Washblog

"Gingrich said in the coming days he plans to speak out publicly, and to the Administration, about the need to recognize that America is in World War III.

He lists wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, this week's bomb attacks in India, North Korean nuclear threats, terrorist arrests and investigations in Florida, Canada and Britain, and violence in Israel and Lebanon as evidence of World War III. He said Bush needs to deliver a speech to Congress and "connect all the dots" for Americans."

- And if Bush gave that war speech, that might be just fine for Democratic candidates. Bush might not be able to get the old saying right, but I think most American voters know that the saying goes: "Foul me once, shame on you. Foul me twice, shame on me."

Let's look at Newties list and connect his dots:

• * Afghanistan - The Bush Administration invaded to capture Osama bin Laden and to overthrow the Taliban because they wouldn't hand him over. Osama trapped but then was allowed to escape. The Taliban have regrouped and are gaining ground in their war against the new Afghan government. A weak central government with the provinces ruled by the same brutal and corrupt warlords who's abuse of the Afghan people lead to the Talibans first rise to power of the Taliban.
  • the dots - Republican Failure. To few resources committed to the invasion. To little effort put into stabilizing and rebuilding. A situation that's beginning to look like the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
• * Iraq - The Bush Administration invaded because Saddam Hussien had WMD - was connected to al Qaeda - tortured, raped and murdered Iraqi civilians - is a bad guy. conditions for the average Iraqi are worse now than before the invasion - Less clean water, less electricity, less fuel, less income, less personal security. Reconstruction moves at a snails pace because neither U.S. forces nor the new Iraqi government have control of the country. The Bush Administration's Defense Dept. has no coherent plan to end the insurgency. The new Iraqi government is an ineffectual puppet government. Although it's still unclear whether it's a U.S. or Iranian puppet.
  • the dots - Republican Policy Failure. A rudderless occupation that has overstretched and demoralized American Military Forces. Iraq has become a training ground for al Qaeda and neo-Nazi's!
• * this week's bomb attacks in India - In Mumbai, bombs tore through seven rush-hour trains, killing 181 people.
  ..."Indian authorities have not offered concrete evidence linking the bombings to any particular organization. But the local police and senior government officials have suggested involvement by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a banned Pakistan-based militant group active in the anti-Indian insurgency in Kashmir," ...(source)
  The conflict between India and Pakistans over Kashmir has been going on since 1947. Insurgency in Kashmir has been going on for the last twenty years.
  • the dots - Republican Policy Failure. The Bush Regime gave Pakistan and India a pass on nuclear proliferation and tacit approval of the continued bloody stalemate over Kashmir.
• * North Korean nuclear threats - When it was discovered that the North Koreans were violating the spirit of the deal negotiated by Clinton to freeze production of weapons graded nuclear material; first Bush dared Pyongyang to go into full scale production, then dared them to make atomic bombs and then dared them to test ballistic missiles to carry the A-bombs.
  • the dots - Signs of Republican insanity. Bush's belligerent approach seems designed to provoke North Korea and wipe out all progress toward peace on the Korean Peninsula. The Republican Senate majority has done nothing to temper the Administrations childish belligerent posturing. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
• * terrorist arrests and investigations in Florida, Canada and Britain -
  • the dots - Republican questionable grip on reality. Homegrown terrorist cells are blowback from Republican fantacyland ideologically driven foreign policy. Barbaric behavior from the Bush Administration has grown anti-American terrorism around the world.
• * violence in Israel and Lebanon - the latest flare-up in a conflict that's been going on for half a century.
  • the dots - Bush/Republican failure. Bush Administration's neglect of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has led to complete breakdown and precipitated the current violence.

Newt wants to repackage Republican policy disasters as a grand-global-war for freedom. He sure does think the American people are dumb as dirt.

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[cross-posted at Washington Outsiders]