another pep rally

FORT HOOD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush said on Friday the United States was ready to win a potential war with Iraq and "liberate" its people as he rallied soldiers at the largest U.S. Army base amid an intensifying military buildup around the Gulf nation.

"Some crucial hours may lie ahead," Bush, wearing a green military jacket, told about 4,000 troops at Fort Hood Army Base in his home state of Texas. "We are ready. We're prepared."

"If force becomes necessary to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction ... to secure our country and to keep the peace, America will act deliberately, America will act decisively, and America will prevail because we've got the finest military in the world," he said. His speech was punctuated with applause, whistles and the soldiers' traditional "hoo-ah" cheers of approval.

Gosh oh gee wiz, he talks as if the most-powerful-by-far empire on the planet has a worthy (that is, equal in strength) enemy. So, does that mean that there's a chance that this war thing could all end up in a draw? After all, isn't it now clear we're going to be just about helpless in combat, since our primary defense, as has become usual in these wars against "the lessor sorts," will be to drop bombs from several miles up if anyone dares to shoot at us? Sounds like an equal contest to me.

Seriously however, will it be another war like Granada, or will it look more like Viet Nam or the Boer War?

About this Entry

Published on January 3, 2003 6:38 PM.

previous entry: "day of reckoning"?

next entry: minister of defense, and healing