Three years of 'mission accomplished'

Three years ago yesterday, President Bush landed a jet on the deck of USS Abraham Lincoln. The image of him emerging from the military jet in a military pilot's uniform was meant to convey strength and perhaps to make people forget about the controversy surrounding his own military service or non-service. He gave a speech in front of a banner that read 'Mission accomplished' and told of how major combat operations have ended in Iraq.

Critics of the aggression have been accused of focusing on the negative so I'll try to be positive. While 2405 American soldiers have died in Iraq, a mere 94 percent of them have died since the 'end of major combat operations.' A mere 2270 have died in the apparent mop up operations following 'mission accomplished.' Huzzah!

Most of the 35,000 or so Iraqi civilians killed during the 'liberation' have died since Pres. Top Gun's brave and wise pronouncement, but it could've been worse.

Sure, more US troops died last month than in any of the months of 'major combat operations' but I'm sure a few schools were built. And maybe some day, children won't be to afraid to leave home to attend them!

Three years ago, the president declared 'Mission accomplished.'

What exactly was the mission? Was it merely to overthrew Saddam Hussein? Was it to control Iraq's oil fields and establish an American economic foothold in the Middle East? Or was it to strike a blow against terrorism, as the administration assured us before the invasion? (We know the weapons of mass destruction line has been discredited)

In 2002, the last full year of Saddam's regime, there were hardly any fatalities in Iraq due to terrorism, according to the State Department.

In 2005, in American-occupied Iraq, there were some 8300 people killed as a result of terrorist attacks. That represents a majority of all the people killed by terrorism on the entire planet last year.

Iraq went from being unaffected by (non-regime) terrorism under Saddam to being the country blighted by terrorism more than the rest of the world combined.

If this is 'mission accomplished,' I imagine the Iraqis might want President Bush to come up with another mission. Well, the Iranian people might disagree. Still, I don't think the Iraqis can stand much more of this success.

But at least the present situation is a vast improvement over Saddam, right? Right?!! Perhaps. But I don't know if Iraqis can take much more of this sort of freedom either.