NYT: The Bush Escalation Plan

The Times has published more details about Bush’s new Iraq plan -

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 — President Bush’s new Iraq policy will establish a series of goals that the Iraqi government will be expected to meet to try to ease sectarian tensions and stabilize the country politically and economically, senior administration officials said Sunday.

Among these “benchmarks” are steps that would draw more Sunnis into the political process, finalize a long-delayed measure on the distribution of oil revenue and ease the government’s policy toward former Baath Party members, the officials said.

The article goes into further detail (basically the entire plan).

This entire thing feels like window dressing, meaningless things that are simply put there to take some attention away from the escalation. Does Bush actually believe any of this stuff will have any impact in Iraq? Is there anything there that is even new?

This is the same exact thing we have now, simply with more troops involved. Like, seriously, Bush is simply saying, hey, we’ll work a little harder… while we send more troops in because, basically, we still don’t get it yet.

Gag.

If this is the entire plan, please, Democrats, don’t be little bitches.


Technorati Tags: Bush•Surge•Iraq•Escalation

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Bush - Finally Sucking Across Party Lines

Are we actually seeing the start of a Congress Vs. Bush steal cage match, with Democrats and Republicans banning together?

It kinda seems that way.

WASHINGTON - President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq is running into trouble on Capitol Hill, with Republicans joining Democrats in raising eyebrows before the president even has a chance to make his case.

Next week Bush will unveil a new Iraq strategy that entails political, military and economic steps to win the war. The military solution, which has attracted the most attention and skepticism from Congress, is expected to include an increase in U.S. troops, possibly 9,000 additional troops deployed to Baghdad alone.

Technorati Tags: Congress•Bush•Escalation•Democrats•Republicans•Iraq•Surge

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BREAKING- Dems' Letter To Bush

The entire letter can be found over at HuffPo.

In a recent appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee, General John Abizaid, our top commander for Iraq and the region, said the following when asked about whether he thought more troops would contribute to our chances for success in Iraq:

"I met with every divisional commander, General Casey, the Corps commander, General Dempsey. We all talked together. And I said, in your professional opinion, if we were to bring in more American troops now, does it add considerably to our ability to achieve success in Iraq? And they all said no. And the reason is, because we want the Iraqis to do more. It's easy for the Iraqis to rely upon to us do this work. I believe that more American forces prevent the Iraqis from doing more, from taking more responsibility for their own future. "

Rather than deploy additional forces to Iraq, we believe the way forward is to begin t he phased redeployment of our forces in the next four to six months, while shifting the principal mission of our forces there from combat to training, logistics, force protection and counter-terror. A renewed diplomatic strategy, both within the region and beyond, is also required to help the Iraqis agree to a sustainable political settlement. In short, it is time to begin to move our forces out of Iraq and make the Iraqi political leadership aware that our commitment is not open ended, that we cannot resolve their sectarian problems, and that only they can find the political resolution required to stabilize Iraq.

Finally.

I was worried the Dems wouldn’t take such a hard line, but it seems they have listened to the American people, the Iraq forces, and, like sanity, and issued a strong statement.

Let the games begin.



Technorati Tags: Congress•Pelosi•Escalation•Democrats•Dean•Iraq•Surge

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Strange Waiting Game

(UPDATED BELOW)

I feel like all this behind-closed-doors “Iraq policy crafting“ is nothing more than political games.

CRAWFORD, Texas - Already weeks in the making, President Bush's new war plan is being burnished with the assistance of top military and diplomatic advisers as critics of the war urge the Democratic Congress to resist any call for a large military buildup in Iraq.


It's unclear whether Bush will signal his desires or just seek further consultation when he meets at his Texas ranch on Thursday with Vice President Dick Cheney and other members of the National Security Council.

Downplaying expectations, the White House says it's a "non-decisional" gathering. Yet advisers have set the stage for a presidential speech after the first of the year in which Bush will lay out a new U.S. strategy in Iraq where violence could be sparked by the execution of Saddam Hussein.

We all know that Bush is going to call for more troops, so why all these weird consultations and talks? Bush fully thinks that there is an enemy in Iraq that has to be defeated for the country to become stable. Because of this flawed thinking, he believes that sending more troops will solve the problem by quickly defeating the enemy and bringing peace to the country.

How fucking weird is that?

I think this quote from the article hits it dead on -

Sending more troops only increases the Iraqis' dependence on U.S. forces and allows them to delay making the painful political compromises needed to end the violence, said Larry Korb, a former assistant secretary of defense. He said part of Gates' mission in Iraq was to get military leaders to support an increase in troops.

"You can put a Marine or soldier on every street corner in Baghdad, but unless the reconciliation process begins, it's not going to make any difference," Korb said.

