Round 3 and still not persuaded

President Bush gave his third speech of the month on Iraq. You will find the transcript at the official White House site. I note a few major problems with the speech.

President gives a short history lesson of the United States, then he says,

It is important to keep this history in mind as we look at the progress of freedom and democracy in Iraq. No nation in history has made the transition to a free society without facing challenges, setbacks, and false starts. The past two-and-a-half years have been a period of difficult struggle in Iraq, yet they've also been a time of great hope and achievement for the Iraqi people.

That was not the discussion at the beginning of the war. Remember, Mission Accomplished? There is no mention in the speech about how much longer. Experts predict 10 to 20 years more. Why get into messy details like that?

Later he says,

The terrorists affiliated with or inspired by al Qaeda are the smallest, but most lethal group. Many are foreigners coming to fight freedom's progress in Iraq. They are led by a brutal terrorist named Zarqawi -- al Qaeda's chief of operations in Iraq -- who has stated his allegiance to Osama bin Laden. The terrorists' stated objective is to drive U.S. and coalition forces out of Iraq and gain control of that country, and then use Iraq as a base from which to launch attacks against America, overthrow moderate governments in the Middle East, and establish a totalitarian Islamic empire that reaches from Spain to Indonesia.

The President tries to cash the al Qaeda terrorist chips, but he has none to cash. Zarqawi has been repudiated by Osama bin Laden. Zarqawi has no credibility within Iraq. Zarqawi cannot take control of the Iraqi government. President Bush knows this. Why is he saying the contrary?

Terrorist activity is not conducted by a well organized military force. Presenting terrorist activity that way camouflages the mistaken strategy of trying to fight terrorist activity with conventional military force rather than confront the more difficult issues and causes of terrorist activities. The terrorist who might kill me will most likely be someone who lives in my neighborhood. I might even have rubbed shoulders with him at the local bar. I am not safer because 160,000 troops are fighting in Iraq.

The President goes on to praise the Coalition Provisional Authority.

To fill the vacuum after liberation, we established the Coalition Provisional Authority. The CPA was ably led by Ambassador Jerry Bremer, and many fine officials from our government volunteered to serve in the EPA -- CPA. While things did not always go as planned, these men and women did a good job under extremely difficult and dangerous circumstances -- helping to restore basic services, making sure food was distributed, and reestablishing government ministries.

I am reminded of the famous words, "you are doing a heck of a job Brownie."

The President delivers the heart of the speech.

We've done this kind of work before; we must have confidence in our cause. In World War II, the free nations defeated fascism and helped our former adversaries, Germany and Japan, build strong democracies -- and today, these nations are allies in securing the peace. In the Cold War, free nations defeated communism, and helped our former Warsaw Pact adversaries become strong democracies -- and today, nations of Central and Eastern Europe are allies in the war on terror.

Today in the Middle East, freedom is once again contending with a totalitarian ideology that seeks to sow anger and hatred and despair. And like fascism and communism before, the hateful ideologies that use terror will be defeated by the unstoppable power of freedom. (Applause.)

That is the heart of President Bush's argument--persuade everyone, including himself, that terrorist activity is exactly like World War II. That way everyone in America has a patriotic and sacred duty and mission to blunder about the world with large conventional military force.

His premise is one that I will not grant him. There is no Normandy Beach where terrorists wait in their bunkers for the invasion. There is no Adolph Hitler who orchestrates terrorist activity.

As I have mentioned a couple of times, the President always confirms my predictions. The holiday season will be filled with tidings about the mythical World War III in which America is engaged.