WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush admitted that the war in Iraq is "straining the psyche of our country." Bush said that sometimes he was "frustrated," though "rarely surprised." That in itself, should be surprising, given that not much in Iraq is really going according to plan and the violence is escalating almost daily.
With the death toll among U.S. troops now counting 2,600 and tens of thousands more servicemen and women wounded, it is understandable that the president may be frustrated. Not to mention the fact that Iraqis are dying by the hundreds every day, and with no visible light at the end of the tunnel. And if there happens to be a light in the proverbial tunnel, it's that of an oncoming train, or rather a brewing civil war.
Bush disagrees: "I hear a lot of talk about civil war. I'm concerned about that, of course, and I've talked to a lot of people about it," he said. "And what I've found from my talks are that the Iraqis want a unified country. And that the Iraqi leadership is determined to thwart the efforts of the extremists and the radicals."
True, some of Iraq's leaders may well want to maintain a unified Iraq, but that is hardly preventing the country from heading into what at least appears to be the start of a sectarian war. Bush may want to avoid calling it a civil war, but at the end of the day what you call it is really irrelevant. It's what is happening that really counts. If what is happening in Iraq looks, smells and feels like a civil war, as the saying goes, it must be civil war.
When Shiites are killing Sunnis and vice-versa, and when more than 150 bodies turn up every morning at the city morgue, it is safe to call it a civil war. More than 3,500 Iraqis were killed in ethnic violence last month, making it the worst month for civilian casualties since the war began in 2003.
"If you think it's bad now, imagine what Iraq would look like if the United States leaves before this government can defend itself and sustain itself," the president said. "Chaos in Iraq would be very unsettling in the region."
But Iraq was fine before the U.S. arrived, save for its megalomaniac dictator.
"You know, I've heard this theory about everything was just fine until we arrived, and kind of 'we're going to stir up the hornet's nest' theory," the president said. "It just doesn't hold water, as far as I'm concerned. The terrorists attacked us and killed 3,000 of our citizens before we started the freedom agenda in the Middle East."
President Bush was asked what Iraq had to do with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
"Nothing," the president said. "Nobody has ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack. Iraq was a... the lesson of Sept. 11 is, take threats before they fully materialize."
"Wars are not a time of joy," said Bush. Hmmm?
Speaking at a White House news conference, President Bush then shifted his concern to the other Middle East trouble spot -- Lebanon. He urged for a quick decision to allow the deployment of a multinational force to back-up the Lebanese army in south Lebanon.
"The need is urgent," said Bush, referring to then need for an additional 13,000 troops for a UNIFIL Version 2.0, that in principle will have greater authority.
"The international community must now designate the leadership of this new international force, give it robust rules of engagement and deploy it as quickly as possible to secure the peace," said Bush. The president continued that the international force would help keep the militant Hezbollah organization from acting as a "state within a state."
And herein lies the problem. Most European countries are reluctant to venture into what can become a potential mine field, in more than one way. It's one thing to call for troops and criticize countries that are reluctant to place their soldiers in harm's way. France, who lost 58 soldiers in a suicide bombing in 1983, wants guarantees that its troops will not be attacked. The United States, which lost 241 servicemen to suicide bombing in Beirut, are also not about to deploy troops to south Lebanon any time soon.
"The United States will do our part," Bush said. But of course, the United States does not plan to contribute troops. Instead, it has pledged $230 million to help the Lebanese rebuild their homes and return to their towns and communities. The United States will provide intelligence support and command and control.
"These are challenging times, and difficult times," added Bush.
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