UPDATE1 11:35 AM

The Raw Story has a post up linking McCain’s sagging poll numbers to his support for the “troop surge” idea. It’s an interesting read, but in the end it all works out like this:

If this troop surge idea happens (it will) and if it actually works (it won’t), then Republicans will be hailed as some sort of heroes, which leads to a problem for the Republicans. This idea is completely unpopular, causing very few Republicans to support this troop surge policy, out of fear that it could be political suicide.

All this leads me to believe that we are about to face some interesting political times.

Grab a beer and watch the games begin.

Technorati Tags: Iraq•Bush•Strange Republican Insanity•McCain•Troop Surge

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ISG Report: The Iraqi Feeling

The overall tone of the ISG report is a simple one. America must begin transferring power and responsibility over to the Iraqi government. It seems like such a simple little idea, but published in today’s WaPo is an article detailing the feelings of Iraqis to this report.

Basically, Iraqis feel that the report doesn’t take into account the difficulties that are actually taking place in Iraq. The civil war is so strong that most are unsure that the warring factions will ever be able to agree, leaving the ISG report filled with ideas that can never be achieved. This may be the case, but what is America supposed to do?

Admittedly, this is America’s (the Bush admin’s) mess to clean up, but we can only do so much. If Iraqis refuse to give up their warring ways, there is nothing we can do as the toll on our country would certainly not be worth the risk. As much as it is our mess, unfortunately, it has to be their mess to clean up, for it is impossible for us to do so. We cannot change the minds of people that are engaged in a centuries old battle.

From the WaPo article -

"It comes far too close to having the U.S. threaten to take its ball and go home if the Iraqi children do not play the game our way," Anthony Cordesmann, a military analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in an e-mailed analysis, referring to possible withdrawal of support.

Actually, that is exactly what is happening, as the U.S. needs to threaten Iraq in this way. There seems to be this prevailing thought in Iraq that they cannot bring safety to their own country. Even if this is true, the problem is that Iraq will never be truly safe until their Government is able to fully govern. America cannot govern Iraq into sanity, and quite frankly, we’re sick of trying. If Iraqis want to live in a civil society, then they must take the steps needed to achieve it.

Other Bloggers: The Moderate Voice


Technorati Tags: Bush•War On Terror•Iraq•Iraq Study Group

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Gates Confirmed

Gates has been approved. The final vote: 95-2
Voting No: Santorum and Jim Bunning (some sort of protest or something… probably protesting that Jesus wasn’t made Secretary of Defense, or somethin’ whacky like that).



Technorati Tags: Bush•Senate•War On Terror•Iraq•Gates•Secretary Of Defense

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Iraq Study Group Roundup

[Updated Below...Updated Again]

The AP has a nice summary about the Iraq Study Group’s findings and all the hoopla around them..

It recommended the U.S. reduce political, military or economic support for Iraq if the government in Baghdad cannot make substantial progress toward providing for its own security.

I was never down with the immediate troop withdrawal idea in the beginning, but I always warned that we needed to find a way to make the Iraqis step up, a way to show them that this is their country now, as well as their responsibility. Apparently no one could find a way to accomplish this, leaving us with only this hardnosed option.

The truth of the matter is that the Iraq government needs to take control, and apparently this is the only way to achieve this. What’s the only eother option? Sit in Iraq for decades while their government works it out? Yeah right.

"If the president is serious about the need for change in Iraq, he will find Democrats ready to work with him in a bipartisan fashion to find a way to end the war as quickly as possible," said Rep. Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), the California Democrat who is in line to become House speaker when the new Congress convenes in January.

Thank you for acting like a real leader, Pelosi. Seriously, score one for our side… or something - you know it works somewhat like that in almost everyone’s head, don’t lie - .

In a slap at the Pentagon, the commission said there is significant underreporting of the actual level of violence in the country. It also faulted the U.S. intelligence effort, saying the government "still does not understand very well either the insurgency in Iraq or the role of the militias."

(emphasis mine)

Take that Michelle Malkin! You little liberal conspiracy believer, you.


Update1 5:38 PM EST

The Truth Laid Bear has the report in html. Check it out if you want to know more about what is inside.

Update2 9:28 PM EST

The Times has published a piece basically quoting some prominent Democrats on their reaction to the Iraq Study Group’s report.

Basically, it seems that most in the party are going to shy away from an immediate withdrawal proposal, which will anger some, though I have yet to decide if it is a good move.

There’s a part of me that thinks all hope is lost in Iraq, and that no matter what we do, we will lose. Part of me thinks that we should pull all our troops out, because simply, we have no business being there, our citizens have no business dieing there. Then there’s the other part of me that wants to give this new Congress a chance to work with the president and come up with a plan that will allow the Iraqi government to stand on its own. But, if we allow Congress to work with Bush and hammer something out, how long do we wait before we come to the conclusion that it’s time to pull the troops?




