On anniversary, Bush cites Iraq success

I. Citation:

On anniversary, Bush cites Iraq success
March 19, 2008
msnbc
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23698943/print/1/displaymode/1098/

II. Summary:

On the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, President Bush announced that he will not increase the withdrawals of troops more than already scheduled. He claimed that the war is “noble,...necessary, and…just”, and that he will not do anything to put his “hard-won gains” at risk. He speaks about the war optimistically, and believes that positive things will come out of it.

III. Reactions:

a. This article relates the AP theme changes in functions and structures of states and in attitudes toward states and political identities because President Bush wants to change the people’s attitude and view of the war by looking at it through the security gains in Iraq rather than the economic ills.

b. The war on Iraq, started in 2003, has been going on for five years now. The US first invaded because Iraq was believed to have developed weapons of mass destruction, and posed as an immediate threat to the US. After the death of Saddam Hussein, US tried to create a democratic government in Iraq, but was unsuccessful. They are now still trying to bring order to Iraq.

c. The writer is an American news reporter.

d. The writer seemed to disagree with President Bush’s philosophy and was constantly implying that Bush was just turning a blind eye on all the bad things happening in Iraq and only addressing the better aspects. However, he did quote many of the President’s words on his views of why he though the war is a success.

e. The point of view missing from the article is the people of Iraq. In US, many people are undecided whether the occupation of Iraq is worth it or not. However, this article does not address the opinions of the Iraq people about the US occupation. Maybe they would think that they would be able to solve the problems of their country by themselves, and do not need the help of the US. On the other hand, they might be thankful for US help, though that is unlikely.

f. I don’t think that President Bush should be speaking about the war that positively. He should at least address the problems going on, like the deaths and injuries of more than ten thousand Americans in Iraq, or like the money that the war has been costing the US. He also disregarded the fact that there hasn’t been many positive outcomes of the US occupation, and what he will do to improve that. Because this is the 5th anniversary of the Iraq War, I believe that President Bush should not have disregarded the negative aspects of the war.