towards America and only breeds more extremism.

Are we safer? I'd say certainly not. But I don't believe we were all that unsafe to begin with. Terrorism does not obey the rules of war. And a significantly determined person will inevitably slip through even the tightest of security nets. To be honest, I feel if nothing else we have /increased/ our chances of attack by continuing this useless crusade.

So... no. I certainly don't feel as if we are better off. I weep for my country. I love this land so much and have such deep pride in my family's history here, but I am supremely ashamed of the path the current regime has taken us down.

Unfortunately, I don't foresee any changes on the near horizon--regardless of which political party wins this election. We've opened Pandora's box and we may never get the contents back inside again.