another war won

President Bush noted today that we won the war in Iraq. You may think he is alone in this belief, but think again. "We," meaning Bush and his close friends, did win. And they won a lot. Just take a look at Halliburton's stock price (ticker HAL). Five years ago, it stood at less than $10 per share. As the war went on, so did HAL. By the middle of 2006, it reached $40 and it has been hovering around that price ever since. You probably also noticed the exorbitant profits made by oil companies throughout this period. Like it or not, these are the real measures of success. Hard numbers that few can argue with. And real dollars to line the pocket books of the President's sponsors.

If Bush failed somewhere it was in handling the PR. He did a reasonable job selling the war, but then again, after 9-11 one could have sold virtually anything to a blood thirsty nation. No real kudos there. It is like saying I doubled my money on a stock in the midst of a large bull market. Sure you did, and so did everyone else. The real kicker in getting us to war was to get Colin Powell to go stand in front of the UN security counsel with tons of shaky, if not outright fabricated, "evidence." That took some doing and the Bush team did a superb job here.

The greatest "pure" PR stunt of this whole debacle came with the aircraft carrier landing and the speech, mission accomplished. It did work at the time, but the images have lingered and they have come back to haunt the administration. Even Bush should have known that "accomplished" was a premature term. HAL had yet to double. Even though, he and Vice President Cheney probably knew that the ball was rolling and that there was no stopping it now.

Overall, the war in Iraq is a minor issue really. It catches the public's attention but it is hardly worth a tenth of the time spent on it in the media. For the umpteenth time, we went out to bully a small country. Granted, it did not go as smoothly as we expected and it ended up costing a lot more money, but we had few alternatives. Iraq was sitting on a lot of oil and if we are to be taken seriously and protect our "economy," we needed to do something dramatic. Even though the sanctions worked, they did not make us look good. A small time dictator thumbing his nose at the world's most powerful country is not an image we can easily live down.

And don't say you didn't support the war. You did. Even most of you who voice opposition. The true measure of support is right there in your garage. That new SUV or cross-over vehicle. All the energy you waste on running your heater and air conditioner unnecessarily. All the money you spend on throw-away goods. All the gadgets and toys you buy but never look at.

If you were or are truly outraged at the war in Iraq, there is only one way to show it. Ditch that SUV. Cut your driving by at least 50%, and urge your representatives to put a high tax on gasoline. Support $5 a gallon gas so people will stop driving like maniacs. Wean yourself from indulgent overconsumption and take a stance to protect our environment by buying less. Instead of spending your weekends at the mall, go to the lake for a hike, or a run.

Otherwise you just sound like any other addict who complains that their dealer is beating up another party to secure cheap product.