Mission Accomplished + 1,827

That ever elusive banner Republicans wish everyone would forget about. Every year about this time the Bush administration scrambles to define what exactly was meant by hanging a banner above our Grand Warrior Leader, who had just flown shotgun on a fighter jet while landing it on a aircraft carrier, reading Mission Accomplished. And then after changing from his combat flight suit, which didn't have a flag pin on the lapel by the way, to his thousand dollar suit spoke as clearly as he's ever spoken and declared that major combat operations in Iraq have ended while also declaring the battle in Iraq as a victory in the war on terrorism.

Since then the White House has tried to say that the banner was intended for the troops and sailors aboard the carrier, that their mission was over not that the mission in Iraq was over. That hardly matches up to Bush's words that day however. Then the spiritually ordained White House tried to say that the banner was made by the sailors and the administration had nothing to do with it. After that was proven wrong just like everything else the administration has said about Iraq, the White House admitted that it had indeed designed and hung the banner above our Righteous Leader's head for all the world to see.

Let us not forget no matter how hard the Bush administration, the neocons and the GOP try to rewrite history, that this was their war. It was a war to last only a matter of weeks; which coincides perfectly with the banner and the victory parade. This was the end, their invasion was over Saddam was gone but not yet captured and it was time for the Iraqi people to rejoice and the American people to salute its Grand Leader. Everything was going smoothly. Ahmed Chalibi was on his way to setup his American appointed government and our Marines and soldiers were switching from combat operations to a security role. To Bush and his GOP everything that has happened in the 1,800 days since then isn't relative to any discussion of Bush or Republicanism. Any mention of the 1,800 days is aiding the terrorists, or treasonous, or damaging to national security.

So today instead of honoring our great warrior patriot president, let's thank our troops for their service to this nation and remember throughout this election cycle how we got where we are.

*Update:

Just like Bush in 2003, McCain declared Iraq Mission Accomplished...can we really afford four more years of a Bush presidency?