Newspaper Editorials on Bush 'Iraqi Sovereignty' Speech Mixed

By: Charles Geraci Were they listening to the same speech? This morning, the editorial pages of the nation's largest newspapers were decidedly mixed on President Bush's speech Monday night about the upcoming transfer of sovereignty to Iraq. Many reacted with extreme support, while others responded with scathing criticisms of the president's Iraq policies.

USA Today called it "the most detailed and convincing description of the president's Iraq policy to date, as he ticked off steady, incremental gains that are overshadowed by daily news reports of soldiers dying and prisoners abused." the New York Post said, "Bush's plan is not just a way forward for Iraq -- but for the U.S.-led global War on Terror."

The Chicago Sun-Times added, "Bush's speech, while not great oratory, reminded Americans that considerable progress has been made, despite tremendous difficulties, and if success is not quite near, then at least it is in sight in the coming year ... It is a shame that the three networks failed to carry his speech, because in a little more than half an hour, he clearly summarized both the enormous task we face and the progress we have made in shepherding that nation from dictatorship to democracy."

And several papers noted their view that Bush was quite clear in laying out his plans for Iraq. "President Bush made it forcefully clear that neither he, his nation nor its most loyal allies will cut and run," said the Chicago Tribune.

Despite the praise from some papers, many others viewed the speech as an utter failure. Several papers cast Bush as having unrealistic plans for Iraq's future.

"Did Bush succeed?" asked the Star-Tribune of Minneapolis. "Not by a long shot. It's arrogant of a president to believe speeches can dispel the skepticism borne of three years of lies and incompetence on the ground ... You would think by now that Bush would have learned: Believing in something, hoping for something does not make it so."

Newsday added, "Nothing Bush said gives us confidence that his administration knows what it's doing there -- other than keeping its fingers crossed until Election Day."

Many papers saw the speech in terms of Bush's refusal to admit past mistakes. The New York Times said the president "spoke after nearly 14 months of policy failures, none of them acknowledged, which have left Iraq increasingly violent and drained Washington's credibility with the Iraqi people and the international community." The Times continued, "It's regrettable that this president is never going to admit any shortcomings, much less failure."

The Washington Post said Bush "would be more persuasive if he would acknowledge more honestly what has gone wrong in the past year and how it can be corrected."

But perhaps the harshest criticism came from the Star-Tribune: "Indeed, the Bush team has screwed up from the get-go in Iraq, and no amount of feel-good spin will change that."