Bush’s Third Year – Iraqi War
Rebuilding Amid Chaos
Chapter 1 describes the various motives for the Iraqi War including military-imposed democracy in Iraq, oil, and vanquishing enemies of Israel under the mantle of “imminent threat from Iraq’s WMD, fighting terrorism, nuke peril, Mid East stability and world peace.” Bush’s Iraqi policy, massive military build up with Britain as only substantial ally, relatively rapid defeat of Iraq’s main forces, Bush’s premature “mission accomplished” declaration on the USS Abraham Lincoln, ensuing guerrilla war and chaos, and post war governance are discussed in early chapters.
Matters discussed in later chapters include defense - domestic and foreign, Bush’s disastrous “Mexico First” immigration policy favoring illegal immigrant lawbreakers, negative effects of free trade policy on job losses, manufacturing, interdependence and obscene trade deficits, slow economy and massive budget deficits, foreign policy including failure of the “Road Map to Peace” in the Middle East, domestic policy issues--corporate crime, continued dumb downing of education, energy, environment, Social Security, Medicare, sundry topics, and UN and EU. A final chapter comments on each major topic with criticisms and suggestions.
Robert R. Morman, Ph. D.
He was born in Lansford, PA, graduated from UCLA and earned both Master and Doctorate degrees in psychology from USC. He retired from CSULA as a full professor, emeritus status.
He served as a Chief Yeoman, USN during WWII and retired as a Major, USAFR.
He worked 40 years plus as a psychological research assistant, pollster, test constructor, counseling psychologist, test officer, counselor and professor at CSULA. He also taught 10 years each, part-time, at California Lutheran University and Walden University.
Counseling, personality theory, vocational factors, computer introduction, statistics, research, individual and group tests, teacher supervision, counselor supervision, independent study, thesis and dissertation were among college-university subjects taught. He also consulted in related fields.
Over 40 technical articles on automation, counseling, statistics, research and validation of psychological tests were published in various technical journals.
Among books published were The TAV Selection System, 1968; American Heritage Alternatives to Guaranteed Annual Socialism (co-author R. O. Hankey), 1970; The Clintons’ Agenda for Change: Assault on Traditional America, Commonwealth Publications, 1996; Clinton’s Planned Betrayal of America “UNAmericanization,” Kabel Publishers, Inc., 1999; William Jefferson Clinton’s Impeachment and Trial, lstBooks Library, 1999. Clinton’s 1996 Presidential Re-Election, Dissection and Disaffection, lstBooks Library, 1999, 2000; Clinton’s Partial Legacy – Wars of Interdependence, Writers Club Press, 2000; Final “Departures” of the Famous, Xlibris Corporation, 2000; Bush’s Presidential Election 2000, lst Books Library, 2001; Fundamentals of Statistics, Research, Mental Disorders and Americans with Disabilities Act An Omnibus, lstBooks Library, 2001; Personality-News Events, lstBooks Library, 2001; and Bush’s First Year – Domestic Stall, Afghanistan – Iraq Next?, lstBooks Library, 2002; Bush’s Second Year, Keeping the War on Terrorism Alive,” 2003, lstBooks Library; Morman Family Lineage with Historical Events, AuthorHouse, 2004.
Chapter 1 describes the Background and Motivation for the War on Iraq. Many columnists including Dowd, Gill, Buchanan et al. felt that “knocking off Israel’s enemies that encircled it and Mid East oil were the primary motives for a pre-emptive war on Iraq cloaked under the mantle of fighting terrorism and militarily imposed democracy ‘insuring’ peace and stability.” Wolfowitz and Libby first hatched the idea in ’92 and Perle concurred with the strategy.
Opposition to Bush’s a pre-emptive war on Iraq continued to emanate from the UN, old friends France, Germany, Russia, many columnists like Buchanan, Raum, Cook et al. plus U. S. citizens. Bush and Blair vainly responded with a new set of “substitute” motives like Iraqi freedom, world peace, U. S. security, and Middle East stability and related to “justify” the war.
