Enemy Combatant
Monday, April 05, 2004
Mishegas Accomplice
Hard to believe it was eleven short months ago (5/1/03) that Commander Codpiece gave his "Mission Accomplished" speech on the flightdeck:
"Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country.
In this battle, we have fought for the cause of liberty, and for the peace of the world.
Our nation and our coalition are proud of this accomplishment yet it is you, the members of the United States military, who achieved it.
Your courage your willingness to face danger for your country and for each other made this day possible. Because of you, our nation is more secure. Because of you, the tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free. ...
We thank all the citizens of Iraq who welcomed our troops and joined in the liberation of their own country.
And tonight, I have a special word for Secretary Rumsfeld, for General Franks, and for all the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States: America is grateful for a job well done.
The character of our military through history - the daring of Normandy, the fierce courage of Iwo Jima, the decency and idealism that turned enemies into allies - is fully present in this generation.
When Iraqi civilians looked into the faces of our servicemen and women, they saw strength, and kindness, and good will."
Those words would now be ashes in his mouth, if he had a conscience at all (or even a plan B). Too bad he has neither:
Q Mr. President, in regard to the June 30th deadline, is there a chance that that would be moved back?
THE PRESIDENT: No, the intention is to make sure the deadline remains the same. I believe we can transfer authority by June 30th. We're working toward that day. We're, obviously, constantly in touch with Jerry Bremer on the transfer of sovereignty. The United Nations is over there now. The United Nations representative is there now to work on the -- on a -- on to whom we transfer sovereignty. I mean, in other words, it's one thing to decide to transfer. We're now in the process of deciding what the entity will look like to whom we will transfer sovereignty. But, no, the date remains firm.
In other words, we're handing off the old sovereignty football to whatever hapless sap is still standing there in the backfield come June 30th -- and hey, watch out for those enormous tackles bearing down on you!
Great -- the crowning achievement of the Keystone Crips: the coming Iraq debacle.
