Bush’s New Strategy: An ESCALATION of the War

In an attempt to build a stable government in Iraq compliant to the Bush
regime’s dictates, 20,000 more troops will be sent largely to Baghdad in an
attempt to crush insurgent and sectarian groups and pacify the Iraqi
people.  Bush acknowledged that his war strategy to date has not gone
well, and Iraq
is engulfed in sectarian violence.  What he did NOT say is that the very
war he launched is what unleashed this violence, as well as the dramatic growth
of Islamic fundamentalists.  Moreover, the US
military’s actions in Iraq
have been nothing but violence against the Iraqi people, from the blitzkrieg of
Fallujah, to the torture at Abu Ghraib, to the massacres at Haditha, Ishaqi,
and elsewhere.  With this track record, more troops in Baghdad to bring about “security”
will only mean more war crimes committed against the Iraqi people.

Not
only is Bush’s strategy an escalation of the war in Iraq, but it also poses the danger
of escalating the war to the entire region.  Bush declared that Iran and Syria
were allowing terrorists to enter into Iraq,
and that the US
would enforce the Iraqi border.  He also touted the “deployment of an
additional carrier strike group” and “Patriot air defense
systems” in the region – which are nothing but threats to any challenge to
the Bush regime’s conquest of the Middle East.  On Thursday morning, American troops raided
an Iranian diplomatic office and detained six Iranians inside.  The threat of a war with Iran is looming
dangerously on the horizon.

To
Bush and the neo-cons driving his international policy, the United States must
move quickly to dominate the Middle East, and put down any threats to that
domination.  This is why they went to war on Iraq in the first place.  And
this is why they see the need to defeat Islamic fundamentalists and not allow Iran to become
more powerful.  The Bush regime has no problem with religious fanaticism,
just as long as it’s their brand of religious fanaticism serving their
interests.  And they have no problem with the killing innocent civilians in
pursuit of their objectives.

Right
now is a crucial moment for them – and in a different way, for us.  In Iraq, the Bush regime’s global
conquest has run into nothing short of a debacle, and to some extent Bush was
forced to recognize this in his speech. 
As they see it, their drive for unchallenged empire is on the line, and
as Bush made clear in his speech, losing in Iraq is completely
unacceptable.  This is exactly the kind
of situation where the resistance of millions inside the US can
dramatically impact the course of events, and make continuing the war
“unacceptable”.

Bush’s
speech was also an attempt to build some kind of unity and bipartisan support
in the halls of power for his new strategy. 
He sought to make the case for why this time, this would succeed.  And he took up some of the recommendations of
the Iraq Study Group

Leading
Democrats and even some Republicans rejected Bush’s strategy, warning that it will
likely bring about a greater disaster in Iraq and even more problems for
“American interests”.  Republican Senator
Chuck Hagel even said, “I think this speech given last night by this president
represents the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam, if
it’s carried out. I will resist it.” 
Congress is likely to pass a non-binding resolution against the new strategy,
and if indeed this escalation leads to a greater disaster in Iraq, Bush
could face more serious opposition from Congress and some in the military in
the coming months.

At
the same time, no one in Congress is demanding that this war end now.  And no one in Congress is demanding Bush be
impeached for the war crimes he has presided over on a massive scale in Iraq.  This will be up to us to do.  Non-binding resolutions and vague calls for
phased withdrawal do not ultimately mean anything for the dead bodies piling up
in Baghdad.

In
his speech, Bush called for “patience, sacrifice, and resolve” on the
part of the American people in what he referred to as “the decisive
ideological struggle of our time”.  But the conflict between the Bush
regime’s global conquest, on the one hand, and Islamic fundamentalists on the
other, is not one we have any interest in taking a side in.  We need a
world without unjust war, torture, and theocracy (whether Christian or
Islamic).

The
Bush regime is counting on us to be silent in the face of this
escalation.  They know that millions of us hate this war.  And they
know they have no easy solution to winning the war.  In this kind of
situation, imagine what it would mean if massive resistance from millions of
people inside the US
demanding the war end now and the Bush regime step down.  Imagine if
colleges and universities went on strike in protest.  Imagine if the
streets filled like they did in the spring of 2003.  Imagine if
celebrities and religious leaders devoted their lives to ending the war. 
Imagine if among the troops being called up for their third or fourth tour of
duty followed the example of people like Ehren Watada and refuse to fight in an
unjust war.

Now
don’t just imagine.  Make it happen.

It’s
in moments like these, when the Bush regime faces huge problems with (even as
Bush acknowledged) no easy solutions, and opposition to their new strategy
inside the government, that the actions of millions of people can change the
course of history.

End the War Now!
Drive Out the Bush Regime!