Excepts from George W. Bush's speech to the nation Wednesday evening:


the armed forces of the United States are engaged in a struggle that will determine the direction of the global war on terror and our safety here at home

The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people, and it is unacceptable to me

It is clear that we need to change our strategy in Iraq

Failure in Iraq would be a disaster for the United States
The consequences of failure are clear: Radical Islamic extremists would grow in strength and gain new recruits. They would be in a better position to topple moderate governments, create chaos in the region and use oil revenues to fund their ambitions.  Iran would be emboldened in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Our enemies would have a safe haven from which to plan and launch attacks on the American people.

For the safety of our people, America must succeed in Iraq.

The most urgent priority for success in Iraq is security
 
Our past efforts to secure Baghdad failed

There were not enough Iraqi and American troops to secure neighborhoods that had been cleared of terrorists and insurgents

This is a strong commitment. But for it to succeed, our commanders say the Iraqis will need our help

This will require increasing American force levels

This time, we will have the force levels we need to hold the areas that have been cleared

Now is the time to act

As we make these changes, we will continue to pursue Al Qaida

an American defeat in Iraq would create a new sanctuary for extremists

The challenge playing out across the broader Middle East is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of our time . On one side are those who believe in freedom and moderation. On the other side are extremists who kill the innocent, and have declared their intention to destroy our way of life

victory in Iraq will bring something new in the Arab world: a functioning democracy that polices its territory, upholds the rule of law, respects fundamental human liberties, and answers to its people 

America is engaged in a new struggle that will set the course for a new century
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Wow!  It really sounds like what we do in Iraq at the present moment will not only critically impact the security of the United States, but will define the future of freedom and democracy across the globe.  How does Bush put it:  It is the decisive ideological struggle of our time.

You know, with the stakes so high, similar to the fight against global totalitarianism during World War II, I just have to ask:  Why isn't this President insisting upon a draft?

If he truly believes his rhetoric, why run the risk of a devastating defeat in that country as a consequence of an undermanned, under-supplied, and overstretched military?  Why take the chance of orchestrating yet another ill-conceived and poorly executed plan for victory to toss upon the teetering tower of past ignominious failures the President has engineered?  Does it make any sense to take such a gamble with our collective future, unless you happen to have a track history of reckless gambling?  I mean really, just 21,500 more troops to stand between us and utter ruin, when we have previously "surged" with many more men than that to no avail.  Insane, isn't it?

Well I have an alternate explanation for the incongruence between our Moron-In-Chief's words and his actions.  And you don't have to look very far for the answers:


Succeeding in Iraq also requires defending its territorial integrity and stabilizing the region in the face of extremist challenges. This begins with addressing Iran and Syria.
 
Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops. We will disrupt the attacks on our forces.

And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq.
I recently ordered the deployment of an additional carrier strike group to the region.

We will expand intelligence-sharing and deploy Patriot air defense systems to reassure our friends and allies.

And we will work with others to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating the region.


Oh boy, we're going to war again!!!  That's what I told my wife as soon as Bush uttered these words the other night.  She did not agree, and said that I was reaching.  Well, wouldn't you know it, the next day we awoke to find that U.S. troops stormed an Iranian embassy in Irbil, Iraq (embassy soil is sovereign territory by international treaty), in effect invading Iran and committing an act of war in order to provoke the Iranians into a war.  This is just the opening salvo:  Bush will pick a fight with Iran just as surely as the juvenile delinquent Shrub had picked many a fight with the weaker kids in the school playground.  But this time the bully has nukes.

It's almost too irresistible for Bush to resist - like a line of coke to a former addict - and he will do anything to get his fix of war-related profits, glory, and power.  The undesirable side-effects of his habit - poverty, death, pain, and carnage - will never be suffered by him or his family.  He's the Decider you see, and others will have to make the sacrifices when the President decides.