Peggy Noonan: It's Not About Bush (Has America turned a corner on Iraq?)

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Thursday, December 15, 2005

[presidio9]

The four-part Iraq speech cycle on which the president has embarked, and that culminated yesterday in his remarks before the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, may well mark a turning in his public leadership of the war. His arguments on the war, and his assertions about what is happening on the ground and what is desired there, were more comprehensive, seemingly more candid, and thus more persuasive than he has been in the past 12 months. Coupled with today's voting it may mark a real turning point.

One of the things I think the president communicated most effectively, if mostly between the lines, was the sense that some decisions a president faces don't promise good outcomes no matter which way he comes down. These are decisions that carry deep implications, and promise real difficulty.

And one such was: To move on Saddam or not?

Do nothing about Saddam, or nothing that hasn't been done before, and you keep in place a personally unstable dictator who has declared himself an avowed enemy of America, who will help and assist its foes at a crucial time, and who has developed and used in recent memory and against his own citizens weapons of mass destruction. Do nothing and you face the continuance of a Mideast status quo encrusted by cynicism and marked by malignancy.

But remove Saddam and you face the cost in blood and treasure of invasion, occupation and the erection of democracy. It's all a great gamble. It could end with the yielding up of, not to put too fine a point on it, another psycho. You could wind up thinking you'd bitten off more than you could chew and were trying to swallow more than you could digest.

No matter what Mr. Bush chose, what decision he made, he would

[RTINSC]

"The Bush White House--and the president--have in the same way made Iraq a Bush drama"

BS

[Vicomte13]

Peggy Noonan is a political junkie and a former speechwriter who thinks that speeches are important.

Now the bitter truth: hardly anybody heard any of Bush's speeches, and nobody cares what he said.

What matters is what happens. There's an election on.
People will see that, and judge it. It will be a good day for the Americans and the Administration. Even though people will die today in terror attacks, the overall picture, for a day or two or three, will be progress. People will think that maybe things are moving in the right direction after all.

Then the glow will pass and the terror will take over the news again. And that will be demoralizing and seem like a "quagmire", to those who don't just tune it out.

So, post election, something ELSE will have to turn up that makes an impression that things are going very, very well.

It's difficult to see what. The terror will go on no matter what. If an Iraqi government stands up and makes a speech or two, that will be disregarded even more completely than a Presidential speech.

So, what would do it?
News that Iraqi oil is flowing again, in very large quantities, reflected by a plunge in gasoline prices down to or below two dollars a gallon. Then the Administration can point to THAT as proof that things are going well in Iraq and producing tangible results in the US. And THAT will make a lasting impression even to people who don't read speeches, and to people who wonder if we're winning. Drive gasoline back below $2 a gallon and pin that on the new flows of Iraqi oil, and the Administration will be vindicated without speaking a word.

[hsalaw]

I don't know what's happened to Peggy. She starts out sounding like she wants to say something positive, but instead it's just a bunch of digs at the administration. Her recent writings seem to have the snide tone of "jilted woman" all over them.

[presidio9]

Peggy Ping

[Mo1]

His arguments on the war, and his assertions about what is happening on the ground and what is desired there, were more comprehensive, seemingly more candid, and thus more persuasive than he has been in the past 12 months. Coupled with today's voting it may mark a real turning point.

Or maybe you are starting to pay attention

The president has made many these remarks about Iraq before

Sadly he has to keep reminding people because they are too stupid to remember

[Darkwolf377]

I almost skipped your post after the first couple of lines, but read on.

I'm glad I did. I've heard endless talk about Iraq and oil, but you've framed the situation succinctly and, I think, correctly.

I'm not used to seeing original insights often on the net. My hat's off to you.

I think Iraqi oil flowing to the extent that gas prices drop is something that could turn around the public perception of the war because it's something we can each experience ourselves, in our own corner of this planet, as opposed to reading about it. I hope it happens soon.

[presidio9]

I agree that increased oil production would be a positive, but the left would soon return to complaining that the war (and therefore soldier's deaths) was all about oil.

