Originally published January 9 2006
Bush's war rhetoric suggests a desire to keep several options open for future strategies
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Peter Baker of the Washington Post looks at a series of speeches recently given by President Bush, all addressing the issue of withdrawal from Iraq, and Baker finds the careful rhetoric of the speeches reveals a desire within the administration to keep policy decisions wide open.
As President Bush wrapped up a series of speeches on the war Wednesday, he once again gave a clear answer to when U.S. troops would come home from Iraq: ``We will not leave until victory has been achieved.''
Will U.S. soldiers withdraw from Iraq only after the insurgency has been vanquished?
Or will they withdraw when Iraqi security forces become adequately trained to take over the battle themselves?
For Bush, the four speeches delivered over the past two weeks represented a concerted effort to reshape the angry debate at home over the war, presenting a more sober picture of the situation while highlighting the progress he sees exemplified in Thursday's election of a new, full-fledged Iraqi parliament.
At the same time, according to analysts, he carefully calibrated his rhetoric to give him maximum flexibility in determining ultimately just what will constitute victory.
The vow to ``settle for nothing less than complete victory'' satisfies Bush's desire to project Churchillian resolve, a strategy in keeping with White House theory that public support for a war depends on whether Americans believe they will win.
``If I were in his shoes, I would be trying to do the same,'' said Mara Rudman, a deputy national security adviser under President Clinton and now a Middle East scholar at the Center for American Progress.
From predictions that U.S. troops would be greeted as liberators to Bush's ``Mission Accomplished'' aircraft carrier speech to Vice President Dick Cheney's assertion in June that the insurgency was in its ``last throes,'' Bush advisers have learned to stay away from predictions of victory.
After Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he no longer liked the word ``insurgents,'' the word was struck from Bush speeches.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml