Posted by
lge on Saturday, January 24, 2009 10:31:52 PM
George Bush is not a stupid man, but he's done a lot of stupid things:
I thought the Iraq War (but not Afghanistan) was foolish. I wasn't mad at Saddam Hussein, and I didn't see the connection between him and the 9/11 attack.
It was stupid to sign the budget-bloating prescription-drug entitlement. The same goes for the farm bill he signed. Our incontinent federal government is squirting money like a dysentery victim squirting diarrhea.
The McCain-Feingold Free-Speech Limitation Act -- if Bush thought it was unconstitutional, why did he sign it?
But, deciding on the Surge was his finest hour. Think back on the situation: Iraq truly looked like a quagmire. Shi'ites were fighting Sunnis, and Iraq threatened to degenerate into civil war. Suicide bombers and IED's were taking a deadly toll. So the question was, Do you "double down," go for more troops and different tactics, and a new general? Or do you cut your losses while you can?
Bush's decision to go for the surge took firm resoluteness. It took someone who had the power to decide, who would be responsible for the results, and who wouldn't dither. It took guts. And Bush made the decision.
I think that decision will rank with Eisenhower's decision to launch the Normandy D-Day attack. Thinkquest (http://library.thinkquest.org/) relates that story:
The Allies were going to launch their attack on June 5, 1944 at 4 a.m., but the weather was extremely bad. The waves were great, and the landing crafts might sink. There would also be no air support, and naval fire wouldn't be that great. Eisenhower sat stunned, and had to decide. His decision was a 24 hour delay. Eisenhower's decision was wise, because on June 5, at the time of the expected invasion, the waves almost reached hurricane proportions. Eisenhower once again studied the weather on June 6. It was supposed to be better; not far better, but better.
Eisenhower sat there for a moment. He thought of what would happen, what could happen, and how it would happen. Eisenhower even wrote two versions of a speech for D-Day just in case it wasn't a success. It would be a hard decision for Eisenhower. But, after a few moments, Eisenhower stated, "Well, we'll go!"
Someone has to make the decision. Someone has to say "we'll go" or "we won't go" -- someone who can't hide, who will be blamed or praised according to the results. Bush made a decision, and proved he was worthy to be commander-in-chief. All the carpers, protesters, nuisances and cheap second-guessers overlook that fact.