LIEberman and Reality: No Longer BFF

Ripped From Museworld

In case anyone was wondering, Joe LIEberman is still at odds with reality.

I've just spent 10 days traveling in the Middle East and speaking to leaders there, all of which has made one thing clearer to me than ever: While we are naturally focused on Iraq, a larger war is emerging. On one side are extremists and terrorists led and sponsored by Iran, on the other moderates and democrats supported by the United States. Iraq is the most deadly battlefield on which that conflict is being fought. How we end the struggle there will affect not only the region but the worldwide war against the extremists who attacked us on Sept. 11, 2001.

Because of the bravery of many Iraqi and coalition military personnel and the recent coming together of moderate political forces in Baghdad, the war is winnable. We and our Iraqi allies must do what is necessary to win it.

This entire Lieberman OpEd, which is basically LIEberman giving a BJ to the troop escalation camp (is there any doubt now that Bush is going to call for escalation), stinks of some real reality dodging- we even get a 9/11 comparison. Simply, LIEberman sounds like unhinged Bush (circa 2005).

The interesting angle of this is how the American public will receive this OpEd and if they will believe that we are, once again, fighting al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups in Iraq, instead of being completely stuck in the middle of warring Iraqi groups fighting for power. My guess is that there will be a resounding rejection of this escalation plan, and when this happens, I hope they realize that LIEberman is not a Democrat and that he should not reflect on the party.

Technorati Tags: Iraq•Bush•Troop Escalation•Lieberman•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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