Speculations surrounding President Bush’s credibility have surfaced since he addressed the nation Jan. 10 concerning his “new plan” for Iraq.

His newly formed tactic includes sending 21,500 more troops overseas to the divided, war-stricken country.

This will be the fifth “surge” in troops since the war erupted in March of 2003. Bush’s new strategy includes: letting the Iraqis lead, helping them protect the population and isolating extremists.

Bush’s plan was met with great disapproval and doubt from members of Congress, national and local governments, and American citizens.

Current Chairman of the Democratic National Committee Howard Dean said, “By choosing to escalate the crisis in Iraq, President Bush continues to ignore the lessons of history, ignore the advice of military experts, ignore the recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group and the will of the American people.”

Dean said Bush’s plan will not make America more secure.

“It puts more American troops in the middle of a civil war and a situation reminiscent of Vietnam,” Dean said.

Since the beginning of the war, the U.S. government has spent over $358 billion — a total that continues to steadily rise.

According to www.costofwar.com, the money the U.S. government has poured into the war could have provided 17,343,496 students across America with four-year scholarships to any public university. Over 132,039 students in Louisiana alone could have had these privileges.  

However, aside from monetary values the United States has is constantly losing something more valuable and completely irreplaceable — human lives. 

Since the war began, over 3,000 men and women have lost their lives and more than 22,000 have been wounded – both are numbers that are still climbing. Also, fatalities have been directly related to the armor shortage our soldiers have been facing.

According to www.nytimes.com, “A secret Pentagon study has found that as many as 80 percent of the marines who have been killed in Iraq from wounds to the upper body could have survived if they had had extra body armor.”   

Bush’s new plan of action has raised many questions. For one, why send more soldiers when the ones already there are not properly armed? It seems as if our troops are set up for failure.

 After all, during his address Bush blatantly admitted that he has made mistakes in this war, something he has failed to admit before now.

“Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me,” Bush said in his address to the nation.

Whether or not we agree with President Bush, it is our duty as Americans not to forget the sacrifice the men and women overseas are putting forth.