Iraq: Heavy Price for the Bush Family Dysfunction

The quagmire in Iraq is the result of one of the biggest father/son emotional crises known to man. Sadly, we are all paying for it. George W. Bush, the prodigal son who's coasted through life despite academic and business failure at almost every turn--the quintessential underachiever whose saving grace was unprecedented political nepotism--was obsessed with upstaging his father and proving that it is he, the son, who will ultimately be viewed by history as the more virile, successful president. In what is sure to become one of the biggest political and military miscalculations in American history, and in one of the most egregious displays of offspring independence and rebellion seen on the public stage, Bush 43 gambled his reputation on overthrowing Saddam and creating a quick, painless Democracy in Iraq--something the 43 posse accuses 41 of failing to do 14 years ago during Operation Desert Storm. In short, the heretofore black sheep of the family--the perennial frat boy--needed to flex his mojo and show pops who the better man is. Problem is, the Bush administration's "shock and awe" campaign backfired big time. The only ones shocked and awed were, and still are, us. Shocked by the strength, resilience and sheer determination of the insurgency, and awed by how clueless the Bushies were in post-war planning. Contrary to what the 43 posse believed, we were not greeted as liberators. The "mission" was not "accomplished" in just 3 weeks. Things did not get better after Saddam's fall; after Uday and Qusay's death; after Fallujah was taken; after Iraq declared sovereignty; after the January election. In fact, things got appreciably worse. We now have spent over $200 billion, and over 1700 US soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands more injured/maimed, and upwards of 100,000 Iraqi civilians killed. Incredulously, VP Dick Cheney recently declared that the insurgency was in its "last throes." What's more, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, on NBC's Meet The Press yesterday, one-upped his boss in the ridiculous-statement department by saying he agrees with Cheney while also saying the insurgency will probably last another 12 years. Sound like conflicting statements to you? Wait, can it be true? Rummy's a flip-flopper? Or is he just plan mad? Personally, I think they're all mad. While this war spirals out of control, our leaders increasingly lie, deceive and misrepresent. They're delusional and dangerous. That Bush invaded Iraq to show up his dad is one thing we cannot change; that decision is yesterday's news. But the chief architects of this fiasco are still pulling the levers, and starting with Rumsfeld, they should be removed from office. Cheney, the biggest liar of them all, should be next. Sadly, we're stuck with Dubya for another 3 years. Andy