Bush is saying "progress" and "success" about Iraq a lot these days. The NY Times reported that Bush said "success" eight times in his speech in Iraq yesterday. But, as we've seen so many times, just because Bush says something doesn't mean it's true. Actually, when Bush says something about Iraq, he's usually lying. That seems to be the case again based on the report officially released by the Government Accountability Office:
Violence is high in Iraq, with scant political progress and mixed results on security, a Congressional report said on Tuesday, a day after President George W. Bush visited Anbar province and struck an upbeat tone.Bush is desperate to prove his so-called surge worked. It didn't. So, he's in full spin mode as Froomkin accurately notes, "Bush is gaming the media -- and playing for time."
The independent Government Accountability Office (GAO) said Iraq had failed to meet 11 of 18 political and military goals set by Congress last May. Iraq met three benchmarks and partially met another four, it said.
"Violence remains high, the number of Iraqi security forces capable of conducting independent operations has declined and militias are not disarmed," the GAO report said -- despite Bush's addition of 30,000 U.S. troops to Iraq this year.
"It is unclear whether sectarian violence in Iraq has decreased," David Walker, head of the GAO, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The big question now is whether Congress accepts the reality from Iraq or the spin from Bush.
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