The House Democratic Caucus Communications Office released the following chart this afternoon in anticipation of the President's address to the nation to outline his so-called new plan for Iraq:
The President's previous addresses to the nation regarding Iraq have been filled with slogans and rosy predictions that failed to come true. We don't know what slogan we will hear this evening, but a review of slogans past is included below.
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| | REALITY IN IRAQ
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| MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
[M]y fellow Americans: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. [Remarks by President Bush, 5/1/03]
BUT THE WAR CONTINUES
| Four Years Later, U.S. Still in Iraq. Four years after President Bush declared Mission Accomplished, U.S. forces are still in Iraq.
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BUSH: "STAY THE COURSE" IN IRAQ
| It's hard to advance freedom in a country that has been strangled by tyranny. And, yet, we must stay the course, because the end result is in our nation's interest
And my message today to those in Iraq is:
We'll stay the course; we'll complete the job. My message to our troops is: We will stay the course and complete the job and you'll have what you need. [Presidential Remarks, 4/13/04]
| BUSH NOW SAYS TO CHANGE COURSE; BUT IT'S THE SAME AS THE OLD COURSE
In January 2007, Bush said, the new strategy I outline tonight will change America's course in Iraq. But the Associated Press reported that President Bush's new plan for Iraq sounds a lot like his old one. Send in more troops, set goals for the Iraqi government and assure Americans it's better to wage war there than here. [Presidential Remarks, 1/10/07; AP, 1/10/07]
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"FREEDOM IS ON THE MARCH"
| Because we acted to defend our country, because we acted in our self-interest, 50 million people in Afghanistan and Iraq have been liberated. Our world is changing. Freedom is on the march. [Presidential Remarks, 9/3/04]
| IRAQIS LIVE IN STATE OF CIVIL WAR
In November 2006, NBC News branded the Iraq conflict a civil war - a decision that put it at odds with the White House and that analysts said would increase public disillusionment with the U.S. troop presence there. NBC said the Iraqi government's inability to stop spiraling violence between rival factions fit its definition of civil war. [MSNBC, 11/27/06]
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INSURGENCY IN ITS "LAST THROES"
| The level of activity that we see today from a military standpoint, I think, will clearly decline. I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency. [Dick Cheney Interview, 5/30/05; CNN]
| BUT EVEN RUMSFELD SAID THAT THE INSURGENCY HAD GROWN STRONGER
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld acknowledged in December 2005 that the insurgency in Iraq has been stronger. [AP, 12/5/05]
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TURNED THE CORNER
| President Said Iraqi Election Would be a Turning Point. In January 2005, President Bush said, Tomorrow the world will witness a turning point in the history of Iraq, a milestone in the advance of freedom, and a crucial advance in the war on terror. The Iraqi people will make their way to polling centers across their nation. [Presidential Radio Address, 1/29/05]
White House Said 2005 Was a Turning Point for Iraq. In three days, they will go to the polls for the third time this year and choose a new government under their new constitution. Difficult work remains, but 2005 will be recorded as a turning point in the history of Iraq, the Middle East, and freedom. [White House Fact Sheet, 12/12/05]
BUT IRAQ DESCENDED INTO VIOLENCE
| Insurgency Achieved Strategic Success. According to the Washington Post, in late 2006, the Pentagon said that violence in Iraq soared to its highest level on record and acknowledged that anti-U.S. fighters have achieved a strategic success by unleashing a spiral of sectarian killings by Sunni and Shiite death squads that threatens Iraq's political institutions. [Washington Post, 12/19/06]
Insurgency Has Gotten Worse. According to the Washington Post, a senior Defense Department official said in mid-2006, The insurgency has gotten worse by almost all measures, with insurgent attacks at historically high levels. The insurgency has more public support and is demonstrably more capable in numbers of people active and in its ability to direct violence than at any point in time. [Washington Post, 8/17/06]
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STAND UP; STAND DOWN
| Our strategy can be summed up this way: As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down. [Remarks by President Bush, 6/28/05]
| BUT IRAQI FORCES DID NOT STAND UP
In October 2006, the Washington Post reported that, U.S. Military Is Still Waiting For Iraqi Forces to Stand Up [Washington Post, 10/1/06]
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BUSH TOUTED THE NEW WAY FORWARD AND IRAQI BENCHMARKS
| On January 10, 2007, President Bush announced The New Way Forward in Iraq. In his address, Bush stated that, A successful strategy for Iraq goes beyond military operations. Ordinary Iraqi citizens must see that military operations are accompanied by visible improvements in their neighborhoods and communities. So America will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it has announced. [whitehouse.gov, 1/10/07]
| BUT BUSH WOULD VETO BENCHMARKS AS IRAQIS FAIL TO MAKE PROGRESS
Secretary State Condoleezza Rice said President Bush will not sign any war spending bill that penalizes Iraq's government for failing to make progress. Thus far, the Iraqi government has not made progress on five of the seven benchmarks, while the oil revenue sharing and de-Baathificiation benchmarks have now been stalled according to the Brookings Institute. [AP, 4/30/07, Brookings Iraq Index, 4/26/07]
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BUSH: SURGE STILL IN EARLY STAGES
| On April 3, 2007, President Bush said, It will be early June before all U.S. forces dedicated to the operation are in place. So this operation is still in its beginning stages. [Remarks by President Bush, 4/3/07]
SURGE STARTED IN EARLY JANUARY
| According to ABC News, the surge started the day of the Presidents address about the Iraq Escalation, January 10, 2007, almost four months ago. [ABC News, 1/10/07]