The President's speech last night was pretty funny. Given that it was about the Iraq War and the loss of American military lives, I wouldn't have expected it to be. But it was funny. Funny/ironic. Funny/hypocritical. Funny/manipulative. Funny as in it doesn't pass "the smell test." That kind of funny.

First things, first, Mr. President. You opposed the surge and confidently predicted it would fail.

On the very day President Bush called for an additional 21,500 troops to try to stabilize Iraq, you spoke out against the plan. You said, "I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence there. In fact, I think it will do the reverse. I think it takes pressure off the Iraqis to arrive at the sort of political accommodation that every observer believes is the ultimate solution to the problems we face there. So I am going to actively oppose the president's proposal."And you did. You opposed President Bush's plan.

Mr. President, you followed through on that promise on Feb. 17, 2007, when you voted to support a bill expressing that "Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq." The bill failed in a vote of 56 yeas to 34 nays, with three-fifths required to move it forward. But you voted against the surge that has now proven successful. You were wrong, Mr. President.

But somehow you being wrong and Mr. Bush being right didn't make it into your speech last night. You proclaimed victory in Iraq as if that success was your own. That victory was the victory of the U.S. soldiers involved in the surge, all the military that supported them, the generals that devised the plan, and, of course, the perserverence of President Bush when everyone had turned against him. However, Mr. President, you didn't mention President Bush. You didn't commend him for this victory and foresight or resolve. I didn't think that President Bush was a great President but I'm not really sure why you would have forgotten this little idea about the victory of Bush's surge in your speech. It seems like a bit of an oversight, don't you think? Especially since you ardently opposed the idea over and over again. How can you sincerely claim credit for it now? Is it because everything in your Administration has failed thus far and public opinion has turned against you? I thought that might be the case.

In your speech last night, you also talked about the expense of the war in Iraq and how America will no longer need to bear that financial burden. I found that statement pretty funny too. A report just issued by the CBO yesterday found that the total cost of the eight-year Iraq war was actually LESS the the stimulus bill passed by you and your Democrat-led Congress in 2009. The total cost of Operation Iraqi Freedom was $709 billion for military and related activities, including training of Iraqi forces and diplomatic relations. The projected cost of your stimulus, which includes funding for turtle bridges and skateboard parks, is estimated at $862 billion. By your own words, your stimulus's purpose was to keep unemployment below 8%. It is currently at 9.5%, Mr. President.The last time I checked, 9.5% is most certainly higher than 8%. In retrospect, freeing Iraq from the brutal dictatorship of Sadam Hussein and putting it on a path of, we hope, Al-Qaeda-free democracy, might turn out to be a good investment in America's future after all. Your stimulus? Not so much.

I guess, my point is, Mr. President. Give credit where credit is due and start manning up to your responsibilities as President. When you've screwed up, say it. Stop being a sissy and blaming other people for your mistakes.

As Truman once said, "The buck stops here." I realize you may not have many bucks left after the Stimulus. But if you have at least one, Mr. President, that one should definitely stop with you.

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