BUSH´S WORLD OF ILLUSION

On the eve of the third anniversary – 20 March 2003 – of the invasion of Iraq, President Bush began the fourth of his series of speeches in his second term attempting to articulate his strategy for the war. None of his previous explanations had succeeded in bolstering public confidence, so he tried again. His speech on 13 March at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies was a reiteration of the theme he had elaborated in his last round.

Bush is rigidly adhering to the guidelines suggested by public opinion specialist Peter Feaver, a professor at Duke University recently hired to serve on the National Security Council. He has advised the president that he must insist that the difficulties in Iraq are the price we must pay for victory and that just as Bush stands for "victory" his critics by implication represent defeat.

In his peroration, Bush reached for that last point, his high note sounding the clarion-bell of certainty that is most familiar and comfortable for him. "The battle lines in Iraq are clearly drawn for the world to see", he said, "and there is no middle ground."

Yet Bush's speech provided a text contradicting his own key officials. On the crucial issues of Iranian involvement in Iraq, the worthiness of Iraqi security forces, the democratic nature of the Iraqi government, the cause of human rights, United States intentions about staying or leaving, long-term strategy and even the origins of the war, the words of the president and his men clash.

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