Continued: Editorials: 'Mission Accomplished' banner an early signal of Bush hubris

The Bush White House has a hard time owning up to mistakes.

So it isn't surprising that the administration says the infamous "Mission Accomplished" banner was problematic not because of its hubris, but because it lacked details.

Thursday marked the fifth anniversary of the day that President Bush flew a Navy jet onto an aircraft carrier with the banner and proudly announced that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended."

"President Bush is well aware that the banner should have been much more specific and said 'mission accomplished for these sailors who are on this ship ...' " spokeswoman Dana Perino said this week. "And we have certainly paid a price for not being more specific on that banner."

But the embarrassment caused by misplaced bluster is minuscule compared to the toll that others have paid for a mishandled war. Bush's show of swagger on the USS Abraham Lincoln was emblematic of a military invasion that took place without adequate planning and tragically underestimated the possibility of an insurgent revolt.

The result: More than 4,000 Americans killed and nearly 30,000 wounded in Iraq. Casualties for Iraqi citizens are much higher. The cost of the war has exceeded $500 billion. The mission now is to find an end game. When that will be accomplished is anybody's guess. ...

KANSAS CITY STAR, MAY 1

Don't lower military standards

"Join the Army if you fail," Bob Dylan sang in 1965, and his cheeky lyric reflected a certain reality. For decades, the U.S. military -- while always attracting a share of high-achieving patriots -- was often seen as a place where dropouts, misfits and delinquents could get a dose of structure and discipline. Not so in America's professional, all-volunteer military, where soldiers, sailors and Marines are expected to meet high standards, including a record of obeying the laws of the land they are sworn to defend.

But a war that had to be fought (in Afghanistan) and a war that never should have been fought (in Iraq) have left the Army and Marines today hard-pressed to meet recruitment targets. And so the standards have slipped. Last week, it was revealed that the number of Army recruits admitted on "conduct waivers" -- those with criminal records -- increased by about 25 percent last year over 2006. Most were for misdemeanors, but the Army more than doubled the number of recruits with felony convictions.

The United States' image overseas is poor, and each service member is an ambassador for American values. In such an environment, giving ex-offenders a chance at self-improvement can no longer be part of the military's mission. Indeed, it's deeply troubling that today's high-tech military -- where even ordinary soldiers are expected to operate sophisticated equipment -- needs to lower its standards to admit not just ex-convicts but many who failed to complete high school.

The fact that fewer qualified Americans are willing to serve is a reminder of how disconnected most are from the suffering and sacrifice of those serving in Iraq. Quickly ending our misadventure there will bring many benefits, not least an opportunity to begin to repair our once-proud military to face the tough tasks the future no doubt holds.

BALTIMORE SUN, APRIL 28

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