Success in Iraq.

The New York Times report "Baghdad’s Weary Start to Exhale as Security Improves" tells of a Baghdad returning to "normalcy". I guess "normalcy" means what it was like before we invaded, minus the brutal favoritism shown to one ethnic group over another by a military dictator. Introduced in the report was a new metric by which to measure military success. The article states that "at a handful of once shuttered liquor stores customers now line up outside". Huzzah! Maybe someday they'll be as many open as there were before we invaded. Many see the recent decline in violence as proof that the surge has worked. Iraqis are walking through parts of Baghdad with the strongest sense of security they have felt since Our invasion began in 2003. Great News! We can bring the troops home now, right?! Call it a successful surge. Call it the fact that Baghdad's neighborhood's are far more ethnically cleansed and divided than before we invaded. Call it whatever you want. Call it "mission accomplished". More importantly, call it a reason to start bringing Our over worked, over stretched, and under rested military home, and not just those additional troops added for "the surge" but a reduction from the pre-surge numbers. Then we can really talk about success. Of course, for that discussion to happen, we will agree upon which reason or cause for the US's unprovoked invasion of Iraq we have been victorious over. And "regime change" is not allowed under international principles and law.

Oh the spin we're in for on Our "victory". The neo-con, "bush doctrined", "pre-emptive", invasion of Iraq that has cost 4,310 American soldiers their lives and the American taxpayer $470,000,000,000.00 has accomplished a lot. There are more (proven) members of al qaeda in Iraq now than before we invaded. Iraqi streets are less secure than before we invaded Iraq. Iraqis citizens have less electricity and clean water than before we invaded. Iraq, especially Baghdad, is more ethnic segregated than before we invaded Iraq. Iraqi oil production is down 1 million barrels a day from what it was before we invaded. Since invading Iraq, less of the world population, not to mention official foreign governments, admire Us, look up to Us, or want to emulate Us. We are no longer an authority in the World on Human Rights. But at least after 4 and 3/4 years there, we seem to have turned the corner on lowering the violence in a capital city. Victory sure is sweet.

In other (non-Nation at War) news, the failure-in-chief pardoned his thirteenth (including scooter libby) turkey in the Rose Garden, an Atlanta "Mega-Church" is in the midst of another holier than though sex scandal, and New Orleans was rejected as a site for a Presidential Debate because "the city has not sufficiently recovered from Hurricane Katrina to handle such a major event" (another bush success story).

Oh and here's a sweet little piece of pumpkin pie from scott "lil' bush's former mouth piece" mcclellan's new book
"The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. So I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby.

There was one problem. It was not true.

I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice President, the President's chief of staff, and the president himself."

Surprise! The president lied to Us about outing a CIA operative working for Our National Defense, with a specific emphasis on Iran of all things. Can we start the impeachment hearings now, or should we wait to see what he does "domestically" with a cigar?

Have a Happy Turkey Day!