What else did Bush expect? [Archives:2004/727/Viewpoint]

It is well-known that the Bush Administration was optimistic and hopeful in turning Iraq into a model state that could serve as an example to other Arab states in becoming a real democracy with peace and order. He imagined that the war he led in war Iraq would be received with cheers and gratitude for so called 'liberation' of Iraq. Today, as violence is mounting everywhere in Iraq, and as Americans are dying in the dozens, the issue is no longer a pleasure cruise.
The way US forces dealt with Iraqis with mass arrests, crackdowns, killing journalists, and other negative actions, have only inflicted more damage and insecurity for them. Many more US soldiers and marines have started telling stories about their sufferings in Iraq and about the widening gap between them and their leaders. Many of them have complained that their generals are simply not aware of the situation on the ground and the level of risk those soldiers are subject to.
The recent developments concerning the clashed between the Shiites and US forces has added more difficulties to an already troubled government that is now being questioned by large number of Americans about the real reasons for invading Iraq, as the so-called 'Weapons of Mass Destruction' were not found. It is interesting to see how defiant the Bush administration stands in defending its claims of the existence of such weapons, despite mounting evidence showing otherwise.
I also remember the time I wrote in this editorial section of the implications of the war on Iraq and the expected future. I said that Iraqis will sooner or later rebel against US forces and possibly result in a civil war that the US should be held responsible and accountable for.
Using force against Iraqi factions or groups is one of the gravest mistakes the US Administration has committed. The forces may regain parts of the country from the hands of the rebelling Shiites and could possibly enforce the law using the power of their military arsenal, but this will trigger a 180 degree change in the attitudes of Iraqi Shiites, who have been tolerating the occupation for sometime, thinking that it could perhaps be better than the former regime of Saddam Hussein.
Today, they realized they were wrong.
Hence, it is only a matter of time for us to see where the country is heading and how power can be handed over within a few months according to an agenda that -like many other steps taken by the US administration- has not been researched and studied thoroughly. And who knows? Maybe such a rush into a war in Iraq could cost the US President his post. And I think Bush is not ruling out anything, including his own defeat.
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