Too little too late

In an effort to salvage his legacy, George Bush is finally engaged in the Middle East peace process. With any luck, he’ll have the two sides back to where they were when he took office by the time his term expires.

It will be more difficult for him to achieve anything meaningful, considering how he’s squandered American credibility in the last seven years. Already word from the Middle East is that both sides are thinking about who will next lead the United States come January 2009. They’ve learned the hard way — the US cannot be counted on to carry over foreign policy from one administration to the next.

Remember: when Bush took office, US Middle East policy changed course. The US ceased to be a broker of peace in the region. Bush essentially told Israeli PM Sharon to do what he wanted, which caused renewed inflammation between the two sides. The policy remained through the next presidential cycle, and has only now been revisited.

Which brings us to the reason. Bush isn’t running for office. Therefore, he has no votes to court. Considering his dismal record, and the way history will view him, this is his last best hope to be remembered as something other than a total failure. Won’t work here though… I will continue to believe that his change of policy was motivated by domestic politics, and that it may have been a contributing factor to the terrorists’ decision to attack us on 9/11.

What Was the Mission, Harry?

Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid wrote, in a Huffington Post entry, that “The mission in Iraq has changed and, therefore, so must U.S. policy change. Troops should not be policing a civil war. The current conflict in Iraq requires a political solution.”

He’s right that troops should not be policing a civil war, and that the conflict requires a political solution. Whether one is possible remains to be seen. But our men and women shouldn’t be in the middle of it. If we’re determined to help Iraq, let’s work with Iraq’s neighbors to solve the problem. Then, once the violence ceases and relative stability returns, let’s work with Iraq’s neighbors and our European allies to help rebuild Iraq.

Now, back to Reid’s remarks. The mission has changed? From what? Was the original mission to make civil war possible? Well, if so we’ve succeeded wildly. So, mission accomplished. There is no more mission.

Crying Wolf

Does the administration actually expect anyone to believe the so-called intelligence that says Iran is supplying weapons to the Shiites in Iraq? Let’s not forget that the intelligence supporting the invasion of Iraq was either flawed, fabricated, or tailored to suit the president. Bush and his circle of neocon hawks had their heart set on invading Iraq. Who knows if they actually believed that Iraq could be transformed into a model democracy almost overnight. What’s clear is that the entire fiasco has made the Middle East more unstable than it’s ever been. In all likelihood, George Bush could not have done Iran a bigger favor than topple Saddam Hussein.

But is the Iranian government actually supplying the weapons claimed by the so-called intelligence? Apparently the intelligence materialized out of thin air, because so far no one in the administration is willing to attach their name to it.

Perhaps the Iranian government is involved. If it is, the administration has no one to blame but itself for the public and official distrust. We’ve already wasted thousands of lives and almost a half trillion dollars because of phony intelligence, and no one with half a brain wants to do it again.