http://slate.msn.com/id/2121689/resident Bush's speech tonight was the best and the worst of all his addresses on Iraq. When he spoke of the stakes in the battle and why the United States can't yet leave, he made a more compelling case than he ever has. When he talked about the progress to date and his strategy for victory, he was even vaguer and lamer than usual.
He was honest enough to acknowledge that the road ahead is long and hard; that the insurgents still pose a dangerous threat; and that the new Iraqi government's forces are at "different levels of readiness," with some proficient at fighting on their own, others able to fight only with our help, and still others "not yet ready to participate fully in security operations."
So much for Vice President Dick Cheney's glib prognosis that the insurgency is in its "last throes." Bush's speech will have been worth plenty if it results in a widening awareness that Cheney is not to be trusted ever again.
-snip-
Perhaps the most appalling part of the speech came toward the end, when President Bush told the American people how they can contribute to the cause. This Fourth of July, he suggested, write a letter of thanks to a member of the U.S. armed forces or help out a military family that lives down the street. Up to this point, the president had been describing the many ways in which the fate of Iraq will shape the peace and freedom of the Middle East and the security of democratic nations everywhere. And this is his idea of commensurate sacrifice?
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