I Thought It Was a Civil War?
Apparently not. Iran supplies Iraqi militias, says ABC News.
Dems Flinch on Campaign Promises
Remember the solemn pledge delivered by Democrats leading up to the mid-term elections to implement ALL of the recommendations of the 9/11 commission?
Democratic leaders have decided for now against implementing the one measure that would affect them most directly: a wholesale reorganization of Congress to improve oversight and funding of the nation’s intelligence agencies. Instead, Democratic leaders may create a panel to look at the issue and produce recommendations, according to congressional aides and lawmakers.
Because plans for implementing the commission’s recommendations are still fluid, Democratic officials would not speak for the record. But aides on the House and Senate appropriations, armed services and intelligence committees confirmed this week that a reorganization of Congress would not be part of the package of homeland-security changes up for passage in the “first 100 hours” of the Democratic Congress.
Members of the bipartisan commission aren’t happy.
“Of all our recommendations, strengthening congressional oversight may be among the most difficult and important,” the panel wrote. “So long as oversight is governed by current congressional rules and resolutions, we believe the American people will not get the security they want and need.”
To be fair, the Republicans didn’t want to enact this recommendation either. But Democrats made a point of pledging to enact all of the recommendations. Their refusal to do so means it’s politics as usual in Washington.
Bush: No Withdrawal
As of today, President Bush says U.S. troops will stay in Iraq unless it’s government asks us to leave.
“I know there’s a lot of speculation that these reports in Washington mean there’s going to be some kind of graceful exit out of Iraq,” Mr. Bush said during a joint news conference in Amman with Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, referring to the final report by the Iraq Study Group that is expected next week. “We’re going to stay in Iraq to get the job done so long as the government wants us there.”
Hmmm…does this mean that if the Iraqi government asked us to leave, as early as tomorrow, we’d go with no questions asked? What about completing the mission? Do we have the same mission as the Iraqis?
And about the formation of that great new democracy in the middle east? It’s still the goal, but this much is clear. The U.S. won’t keep troops in the country until its brand of democracy is established. That idea has proven itself to be nothing more than a huge political hot potato. For now, it seems that talk is off the table.
Team Baker Makes Recommendations
The bipartisan Iraq Study Group reached a compromise on Wednesday, and although the report isn’t suppose to be released until next Wednesday, the leakers are in full force. What we know so far:
- the report will call for a gradual pullback of troops
- there will be no timetable for their withdrawal
What’s not clear is the meaning of the term “pullback”.
The report leaves unstated whether the 15 combat brigades that are the bulk of American fighting forces in Iraq would be brought home, or simply pulled back to bases in Iraq or in neighboring countries. (A brigade typically consists of 3,000 to 5,000 troops.) From those bases, they would still be responsible for protecting a substantial number of American troops who would remain in Iraq, including 70,000 or more American trainers, logistics experts and members of a rapid reaction force.
The devil’s in the details, more of which will be revealed in the coming days.
Schumer: Reaganism is Dead
Senator Charles Schumer continues to live in an alternate state.
“We’re in better shape than [Republicans] are, because they don’t realize that Reaganomics is dead, that the Reagan philosophy is dead,” he said. “We realize that New Deal democracy, which is still our paradigm, which is sort of appeal to each group … that doesn’t work any more.”
He had said a bit earlier, “The old Reagan theory which dominated — which is, ‘Government is bad, it’s out of touch, chop off its hands as soon as it moves.’ — is over.”
Denial is a defense mechanism in which a person is faced with a fact that is to painful to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence.
LBJ said the same thing after Goldwater’s defeat. Wasn’t true then. Isn’t true now.
Saudi’s To The Rescue?
If the U.S. leaves Iraq suddenly, Saudi Arabia will step in to the country to prevent the slaughter of Sunnis at the hands of Iranian-backed Shiites.
Why wait? What’s preventing the Saudis from stepping in and helping the Iraqis now? If they’re really an ally of ours, why the posturing? Get to work!
More from Dan Riehl.
Maliki Snub?
A U.S.-Iraq summit planned for today was suddenly pushed back to Thursday after this classified memo was leaked by the New York Times. Bush administration officials deny any link between the story and the delay of the summit.
Drip, Drip, Drip – NYT Leaks Again
The New York Times published details from a classified memo on Wednesday which expresses doubts whether Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has the power to control sectarian violence in Iraq.
The Nov. 8 memo was prepared for Mr. Bush and his top deputies by Stephen J. Hadley, the national security adviser, and senior aides on the staff of the National Security Council after a trip by Mr. Hadley to Baghdad.
The memo suggests that if Mr. Maliki fails to carry out a series of specified steps, it may ultimately be necessary to press him to reconfigure his parliamentary bloc, a step the United States could support by providing “monetary support to moderate groups,” and by sending thousands of additional American troops to Baghdad to make up for what the document suggests is a current shortage of Iraqi forces.
“His intentions seem good when he talks with Americans, and sensitive reporting suggests he is trying to stand up to the Shia hierarchy and force positive change,” the memo said of the Iraqi leader. “But the reality on the streets of Baghdad suggests Maliki is either ignorant of what is going on, misrepresenting his intentions, or that his capabilities are not yet sufficient to turn his good intentions into action.”
I’ve got no problem with the Bush administration questioning Maliki’s capacity to lead. In fact, I think we should have been watching him like a hawk since day one. I do have a problem with the New York Times pushing the criticism out into the public domain. It serves no purpose other than to damage Bush and drive his relationship with Maliki into the ground.
Birthday In Absentia
Is there anyone left on the planet who thinks Fidel Castro will rise again to be the leader he once was?
Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro said on Tuesday that he was not well enough to attend the opening of several days of events celebrating his 80th birthday.
“I’m not in medical condition to be there,” Castro said in a statement read by a presenter to thousands of supporters from dozens of countries at the start of a gala in Havana’s Karl Marx theater that was to mark the opening of the celebrations.
The Castro Era is over.