Technorati Tags: Bush•Congress•War On Terror•Iraq•Iraq Study Group•Nancy Pelosi

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Gates Wins Unanimous Support

[Updated Below]

Yes, yes, the surprising has happened, and Gates has won unanimous approval from the Senate Armed Services Committee.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously approved President Bush's nomination of Robert Gates to be defense secretary Tuesday and sent it to the full Senate for approval, the committee's outgoing chairman said.

Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia announced the committee's 24-0 decision after a closed session.

The full Senate could vote Wednesday, but senators may not have an opportunity to vote until Thursday, depending on how many lawmakers want floor time to speak on the nomination, a Senate aide said.

Everyone saw this coming. The snoozefest of a testimony was a simple pat on the back from Republicans for being Bush’s nominee, and a pat on the back from Democrats for not being Rumsfeld. I’m not sure that any of this even matters, as I am 100 percent certain that Gates will not call for a troop withdrawal, even though that is what the American people and Iraqis want.

UPDATE1 11:17 PM

Let the fellatio begin.




Technorati Tags: Bush•Congress•Gates•Iraq•Senate

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Morning Roundup

Yesterday, I posted about the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act that Republicans in the House are trying to push through in their last days of power. Today, the WaPo has a more in-depth article complete with this little tidbit -

Even the bill's definition of pregnancy -- beginning at the moment of fertilization, rather than at implantation in the uterus -- is problematic to some abortion rights groups, since it would legislatively establish that some forms of birth control induce abortion by blocking implantation after fertilization.

Really, this is simply just another declaration of science by a political body. “Fertilization” is not an accepted beginning to pregnancy amongst the scientific community, yet here we have Republicans frothing at the mouth to, like, declare their religious assumptions as truth.

And they wonder why they have been booted out of office. Perhaps someone needs to inform them that their job is in politics, not medicine or science.


Other Bloggers: Blue’s On Third•Sexuality and Religion: What's the Connection?

• From CSN -

With the White House facing a pivotal week for Iraq policy, the big question is not so much what the bipartisan Iraq Study Group will say when it releases its report Wednesday, but how President Bush will respond.

In the final two years of his tenure and well aware that Iraq more than anything will define his place in history, Mr. Bush is facing intense pressure to make extensive adjustments to save a project that most experts conclude is rapidly failing.

I want to have faith that Bush will listen… that he will realize that his policy is a horribly failed one and that we need an Iraq change, but… I think Bush has proven that he isn’t in touch with reality. Even if there is a policy change, how do we know that it will be the right one? Bush is utterly out of touch with the situation in Iraq. He refuses to call it a civil war, and he still claims that we are fighting terrorists there. If Bush doesn’t even want to admit the real situation in Iraq, how is he going to come up with a plan to solve it?

I believe that Bush, in some weird out-of-touch-moron-reality hating way, actually believes that he knows what he is doing. His Iraq policy is a complete failure, yet he thinks that it is correct. What makes anyone think that he will change? He has no political pressure to stop this insanity, so what would make him change his opinions? Reality certainly doesn’t have that power… so what the hell does?



Technorati Tags: Bush•Congress•Abortion•Iraq•Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act•Lame Duck Republicans

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Bush And His (Pushing, Thrusting, Moaning...Sick) Faith

The Boston Globe has published an article detailing Democrat initiated investigations that will look into Bush’s failed Faith-Based Initiative.

WASHINGTON -- Two leading Democrats on the House International Relations Committee said they want to investigate President Bush's faith-based initiative to determine whether taxpayer funds are being used to reward Bush's Christian conservative supporters and whether the faith-based groups are using the funds to help gain converts.

In addition, Democrats on the panel said they could be in a strong position to try to overturn a measure that requires one-third of AIDS prevention money overseas to be spent on "abstinence-until-marriage" programs.

The $1 billion abstinence measure was passed by the Republican-led Congress and signed by Bush, but many Democrats have complained that the money could be better spent on other measures such as condoms. Many of the religious groups receiving funds under Bush's faith-based initiative have received money as a result of the abstinence-until-marriage program.

If anything comes out of these proposed investigations, I would hope that it would be this horrible failure of a measure - which may actually help contribute to the spread of AIDS - being overturned.

Sexual development 101 teaches us that abstinence-only education is ineffective. The best method is a comprehensive method that explains all options, including condoms… you know, reality. It is highly immoral for this administration to award a failed method - a method that helps spread AIDS throughout the world - and something that all people should be outraged about. People need to take a step back and look at what the real issue is here. Is it the goal of our government to persuade people to live lives that coincide with their random morals, or is the goal to stop the spread of an epidemic?

The answer is quite obvious to me, but there are those who feel that the real goal should be to spread their religious doctrine throughout the world, no matter the casualties it may bring.

As much as it kills the Christian extremists, I fully believe that the Democrats’ new power will restore an inkling of common sense back to our government, which is quite a huge victory for all of us that were blessed with common sense to begin with.

Technorati Tags: Bush•Congress•Democrats•Values•Whacky Extremists•

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