Yesterday we explored the ever changing justifications for the war in Iraq. We learned that every single reason given by Bush and this administration was exaggerated or just flat out lies. Just in case you are not angry enough over this let’s now look at what “success” in Iraq is according to the White House.

Before the invasion Bush told us ““Our mission is clear in Iraq. Should we have to go in, our mission is very clear: disarmament.” (( George W. Bush 3/6/2003 )) So a successful Iraqi mission would mean that Iraq would no longer have WMD. Got it. But wait, they never had WMD to begin with so weren’t we then successful by default?

Oh no, no, no once we were in Iraq our mission expanded. In fact George Bush said “Our forces have been given a clear mission: to end a regime that threatened its neighbors and the world with weapons of mass destruction and to free a people that had suffered far too long.” (( George W. Bush 4/13/2003 )) Now, Bush wasn’t very clear about when our troops were given this “clear mission” that very clearly differed enormously from the “mission” the American people and Congress had approved of.

It wasn’t long, however; until Bush declared “mission accomplished”. On May 1, 2003 on board the USS Abraham Lincoln, Bush, and his prominent codpiece, told the American people that we had achieved success in Iraq and that major combat operations were ended. Yay! We were victorious, but wait, that was certainly not the end.

As I’m sure we all know too well, Iraq quickly fell apart and the “insurgency” began killing our soldiers faster and faster. Baghdad was torn apart among sectarian lines, Bush, who did not know the cultural differences among the Iraqi people, was going to have to again redefine our mission if we were truly going to be successful. So a year later Bush stated “We will see that Iraq is free and self-governing and democratic. We will accomplish our mission.” (( George W. Bush 5/4/2004 ))

With the increasing violence, turbulent political infighting, and broader divisions among Sunni and Shiite lines Iraq was quickly becoming a “quagmire”. It became obvious that the Iraqi government and the Iraqi soldiers and police would not be able to control their country anytime soon so Bush once again changed the definition of success by adding a new “mission”. “And our mission is clear there, as well, and that is to train the Iraqis so they can do the fighting; make sure they can stand up to defend their freedoms, which they want to do.” (( George W. Bush 6/2/2005 ))

As I told you in Part 1, not only was our mission and definition of success changing but the justifications for the war were changing as well. In order to keep up with the new reason to remain in Iraq, which was that it was a hot spot for international terrorism, our mission once again changed to keeping Iraq from becoming a safe haven for terrorists. “In the coming days, there will be considerable reflection on the removal of Saddam Hussein from power and our remaining mission in Iraq…By helping the Iraqi people build a free and representative government, we will deny the terrorists a safe haven to plan attacks against America.” (( George W. Bush 3/11/2006 ))

At the beginning of 2007, to justify the troop surge, Bush once again changed our mission in Iraq. We now had to provide a secure environment in which the Iraqi government could then effect change and take control of their own country. “In fact, we have a new strategy with a new mission: helping secure the population, especially in Baghdad. Our plan puts Iraqis in the lead.” (( George W. Bush 1/13/2007 ))

We now hear that the surge has been successful, violence is down, success is at hand. Of course, like everything else in regards to Iraq, there is debate over the statistics and the assertion that it is working on the security front. There is not debate, however; on if the surge is having any effect on the political front. It’s not. But don’t worry we have yet another “mission” this one perhaps the most vaguely worded and unmeasurable to date. “It’s a new mission. And David Petraeus is in Iraq carrying it out. Its goal is to help the Iraqis make progress toward reconciliation — to build a free nation that respects the rights of its people, upholds the rule of law, and is an ally against the extremists in this war.” (( George W. Bush 6/28/2007 ))

When one looks at the constantly evolving rhetoric, justifications, and definitions of “success” in Iraq it is confusing, it can be overwhelming and that is exactly what this administration wants. A population pushed into apathy by their deception, fear mongering, and overused rhetoric. That is the only way that this travesty could be allowed to be carried on for YEARS.

As citizens it is our responsibility to know what is going on in our government, especially when we have men and women dying for an unjustified, undefined, and unprepared for war. Our administration will tell you that to question their authority and policies is treasonous and emboldens the terrorists. I tell you that not to question them is dangerous, lazy, and threatens the very foundations of our country.