Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Not Holding My Breath: A Presidential Address Preview

The President's major address on the new Iraq strategy is minutes away. This evening WKSU interviewed Sherrod Brown, Betty Sutton and Steve LaTourette on the local news program "Your Way Home." They were asked how they feel about the much anticipated surge or escalation or escalating surge or whatever. Additionally, they were asked something like "what would you like to hear from the President's speech.

I won't agree with what the President has to say. I'm confident of that. But if he said any of the following, I might feel like we have some longshot hope of eventually getting out of this with something like a whole shirt.

  • "I screwed up." Supposedly he is going to admit that "mistakes were made." I want to hear him go one better and admit his own mistakes. I'm a firm believer that a person who won't admit mistakes is guaranteed to repeat them.

  • "I’m sorry." Which is the natural follow up to admitting you screwed up. Especially when your screwup results in thousands of needless deaths.

  • "Other people screwed up. Their heads will roll." Unfortunately, the administration appears to be looking for fall guys in the ranks of military commanders. In fact, it's the civilian leadership who really botched this. Remind me again which party doesn't support the troops.

  • "The enemy is . . ." As of now, I don't have any confidence that this administration has a real appreciation of who we are fighting. Of course, if the did, they would recognizing that we are splitting time battling the beligerents in a civil war.

  • "Victory will look like . . ." I keep hearing that we will fight until victorious, but with no indication of what victory sounds like.

OK, off to watch. Not expecting much, tho.

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