More cognitive dissonance

I actually watched Bush's little speech last night. More than once.

It was so overly simplistic and divorced from reality that I couldn't begin to pick it apart.

One feature was the enormously fatuous and grating lie that Bush attempts when he tries to take credit for a draw down of troops who were already scheduled to be rotated out, and more which have to be withdrawn simply because we're stretched so thin that they have to go home.

Many, including pundits and politician alike, characterized the thing as an insult to the intelligence of the American people. Several pundits simply had a dazed look on their faces, as if they were in a state of disbelief.

Did he actually say he wanted a permanent security arrangement with "the government of Iraq" (doesn't exist, really, does it?)

Pundits where characterizing this as akin to our situation in Korea where we've had a military presence on the border since the 50s. But this isn't anything like Korea, where we've sustained only a handful of casualties, and are simply preventing the crossing of a border.

So Bush has in essence, in response to Saudi Arabian al Queda members attacking our country, to invade and occupy a county in the middle of an incredibly volatile region, and build fortified outposts to defend indefinitely into the future.

Hmmm. That ought to really go far to make us more secure in the coming decades.

The entire plan seems so bizarre, so through the looking glass, (as does the sabre rattling towards Iran) that one can only pray that such talk by Bush is a calculated bluff directed towards our enemies.

If he's serious, I question his sanity or whether this country should continue to follow his direction. Something needs to be done.

What do you think?

Did anyone actually endure the thing, or catch any of the pundits punditing afterward?

Also of interest was a first. The John Edwards campaign bought two minutes of air time to present his take on Iraq immediately following Bush's address.

Pretty damn shrewd, as far as leveraging an audience, but was it smart politics or smart financially?

Edwards address was pointed, unambiguous, bold, and challenged all Dems to stand up and put their money where their mouth's are, and block any Iraq funding measures which don't contain a definite deadline for withdrawal of troops.