Editorial & Commentary

THE WHITE HOUSE IN DENIAL

Editorial

The celebrated Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward recently appeared on 60 Minutes to speak about his new book State of Denial. How did he sum things up? "It's the oldest story in the coverage of government: The failure to tell the truth," he said.

     Many have correctly claimed that Woodward is coming a bit late to the story. As journalist David Corn writes "Woodward has slammed his Bigfoot brand name on a notion that's not new: George W. Bush has not been honest with the public."

     But what's particularly interesting is how Bush's allies are now increasingly questioning his war policy. Former Secretary of State James Baker III (a long time Republican) has hinted that the White House's policy on Iraq must change. Baker is co-chairman of the "Iraq Study Group," which he created last March with the encouragement of some members of Congress. Speaking a few days ago on ABC's This Week he said: "I think it's fair to say our commission believes that there are alternatives between the stated alternatives, the ones that are out there in the political debate, of 'stay the course' and 'cut and run,'" he said.

     With the U.S. mid-term election only a few weeks away, the Republicans are in serious trouble. The recent "page scandal" involving former Congressman Mark Foley (and the alleged cover-up by Speaker Dennis Hastert) is putting more "safe" Republican Congressional seats at risk. But it's the White House war policy that's expected to cause the Republicans to lose their majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

     Although much of what appears in Woodward's State of Denial shouldn't be terribly surprising, there are numerous revelations that are disturbing. One stands out. Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld botched post-invasion planning in Iraq by his arrogance and indecisiveness. In June 2003, the first head of the Iraq Postwar Planning Council (retired Lieutenant General Jay Garner) told Rumsfeld that the U.S. had made "three tragic mistakes in Iraq. "There's still time to rectify this," Garner said. "There's still time to turn it around." But according to Woodward, Rumsfeld replied: "We're not going to go back."

     Donald Rumsfeld should have been relieved of his position three years ago. In State of Denial former White House chief of staff Andrew Card says Rumsfeld was "out of control." Yet the Bush administration (especially Vice President Dick Cheney) feared any change could be viewed as an expression of doubt or hesitation about the war.

     But the White House can't hide the facts of the Iraq War, and they are sobering to behold. Since the invasion, 2,700 U.S. soldiers have been killed --and an estimated 100,000 Iraqis have lost their lives. The cost of the war also remains staggering. The National Priorities Project (NPP) recently reported that $378 billion has been spent or allocated for the war.

     It's critical Americans send the White House a serious message in November. This could be a defining political moment. Republicans have held power in Congress for too long --and the White House must be reigned in. The stage is set for change. But will the voters deliver?