By Mikhaela Reid of www.mikhaela.netYou know, I had a long, funny, angry and exquisitely eloquent post prepared on George Bush's new plan for Iraq. But having finished it and read it back, it just didn't feel right to post. I felt that with the announcement today of the names of the British servicemen killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last couple of days, it wasn't really appropriate.
So instead I want to appeal for a sense of proportion and restraint from Bush and his cronies (Karl Rove & Dick Cheney are of course 9/10th Full of Penguins regulars). Statements like these from George Bush in his speech outlining his new plan in Iraq worry me.
"[Stabilizing the region] begins with addressing Iran and Syria. These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq."
"Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops. We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq."
"I recently ordered the deployment of an additional carrier strike group to the region. We will expand intelligence sharing - and deploy Patriot air defence systems to reassure our friends and allies. We will work with the governments of Turkey and Iraq to help them resolve problems along their border."
"And we will work with others to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating the region."
The implications of these statements, underlined by Dick Cheney's thinly veiled threats to Iran made yesterday, are terrifying. I will leave you to consider those implications....
For those who wish to read the full text of George Bush's statement look here. It makes for illuminating reading.
