Jon Soltz from VoteVets has a must-read post over Huffington analyzing the three very recent news items about Iraq. Those include: 1) the GAO report "that finds, more or less, that Iraq is in chaos" and challenges the underpinnings of Bush's claims of success; 2) the McClatchy news article that indicates military leaders won't make a single recommendation about the war to Bush; and 3) the shocking revelation that the Secretary of Defense was not told about the additional request for $50 billion in Iraq spending. Yes, Gates didn't even know. Think Progress has the video of Gates on FOX News.
Soltz explains the dire impact these three developments are having on the U.S. military and the Iraq war effort:
The president, in losing control of the war in Iraq and clinging to what he wants to see, and not the reality, now has nearly a full-scale revolt in his own military that just isn't willing to go along for the ride anymore. The GAO surely interviewed a number of people on the ground for their report and got messages that didn't support the administration. The military can't come to an agreement on what to tell the president other than that this is his problem now. And the Secretary of Defense, who has strayed from the White House message a number of times, learns of administration war funding proposals from the Washington Post.So another part of Bush's legacy will be that he destroyed the U.S. military -- and the Republicans in Congress have let him.
I take no joy in seeing this happen. Our troops are the best in the world. As they are fighting and dying in 130 degree heat, they've had to look to the East to see an Iraqi government that didn't care and went on vacation. Now, they look back to the West and see their department falling apart like a neglected Pinto, because this president is stubborn.
Maybe this president doesn't care because his administration is over. But I care. And I'm going to continue to care long after this president rides off into the sunset to clear brush for the rest of his life.
