Mission Accomplished Enters Its Sixth Year
by BarbinMD
Thu May 01, 2008 at 09:50:16 AM PDT
Today we officially enter the sixth year of "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq. And during yesterday's White House press briefing, when asked if Bush would commemorate the day in any way, Dana Perino said:
Yes, I get -- no, I understand. That's the anniversary of when that banner flew on that ship. President Bush is well aware that the banner should have been much more specific and said "mission accomplished for these sailors who are on this ship on their mission."
The anniversary of when that banner flew on that ship? Some might describe it as the day that George Bush made a dramatic jet landing on the deck of a ship that was within spitting distance of land, using its sailors for an equally dramatic photo-op, so he could announce to the world that:
Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.
...but sure, let's go with it being the anniversary of the day they needed a bigger banner. Otherwise people might remember the price in blood and treasure that we've paid in the five years since we "prevailed." And don't forget, it's not just the men and women killed, the tens of thousands of the wounded, and the untold hundreds of thousands of dead and injured Iraqis who have suffered. As Dana Perino reminds us:
And we have certainly paid a price for not being more specific on that banner.
On that day, 128 U.S. soldiers had been killed in Iraq, and today, five years and 3,935 additional deaths later, the toll stands at 4,063. So let's take a moment to remember the price the White House has paid for not being specific on that banner.
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