Mission Accomplished, 3 Years Ago Today

Bush's thumb, in the wrong direction.

Three years ago today President Bush declared "mission accomplished" during his aircraft carrier over-the-top photo op. I remember that day and remember how disgusted I was because I absolutely KNEW that the war was not over. Now, three years later I knew what Bush didn't, that mission was not accomplished, in fact still isn't.

We now know that even three years after mission accomplished hasn't materialized that not a few months ago Bush suggested that the next president would be dealing with Iraq. He has already passed on mission acomplished to the next president. Some day, maybe, we will have a mission accomplished, maybe, but it's hard to see from here.

Most everyone except the White House seems to understand that Iraq is now a sectarian and tribal civil war. I guess the White House only thinks civil wars are like our own American Civil War, with clear lines drawn. Iraq's civil war is like several others. It's the assassinations in the street, the militas of Shiites and Sunnis battling each other in an almost private way. The Iraq civil war is more like an American big city drug war between large gangs, crips vs bloods, only larger and more deeply rooted in long ago transgressions. The situation in Iraq is something the Bushies never envisioned, they never had that "vision thing" as to Iraq. They never understood the culture, the religion, the politics, and the tribal aspects.

Mission accomplished's three year anniversary has come and gone today, but the war in Iraq has come and not gone.