# Bush's war. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 26, 2004, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161 "2004-04-26T22:44:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/1 "2004-04-26T22:44:30Z")
Short and simple. On the TV news, in print journalism, just about every where. The Iraq war is called “ **Bush’s War** ”. If it’s a legitimate war shouldn’t it be called “America’s War”? ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/2 "2004-04-26T22:49:01Z")
Shorter and sweeter: Please provide a cite from a mainstream news source that is calling it Bush’s War. ---
**Author:** ![Yesterdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/d07c76/32.png) [@Yesterdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yesterdog)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/3 "2004-04-26T22:51:54Z")
Well for one, it’s not an official war. For it to be an official war, Congress must declare it as such. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/4 "2004-04-26T22:51:54Z")
P.S. Believe it or not, I am not asking for a cite out of belligerance; I have not seen it refered to as Bush’s War outside of fringe whacko sites like [Moveon.org](http://Moveon.org) and the like. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/5 "2004-04-26T23:08:20Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > If it’s a legitimate war shouldn’t it be called “America’s War”? If the country plunged into recession, and the media reported about “The Bush Recession”, would you start a thread asking if it should be called “The American recession”? But I’d like to see a cite, too. I don’t think I’ve seen “Bush’s war” except in an explicitly partisan (or at least highly critical) context. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/6 "2004-04-26T23:28:34Z")
The inevitable [Googlefight](http://www.googlefight.com/) link: “Bush’s War”: 1,520,000 results “Iraq War”: 6,870,000 results Not an insignificant number of hits for the Bush contingent, but I believe we have a clear winner here. ---
**Author:** ![MMI](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/53a042/32.png) [@MMI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MMI)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/7 "2004-04-26T23:45:29Z")
Does it matter? Have we exhausted all substantive criticisms of the Administration’s Iraq policy? Without clear cut universal agreement about the desirability and ramifications of this war a portion of the press and/or loyal opposition will call it Bush’s war. How many conflicts in the history of the US that has not been known by some portion of the press or opposition by the President’s name? (Afghanistan, _maybe_?) Ye Gods! \ ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/8 "2004-04-27T00:41:50Z")
> [@Ryan K](#): > > Well for one, it’s not an official war. For it to be an official war, Congress must declare it as such. Entirely true. This one gets a \* in the history books. Have there been any declared wars since WWII, history fans? Don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![Yesterdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/d07c76/32.png) [@Yesterdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yesterdog)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/9 "2004-04-27T00:47:00Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Entirely true. This one gets a \* in the history books. > > Have there been any declared wars since WWII, history fans? Don’t think so. Will there ever be? I hope not. If so, we’ve got some serious problems. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/10 "2004-04-27T00:47:05Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Entirely true. This one gets a \* in the history books. > > Have there been any declared wars since WWII, history fans? Don’t think so. And that’s an awful shame. The founders gave that power to Congress for a reason. They should demand it back or change the constitution. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/11 "2004-04-27T00:53:17Z")
> [@Ryan K](#): > > Will there ever be? I hope not. If so, we’ve got some serious problems. I disagree. We are now in the doublespeak era where what used to be called “war” is now a “military action” or (worse) “peacekeeping effort”. War is a scary word, as it should be. Changing the name doesn’t change the destruction. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/12 "2004-04-27T01:17:59Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > I disagree. We are now in the doublespeak era where what used to be called “war” is now a “military action” or (worse) “peacekeeping effort”. War is a scary word, as it should be. Changing the name doesn’t change the destruction. Very well said **Mr. Mace**. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/13 "2004-04-27T01:30:10Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > Very well said **Mr. Mace**. And that cite…? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/14 "2004-04-27T01:49:11Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > Short and simple. > > On the TV news, in print journalism, just about every where. > > The Iraq war is called “ **Bush’s War** ”. > If it’s a legitimate war shouldn’t it be called “America’s War”? Why? I’ve read a fair number of history books, and have yet to see the term “America’s War” used to legitimize a war. _shrug_ ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/15 "2004-04-27T01:49:30Z")
Just watch or listen to something other than the right wing mouthpieces sometime. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/16 "2004-04-27T01:55:31Z")
I always kinda liked “Dubya Dubya Two…” ---
**Author:** ![Yesterdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/d07c76/32.png) [@Yesterdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yesterdog)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/17 "2004-04-27T02:25:35Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > I disagree. We are now in the doublespeak era where what used to be called “war” is now a “military action” or (worse) “peacekeeping effort”. War is a scary word, as it should be. Changing the name doesn’t change the destruction. I am scared becuase of the formal declaration of it. The political institution can play with semantics all it likes, but with military action and peacekeeping efforts come assumed forms of restraint. Declaration of war, though not guarenteed, brings about the possibility of nuclear war. Again, its all relative though. ---
**Author:** ![Yesterdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/d07c76/32.png) [@Yesterdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yesterdog)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bushs-war/242161/18 "2004-04-27T02:29:13Z")
Whoops, posted too soon… > [@Menocchio](#): > > And that’s an awful shame. The founders gave that power to Congress for a reason. They should demand it back or change the constitution. This is a good point. Although history has shown the balance of power shift in a sin-wave, so the future will be interesting in this regard. > [@Master Wang-Ka](#): > > I always kinda liked “Dubya Dubya Two…” Can I use this? This is great…hahaha… 😃