[bybybill]

This bothers me a lot.
President Bush outlined in very clear terms, the reasons we had to go to war. He didn`t mince words, we all knew the reasons, Congress agreed, and we reelected GWB.
After the election, the Rats went off the page and exploited every death in Iraq and, of course, the MSM helped them. All the time, our troops were winning, Bush was being proven right, but,it wasn`t being reported, and he was getting killed in the by the MSM and dropping like a rock in the polls. Have to wonder, if he had the full support of the Rats and the MSM, would the war be over?
But, that`s not what bothers me.
Where were we? Where were the Conservatives that talk about freedom,say they are with the troops, that know we are at war, a war we MUST win? Where were we?
We were standing right in front, screaming that GWB didn`t understand, pick one: Meirs or immigration or taxes or hurricanes or what ever our issue was. To hell with the war, Bush wasn`t conservative enough. And if he didn`t drop everything and support our pet issue, well, no Republican is going to get my vote, I`m true to the cause! Thank GOD that we elected a man that doesn`t listen to the loudest voice or the polls. Shame on a lot of us for not realizing what is really important and stabbing him in the back when he needed us the most.

[ishabibble]

Actually, total BS. To the n'th degree.

Iraq was drama in the 1930's, far before it even dawned on their people that they could, indeed, be free.

That is why Americans simply don't get Arab Muslims: Freedom is the very air that we breathe. How is it even possible that another human being could not be free?
Americans will never, ever understand that freedom is not the air that they breathe. Thank God Almighty that we are armed, or we would suffer the ravages of PC Canada or Australia or *shudder* France.

The drama here is on the part of the news whores, Peggy included, who seek to wring a penny out of a war.

[RTINSC]

Yes. We have freedom because we fight to keep others from taking it from us. Lock em and load em..

[Darkwolf377]

Yes, but people wouldn't care. They would know that lower prices were a sign of success. And if the dems wanna come out against low oil prices, let 'em run on that.

[nopardons]

This has been going on for far too long a time with Peggy. She has done little but write very nasty columns about the president, overlaid with overtly sugary, yet smarmy tones.

Yes, she does sound like a woman scorned, now that you mention it.

[Vicomte13]

"but the left would soon return to complaining that the war (and therefore soldier's deaths) was all about oil."

Of course they will.
But it won't matter, because people will be enjoying $1.90 gasoline, and that will affect everyone. There's nothing better than that warm glow of doing well by doing good.

[Yaelle]

Great post. Very true.

[Rastus]

Sugary and smarmy are her style. I wasn't a fan of her writing even before I stopped being a fan of her content. I always felt I needed an insulin injection after reading one of her columns.

[nopardons]

That they are and she's really far too long in the tooth, to continue to try playing the virginal Catholic schoolgirl. But this constant TRASH PRESIDENT BUSH at every turn, is not only stale, but boring in its constant sameness.

[Jeff Chandler]

Where were we?

What do you mean "we"? Do you have a tapeworm?

"I" was with most of the other conservatives in this country asking, no begging the President to do what he has been doing lately: take the field against the seditious left. Years of silence from the Bush administration has allowed the war effort to be undermined among the citizenry. Lies must be countered with truth, and thank God Bush finally seems to be fighting the lies.

The American people must be constantly rallied in times of war. Let us hope the Presdent continues to rally us.

[sydbas]

There is the sense sometimes with this White House that they learned more from Bill Clinton than from Ronald Reagan.

I think Peggy has lost it here. We all miss Ronald Reagan, very much. However to even begin to compare President Bush's administration to the heathen Bill Clinton is way beyond the pale. Come on Peggy you can do better than that. This is only my opinion but I don't think Peggy has written an article worth a 'you know what' since well before President Bush's second inauguration and in fact I seem to recall her saying that President Bush's inauguration speech scared her. Peggy I think you need to come out from under the covers now.

[Mo1]

Have to wonder, if he had the full support of the Rats and the MSM, would the war be over?

Maybe if we are lucky .. one of the talking heads on TV will ask that question

Though I won't hold my breath waiting for it