Today marks the fifth anniversary of President Bush's infamous "Mission Accomplished" moment aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. Editor and Publisher takes a look at the back at the media coverage on May 1, 2003, when reporters rushed to report that the Bush administration was "planning to withdraw most United States combat forces from Iraq over the next several months."
Happy "Mission Accomplished" Day!! yes, today marks five years since Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader © stood on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln (strategically turned so television camera wouldn't reveal the the carrier was in San Diego harbor and now far out to sea) and declared "the end of major combat operations". Apparently, the almost 4,000 brave Americans who have died since have all perished in "minor combat operations". So who says that propaganda doesn't come without a cost?
Call me cynical, but I can't seem to get past the reality that if a Democratic President had been responsible for such a nakedly transparent propaganda party, he (or she) would have long since (and deservedly) been impeached and set adrift on an ice floe with a box of Captain America comic books. Yet this sorry excuse for a President human being was not only given a free pass, he was re-elected...which only goes to prove that the American Sheeple truly is a (&^%$#@ stupid and undemanding lot of mental and moral midgets.
Man, if this is success, if this is what a mission accomplished looks like, I'd hate to think what the abject failure of a poorly conceived and criminally incompetent policy might resemble.
On the other hand, those of you who've lost a loved once since the declaration of "Mission Accomplshed" could probably be forgiven for coming to the realization that your loved one's life has been wasted to support a failed policy purchased with lies and propaganda. And I don't say "wasted" lightly. Then again, what has this mass, ongoing sacrifice purchased? Our increased security? An increase in American standing in the eyes of the world? The defeat of terrorism? If you picked "d) none of the above", go straight to the head of the class.
If this sounds angry and bitter, it's because I am. I'm tired of Americans dying for no good reason. I'm tired of Fox News Channel trumpeting the return of "fallen American heroes" as if there's some sort of propaganda advantage to be gained by ignoring the reality that American lives are being sacrificed wholesale for nothing of value. I'm tired of the blood and the tears.
More than anything else, though, I'm sick and tired of having to reconcile myself to the reality that the people responsible for this illegal and immoral war will never be called to account for their criminal ineptitude and disregard for the lives wasted for no good reason.
"Mission Accomplished", my @$$....
