Congress should deliver the war supplemental bill in a flag-draped coffin

By Mary MacElveen

(one of my favorite writers, editorialists, and opinionated!)

On Tuesday which is the fourth anniversary of President Bush’s ‘Mission Accomplished’ speech, the $120 billion war supplemental bill is scheduled to be delivered to President Bush’s desk.

On that day four years ago, in self-serving pageantry, President Bush flew onto the U.S.S. Lincoln in a fighter jet wearing a uniform he had no business wearing. In learning today that nine soldiers died the war supplemental bill should be delivered to him in a flag-draped coffin signifying what this war has cost the American people. Just think of the symbolism if our congress delivered it in that fashion.

President Bush has stated that he will veto this bill because of the language contained within it to draw down our troops. Well nine did draw down on Saturday as they drew their last breaths here on Earth.

In one week’s time, we have lost eighteen soldiers. On April 24th, we also lost nine soldiers. One wonders how many more. How many more? As it stands right now based on D.O.D. statistics, 3346 have lost their lives in Iraq as of today.

On Friday’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Mr. Olbermann had on as his guest, Larry Johnson who is a former CIA officer opining on George Tenet’s recently released book, At the Center of the Storm. As we all know, George Tenet just recently wrote this tell-all book in which he comes clean as far as the intelligence that led up to this war not squaring what was told to the American people. It also countered the presentation given to the UN Security Counsel by the former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

In an open letter to Mr. Tenet as posted on Countdown’s site, it states, “We are stunned that someone who reportedly is earning $50,000 per speaking engagement and has received a $4 million dollar advance for your book is worried only about reputation. The damage to your reputation pales in terms of the harm that has been inflicted on U.S. soldiers engaged in combat in Iraq and the national security of the United States. In our view we believe you have a moral obligation to return the Medal of Freedom you received from President George Bush. We also call for you to dedicate a significant percentage of the royalties from your book to the U.S. soldiers and their families who have been killed and wounded in Iraq.”

That letter is also signed by Phil Giraldi, Ray McGovern, Jim Marcinkowski and Vince Cannistraro. To all reading this editorial, please go read this letter in its entirety by going to the link above. George Tenet had the power to stop this blood-letting of our soldiers as well as the Iraqi people and he did NOTHING. The same can be said of the Senate Intelligence Committee since they too knew what was being told to the American people was false.

Those on that committee who knew what the real intelligence was and still voted to invade Iraq should be tried for treason. Even those who voted against the Iraq Resolution yet did nothing could have somehow leveled with their colleagues without going into specifics. All on that committee failed the American people, more importantly our dead and maimed troops.

As some have mocked former Senator Mike Gravel for being included within the Democratic debate, at least he helped to stop the blood-letting of our troops in the Viet Nam War. In “1971, he waged a successful one-man filibuster for five months that forced the Nixon administration to cut a deal, effectively ending the draft in the United States.” Where is that brand of leadership coming from those who say they support the troops and do nothing to bring about the end of this war?

In totaling up the number of troops lost to all of us this past week, which as I stated above is eighteen, those Republican senators who fail to override President Bush’s veto, will have done so at the peril of our troops.

Recently, Senator McCain walked through a market place in Baghdad protected by heavy security. To those Republicans who will refuse to override this veto, if I had my druthers it would be to send them over to Iraq with no security provided them and to witness the destruction first hand. How long would I send them for? I would say a month, but most of these senators would not even last a day. In fact, most of them who have signed the death warrants of our soldiers know nothing of war. Cowards!

Besides these nine soldiers who lost their lives, the AP reported, “A car bomb exploded Saturday in the Shiite holy city of Karbala as the streets were packed with people heading for evening prayers, killing at least 58 and wounding scores near some of the country's most sacred shrines.”

In going through the slideshow of pictures which accompanies the AP article which you can access by going to the first link, it was the images of the Iraqi children that captured me. I have never seen such vacant eyes, and ones without hope. It is almost as if they are a shell with no soul contained within them. A soul is the very essence of our life forms here on Earth and it appears to me their souls died a long time ago.

You will be sickened and horrified as you read what is also contained within this AP report, “Iraqi television showed one man carrying the charred body of a small girl above his head as he ran down the street while ambulances rushed to retrieve the wounded and firefighters sprayed water at fires in the wreckage, leaving pools of bloody water.”

This is what I want George Tenet, The Senate Intelligence Committee, and those Republican senators to see who will sustain President Bush’s veto. I would want for them to be immersed in this carnage for not having the guts to stand up and end all of this. I would want them to see horror upon horror being delivered upon the Iraqi people.

In going through over 400 pictures attached to that AP article, the ones that sickened me the most were of mass graves to bury the Iraqi casualties. They were of partial human remains wrapped up as a butcher would wrap a piece of meat. Then again, that is how these Republican senators who will help Bush sustain this veto do see these Iraqis. Oh and if any of them call themselves pro-life, well damn it, prove it! You cannot be pro-life especially if the lives taken were done through an illegal invasion and occupation.

Also contained within that slide-show is a picture of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr who called President Bush the “anti-Christ” Not so fast, Moqtada al-Sadr, it is within your power to also stop this bloodshed. Do not blame President Bush solely for this massacre of your own people. Since you are a cleric which means a holy man, I know of no creator who would sanction the killings of innocent people especially children. It is time for you to stand up and say no more suicide car-bombs.

In closing, I do suspect that many Americans are growing increasingly impatient with this sectarian violence and yes it is about time that the Iraqi people do stand up and stop the carnage of their own people. Americans cannot do a thing when it comes to your children dying; only you can.

Authors Website: http://www.marymacelveen.com

Authors Bio: I am a writer who currently writes pieces for my own blog http://www.marymacelveen.com I have been published by Buzzflash.com, Legitgov.org, TheLiberalPatriot.org and MikeHersh.com. I have done numerous web broadcasts for sites such as RadioLeft.com, TVNewsLies.org and FranklySpeakingRadio.com.

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