EDITORIAL – War still war, spin still insufficient

President Bush honored the third anniversary of the Iraq war not by speaking of the violence… President Bush honored the third anniversary of the Iraq war not by speaking of the violence that continues to plague the fragile country, but rather by playing up the efforts being made to spread democracy, the Associated Press reported. In fact, he didn’t even mention the word “war.”

Let’s face it; Bush’d school us all in a game of charades.

This isn’t a new tactic from the Bush camp, and it’s increasingly frustrating. Bush hasn’t changed his game. Almost three years after American troops swarmed Baghdad he announced an end to major fighting campaigns in Iraq. The fighting has not stopped. Mission Incomplete. The death toll is rising and nothing new is being done. Our efforts continue to sit and fester in the wound we opened three years ago. The White House announced recently that it was going to resume air attacks, an effort called Operation Swarmer. This round of bombings is the largest launched since April 2003.

Finding hundreds of ways to talk about a problem without really addressing it, let alone naming it, is no way to make progress. These games are tiresome, and they undermine the intelligence of the people. Not direct enough? How about this: We see right through you.

Calling Sunday “the third anniversary of the beginning of the liberation of Iraq” is no better. Maybe Bush thinks that if we don’t use the “w” word, it might go away. That’s a pretty unlikely scenario with no foreseeable end to the violence.

Where are the American people? They’re dressing up in costume and marching up and down Forbes Avenue, holding signs that demand change. We are no better if this is the flavor of our response. Kudos to protesters for coming out and raising awareness – apathy is disgusting. Unconstructive protesting might give you something to do on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and if you’re lucky you might turn some heads, but nothing is being said that we don’t already know.

This is not to say that drastic actions are the answer, just a suggestion that catchy chants and cute costumes aren’t challenging the government to be more accountable for their actions.

It’s time for America to be honest with itself. This conversation is long overdue. The Bush administration must admit that we have a problem so we can draw our attention away from advertising the problem and focus our energy into developing solutions. The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one.

“Hi, my name is George, and we’re at war.”

“Hello, George.”

What about the bombings, the insurgent attacks? More than 2,300 American troops have died in the Iraq war – and they aren’t the only ones dying. As many 194,000 Iraqis may have died, as reported by medical journal The Lancet- But you already knew that.

It’s time to talk about what needs to happen to end the violence. Put an end to the rhetoric; develop a plan, then find a new spin. Let’s make sure that people have the tools they need to live, be it food or institutions charged with maintaining stability. Let’s make that the focal point and stop throwing around words like “democracy,” “Muslim” and “oil.” The goal should be to provide people with the resources to live their lives. Maybe if people kept that in mind as they threw their peace signs in the air, their march might take them somewhere.