Overheard at the White House
In spite of the opposition expressed by the majority of the people, by Congress and by the military establishment, President Bush has stated emphatically that he will support the "surge", or additional deployment of 21,000 troops in
Going against popular opinion and against the ideas and reservations of key officials in the administration, is nothing new. In our history we have had countless situations where a stubborn president has ignored the dictates of the people. The score has always been negative.
Why does President Bush insist on pursuing his 'surge', when all indications, both political and military, point to a resounding failure? Does he know something the rest of us do not know?
Perhaps the First Lady can let us have a glimpse of the President's thinking, attitude and some of the reasons that govern his actions. She, like the rest of us, realizes that the President, by ignoring the wishes of the people, denies the essence of our system. Let us listen:
“Georgie, are you sure you will not change your mind about your famous surge in the
"Not a chance fair First Lady. Have you known me to give up on any project I have undertaken? Have you known me to hesitate, waver, wonder, and express doubt and fear? To become irresolute and uncertain when adopting a decision? I have not become a War President of this great nation, to disillusion its brave people and to darken the historical brilliance of my mandate, with expressions of weakness and doubt, as Condi is fond of saying?!"
The First Lady took another sip of that wonderful 20 year old Scotch that Tony Blair had brought on his last weekly visit. She was full of doubts about the President's resolve not to be deterred by public and world opinion. She felt that the President would go ahead with his 'surge to victory' as his legitimate desire to bring relief to the noble people of Iraq, as Condi was fond of saying, Still, her fear for what appeared a certain failure urged her to reply:
"Yes, President, I have seen you doubt, pullback, retreat and fail many times. Remember that I have known you since you were in your twenties and the only positive and rewarding action you have taken in all those years was to say yes to the tipsy minister that married us!"
Our beloved President is not easily convinced and even less intimidated by facts. To him, not only the fate of
"First Lady, listen to me. This is not a gamble. I am convinced that the moment the insurgents realize that our fresh troops are there to lead the Iraqi forces in a sustained effort, they will stop shooting each other, exploding bombs all over and disrupting the lives of the people. The Iraqi government has agreed to react with speed and efficiency and promptly arrange for a quick strategy of isolating those troubled areas and tightening all perimeters. The warring factions, upon seeing that our Iraqi allies and ourselves adopt a formidable show of force will rush to the negotiating tables. We can not fail. I just want to see the faces of all those generals, War Committees, Democrats, turncoat Republicans,
"George, your surge to victory sounds like the script of a third rate movie. To see what you describe is hard to believe. At this point it would be so easy – and reasonable – to cut and run. Of course not in those terms but in a more poetic fashion like calling the turn tail action a managed withdrawal, or a strategic active reduction or a discretionary reverse involvement!”
“It is a matter of time my love. Soon the new Iraqi government will consolidate its resources and begin a campaign to convince the three major contenders and subsidiary tribes that a stable arrangement is still possible. Now, with a couple of generals on my side and a new Secretary of Defense my Victory Plan is not far off, Lady!”
“Yeah, George but to be able to conceive and build a major consensus among those furious and intransigent insurgents, is going to require new leadership in
“You think so?”
“Abso, George! You have to find a man that can maneuver in that foggy environment, where for about five thousand years; neighbors have hated each other and resisted attempts to build friendly relationships and suitable accommodations among themselves Your man has to be a man that can employ the art of deception with great ease. He must employ tactics that will have to border on wickedness and evil. He must be an experience purveyor of dubious statements, cruel, incapable of listening to others, inexorable, unperturbed, cynical and must use dentures, bifocals and wear a hair piece!”
“ Who are you thinking of, First Lady?”
“You just fired him a few weeks ago. How about Rumsfeld?"
