Truth and Spin on Iraq

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June 30, 2005
Truth and Spin on Iraq

Anthony H. Cordesman
Outside View Commentator
United Press International
June 29, 2005

President George W. Bush was more frank about the problems we face in Iraq than he has been in the past. He talked in more depth than before about the need to make Iraqi forces effective, and why deadlines for U.S. withdrawal could present serious problems. He presented a case for not increasing U.S. troops and he at least seemed to commit the United States to not establishing bases in Iraq or maintaining any lasting presence: "We will stay in Iraq as long as we are needed -- and not a day longer ... And sending more Americans would suggested that we intend to stay forever -- when we are in fact working for the day when Iraq can defend itself and we can leave."

Key parts of his speech, however, were driven by spin, rather than a frank effort to warn the American people of the sacrifices necessary to win and the risks involved. The end result was to mislead in ways that can come back to haunt the administration and reduce longer-term public support.

One key failure was his effort to explain the insurgency in Iraq almost solely in terms of foreign Islamic extremists. The president correctly referred to hundreds of foreign fighters, their horrifying extremism, and the very real threat they pose. He totally failed to mention the thousands of native Iraqis that make up the core of the insurgency, the fact we have only some 600 foreign detainees out of a total of 14,000, the fact most intelligence estimates put foreign fighters at around five percent of the total, and the fact we face a major native popular Sunni uprising and deep Sunni distrust.

He implied the liberation, elections and democracy had somehow unified Iraq when they clearly have not, and glossed over the major political turmoil that will accompany the efforts to draft the constitution and elections to come. The president fundamentally misstated the true nature of the threat and risks in Iraq.



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http://www.occupationwatch.org/analysis/archives/2005/06/truth_and_spin.html