The second chapter, 2, discusses Bush’s Iraqi policy, massive build-up and preparation for war with/without approval and participation by the UN. Two hundred and fifty thousand U. S. and 30,000 British forces amassed in the region.
The threat of North Korea with its nukes was “diplomatically downgraded” because a simultaneous two-war action was imprudent, unthinkable and impractical.
Except for Britain, “allied” cooperation was essentially “token at best”—as usual. Former allies Germany, France and others were in no mood for war despite pleas from Bush, Cheney, appointees Powell, Rice, Rumsfeld et al. The need to send troops seemed foolish in light of unilateralist Bush’s determination.
Worldwide, thousands of critics of the planned war voiced words and phrases including “ridiculous, unprovoked, deceptive, costly, political, hegemonic, irrational, deplorable, divisive, family vendetta, rehearsal against a Class D foe and radical departure from ‘self defense motivated by oil and Israel.’”
Chapter 3 describes “Operation Iraqi Freedom” and its surprise attack on Baghdad with numerous Tomahawk missiles and 2000-pound bombs. Protests against the Iraqi War reverberated around the world and the expected “Iraqi Revolt” never occurred. Invasions were soon underway on the northern, central and southern fronts with the British controlling the oil fields near Basra against relatively little resistance.
Rumsfeld’s high-tech, lean, mean military machine soon captured one-half of Baghdad on April 4th, Basra on April 7th, all of Baghdad on April 9th, Kirkuk on April 10th, Mosul on April 11th and Tikrit on April 14th. Rumsfeld declared the end of major combat operations on April 30th. Widespread looting and lawlessness followed especially in Baghdad and Basra.
Bush, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln prematurely declared “Mission Accomplished” as of May 1st despite mounting chaos, crime and casualties inflicted by Iraqi guerrillas.
The continuing Iraqi War describes guerrilla warfare (car bombings, small arms, rifle, mortar and RPG) attacks in Chapter 4. Also included is Dowd’s “bait and switch” analysis of war motives, Pentagon’s U. S. weapon inspectors, killing Odai and Ousai—sons of Hussein, bombing Iraq – Turkey oil pipeline, bombing Baghdad’s water main and UN HQ with subsequent reduction in personnel.
Other topics discussed include killing Ali Hakim and bombing near Ali Mosque, Shiite Shrine, citizen complaints, Bush requests $66 billion more for Iraq, killing Iraqi police officers and collaborators, UN rebuffs Bush request for aid and U. S. - led multinational force, failure of Kay’s Iraqi Survey Group of inspectors, Rumsfeld’s memo, Italian MP HQ bombed, Madrid Conference and aid, Bush’s visit to cohort Blair to lend support, Bush’s Thanksgiving Day visit to Baghdad and Kellogg, Brown and Root overcharges on rebuilding Iraq,
Post war occupation and governance in Iraq are discussed in Chapter 5. Topics detailed include awarding “no bid” rebuilding contracts to Halliburton, original post war rebuilding plans, Bechtel awarded rebuilding contracts, UN’s humanitarian role, Garner appointed as civil administrator, Garner’s ouster, Bremer replaces Garner, Bush subsidizes foreign peacekeepers, interim government established with “limited” power and misuse of recovery funds.
Other topics include contributions from foreign nations, new UN and World Bank Agency, former Iraqi Army units needed for security and rebuilding, Bush revises original post war plans for Iraq, Baker’s role as personal envoy, Bush shuts out Canada, France, Germany and Russia in rebuilding contracts, France relents prior to Baker’s debt relief efforts, Libya’s Gadafhi gives up WMD and Quigley’s perception of Bush policy,
Chapter 6 describes the ongoing situation in Afghanistan under the headings of Discoveries of Weapons Caches and Documents, Capture of al-Qaida Members, Serbia and Montenegro Promise to Send Troops and Police, One-Day Visits by Senators Clinton and Reed, Rebuilding on the World Trade Center Site, Senate-House Findings on September 11th, NATO Takes Formal Control of Peacekeepers and U. S. “Friendly Fire” Kills Children.
