Troop Splurge
I don’t like to watch when George W. Bush makes a speech about Iraq. It’s always a re-run.
The “surge” Bush announced on Wednesday will be the fifth time we’ve sent more troops in to stabilize the situation in Iraq, made necessary because none of the previous surges have worked and things just keep getting worse.
Some of the TV talking heads have been asking, “What happens if this fails?” I think I can answer that: the same, only more of it — another surge.
You know, I may owe Don Rumsfeld an apology. I’ve blamed him for the U.S. policy of “keep doing what doesn’t work until it does work.” Now he’s gone, but the policy remains.
“Surge” is the wrong word. The new Bush policy is a “splurge.”
Ronald Reagan used to joke that it was unfair to say Congress was spending money like a drunken sailor, because the drunken sailor was spending his own money.
Bush is doubling down on a bad bet, certain he’ll win this time. He’s not gambling with his own money, but with the lives of people better than himself. He’s not afraid to keep raising the stakes, because there’s no shortage of people better than George W. Bush.