[s1artibartfast]

>and as the great w would say, mission accomplished

Sorry, but the use of this quote out of context is one of my pet peeves, and the similarity is striking.

In the case of G.W, he was receiving sailors returning to port after completing their deployment in harm's way. Their mission was accomplished. The message was not that war is over, as the media insinuated. In fact, the counterpoint was made in the speech[1], although few have read it.

>Our mission continues. Al Qaeda is wounded, not destroyed. The scattered cells of the terrorist network still operate in many nations, and we know from daily intelligence that they continue to plot against free people. The proliferation of deadly weapons remains a serious danger. The enemies of freedom are not idle, and neither are we. Our government has taken unprecedented measures to defend the homeland. And we will continue to hunt down the enemy before he can strike. The war on terror is not over; yet it is not endless. We do not know the day of final victory, but we have seen the turning of the tide. No act of the terrorists will change our purpose, or weaken our resolve, or alter their fate. Their cause is lost. Free nations will press on to victory.

Similarly, in this article, if taken at face value, a volunteer went to Wuhan, risking their life, and returned. This does not mean that Covid is eradicated, but perhaps, their mission is accomplished too.

[1] https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/wariniraq/gwbushir...

[mullingitover]

The funny coincidence with that story: Osama bin Laden's stated purpose for the 9/11 attacks was, in part, the presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia. The US announced the withdrawal of troops from Saudi Arabia on April 29, 2003. Four days later Bush made that "Mission Accomplished" speech as the US was effectively complying with bin Laden's demand and surrendering their presence in Saudi Arabia.

[redis_mlc]

Whether the individual phrases in your comment are true in isolation or not, the implied cause and effect are not logical.

> surrendering their presence in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia pays the US to occupy military bases temporarily during crises, for example when Iraq annexed Kuwait. I presume the contract ended, and the US military left. It's not any more complicated than that.

One of the reasons that Saudi Arabia trusts the US is that the US has rarely occupied a country in modern times with a plan for long-term occupation or colonization. They either leave, or maintain a base, and then leave.

That's very unlike Russia, for example, whose doctrine is that if a country shares a border, then they get permanently occupied.

[nl]

This is re-writing history.

Edit: John McCain thought "Mission Accomplished" meant "End of War" too: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/story?id=4769254&pag...

If a speech says "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended" and "The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September the 11, 2001 -- and still goes on" and "We're helping to rebuild Iraq, where the dictator built palaces for himself, instead of hospitals and schools. And we will stand with the new leaders of Iraq as they establish a government of, by, and for the Iraqi people" the message is pretty clear: the Iraq war was over.

Yes, the crew allegedly asked for the sign to be made, but Bush's speech was about the "end of major combat operations in Iraq". Speeches to thank aircraft carrier crews for their missions aren't nationally televised, but that speech was.

There was no doubt in national media at that time what the mission was that had been accomplished.

Here's administration member Richard Perle writing in USA Today about that:

It ended quickly with few civilian casualties and with little damage to Iraq’s cities, towns, or infrastructure….It ended without the quagmire [war critics] predicted….Iraqis are freer today and we are safer. Relax and enjoy it.[1]

If anyone thinks a carefully choreographed performance[2] like this didn't also consider the banner.

Here's the archived speech[3] where is says: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. (Applause.) And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country.

Your quote is later, where he makes clear there are other battles elsewhere ("Al Qaeda... still operate in many nations".)

[1] https://archives.cjr.org/short_takes/mission_revisited.php

[2] https://www.mediamatters.org/laura-ingraham/mission-accompli...

[3] https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/20...