Liberty Maven

George Bush’s comments yesterday about the Iraq war were laughable. I suppose he wasn’t joking though. He said, “No one would argue that this war has not come at a high cost in lives and treasure, but those costs are necessary when we consider the cost of a strategic victory for our enemies in Iraq.” Over the course of the last five years in Iraq the United States has paid with the immeasurable cost of the blood of her sons and daughters in order to, as Bush says, protect against “a strategic victory for our enemies in Iraq.” How nice that must make those of us feel who have lost loved ones to the war. No wonder Bush’s approval rating is the lowest it has ever been.

It has become cliche to criticize Bush for Iraq, but Congress is equally to blame. From the beginning they broke their oath of upholding the Constitution by voting to turn war declaration authority over to George Bush. In later years they continued to vote to fund the war because they feared by not doing so they would be accused of not supporting the troops. This is hogwash. You would think their own penchant for wanting to “take care of the children” would apply to bringing our slightly older children home from Iraq and out of harm’s way. Once again the game of politics usurps the hard truths of compassion.

There are a few voices of reason and compassion. Ron Paul issued a statement on the 5 year anniversary of the Iraq war showcasing the dire statistics of our efforts. “4,000 soldiers are dead, 30,000 have been severely wounded, and over 100,000 have applied for disability”, he said. He goes on, “In addition, the war has put a tremendous strain on our economy. As we spiral toward recession and experience an assault on our dollar, we spend $12 billion per month financing our Iraqi operations. The war has cost us nearly $1 trillion dollars, or over $3,300 per American man, woman, and child.”

Yet George Bush maintains that it is/was all worth it. The current presumptive GOP nominee agrees with him. At least the two remaining Democratic candidates disagree, but both have voted to fund the war. Clinton was one of those that voted to shirk her duty and authorize Bush to wage the war from the beginning. Obama wasn’t in office at the time. How convenient for him.

So the true contest is between Ron Paul’s non-interventionist boxing gloves versus George Bush’s king size war mongering not so lean mean terrorist grilling machine. It is a war between the Constitutional rule of law and the authoritarian ideas of the power hungry.

To put a new twist on Jeremiah Wright’s apparently damnable rhetoric I say the following to George W. Bush.

The Constitution is not just a God damned piece of paper sir. Not even close. It is a God blessed piece of paper. It is the supreme law of the land. Read it. Follow it. It is what you swore to uphold when you took office. If your Christian faith is important to you as you say, then why did you swear on the bible and then go back on your oath? If there is a hell, it is likely your ultimate destination. Of course, you shouldn’t be afraid. Most of Congress will be there with you.