Mission CREEP

Jonathan at A Tiny Revolution reminds us of this exchange at aWol's bizarro press conference on March 6, 2003, two weeks before he started his illegal war of aggression in Iraq:

Q Thank you, sir. Mr. President, millions of Americans can recall a time when leaders from both parties set this country on a mission of regime change in Vietnam. Fifty thousand Americans died. The regime is still there in Hanoi, and it hasn't harmed or threatened a single American in the 30 years since the war ended. What can you say tonight, sir, to the sons and the daughters of the Americans who served in Vietnam to assure them that you will not lead this country down a similar path in Iraq?

THE PRESIDENT: That's a great question. Our mission is clear in Iraq. Should we have to go in, our mission is very clear: disarmament. And in order to disarm, it would mean regime change. I'm confident we'll be able to achieve that objective, in a way that minimizes the loss of life. No doubt there's risks in any military operation; I know that. But it's very clear what we intend to do. And our mission won't change. Our mission is precisely what I just stated. We have got a plan that will achieve that mission, should we need to send forces in.

Of course, this is just one of thousands of examples of aWol's hypocrisy--but I think it stands out because it contains a rare example of aWol speaking the truth. Not the part about the mission, or that it won't change, or even that the supposed mission was clear. No, the rare truth spoken by the pResident was the first sentence: "That's a great question." But, as usual on the rare times when he is asked a great question, his saying "That's a great question" means "I have no intention of answering it."

And, just a reminder. Just last month, aWol's Secretary of State and girlfriend Condiliar Rice was stating unequivocally that the mission had changed, completely:

I would ask that people remember why we are there. We are there because we are trying to--having overthrown a brutal dictator who was a destabilizing force in the Middle East, we're trying to help the Iraqis create a stable foundation for democracy and a stable foundation for peace.