Defense is discussed in Chapter 7 under the headings of Homeland Defense – U. S. (Dirty Bomb Screening, New Homeland Defense Department, Commercial Pilots Carry Pistols, DARPA and Super Dossier Lifelog, Deporting Arab-Muslim Illegal Immigrants and Social Profiling Guidelines), Terrorist Defense – Overseas (Armed Air Marshals on Foreign Flights, France, Mexico, Philippines, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey) New Weapons (Massive Ordnance Air Blast, Latest Technology, Robust Earth Nuclear Penetrator and USS Ronald Reagan Nuke-powered Aircraft Carrier Commissioned), Women in Combat and ABM System.
Chapter 8 vividly describes the sorry, innocuous inglorious state of the Bush administration’s efforts to control illegal immigrant lawbreaker inundation, refusing to place troops on the border, backing only appeasement pandering legislation and ignoring serious proposed legislation to effectively control U. S. borders—especially along Mexico.
Details are described under the headings of Statistics, Social Costs, Criticisms from Citizens and Others, Matricula Consular IDs, The Law and Legislation (H.R. 946 limiting legal immigration, Freedom Ride lobbying efforts, Citizen Oath revision, Green Card Rewards for illegal immigrant lawbreakers, H. R. 2671 CLEAR Act for “clear law enforcement and alien removal,” Schlafly’s views on drivers’ licenses for illegal immigrant lawbreakers) and Perspectives (Voice of Middle America, Pat Buchanan and Schlafly, H. R.177 authorizing use of U. S. forces for border control, Three New Federal Appeasement Programs and Ridge’s senseless suggestion, “legalizing illegal immigrant lawbreakers.”
Bush’s foreboding and frightening interdependent trade policies with their potential deleterious impact on the U. S. economy are discussed in Chapter 9. Details and implications Bush’s bad trade policy are described under the headings of Statistics, General (Schlafly and Bush’s Attitude Toward Tancredo’s H. R. 2688 anent H-1B Visas), NAFTA, WTO (Restructuring Textile Imports from China), FTAA and Bilateral/Regional Trade Pact Policy.
Chapter 10 discusses salient issues pertaining to the Economy and the Budget including Statistics and Policy (General and Numbers), Tax Cuts, Budget and Deficits, U. S. Supreme Court Cuts Excess Law Suits versus Corporations, Global Economy and Visas and Loss of Jobs (Schlafly’s Analysis).
Foreign Policy is described in Chapter 11. Details are related under the headings of General, Foreign, International Criminal Court, Africa, Brazil, China, Cuba, Israel and the Palestinians, Liberia, Libya, Mexico, Morocco and Tunisia, North Korea and Russia. More details are devoted to the Israeli – Palestinian conflict because of its signal importance to Mid East peace and apparent failure of Bush’s “Road Map to Peace.”
Also of immense relevance to Bush’s pre-emptive war on Iraq was Libya’s surprise action to “surrender its programs of WMD and honor intentions of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
Chapter 12 describes salient aspects of domestic policy under the headings of Crime General, Corporate Crime, Education, Energy, Environment, Social Security, Welfare, Medicare, Sundry, and Appointments, Confirmations and Terminations.
Key legislation detailed included “persistent dumb-downing of students, non-passage of drilling for oil in ANWR, squandering current Social Security surpluses by the White House and Congress, passage of the Medicare Bill with drug benefits for seniors, approval of affirmative action for University of Michigan law school applicants and voting against abominable partial birth abortion.”
Certain details regarding the United Nations and the European Union are discussed in Chapter 13. Included are Bush’s Policy Switch in Using the U. S. Military, Freedom Alliance Criticism and Citizen Complaints.
The EU was busy with a plan to denationalize all European nations and install the euro as “the currency” without total success.
The last chapter, 14, discusses Bush’s pre-emptive war on Iraq with criticisms by Krugman, Raum, Chianese, Senator Hollings, Stevens, citizens, Johnson and Schlafly. Author’s brief comments on each chapter follow including suggestions. Closing comments conclude descriptions.