Steve, you think too much. Surely this is just kabuki theater of the highest order. Why anyone would trust anything so called Senator " I'm not gay, I'm really not" Lindsey Graham says is beyond me...
You ask good questions and in a normal time I would hope somebody could answer them; but clearly these ar not normal times.
What's with this constant harping about Israel every chance you've get? Why do you keep trying to associate Israel with a war that Bush started when Israeli political and military leaders advised Bush against attacking Iraq?
Posted by dcc at November 27, 2007 11:16 AMdcc:
Ehud Barak supported the invasion. Sharon told Bush he would not oppose the invasion, but cautioned against the occupation. Our State Department, namely Richard Armitage says the Israelis wanted the war as long as we could decapitate the regime, render the Iraqi military no longer a threat, and then get out and deal with Iran next.
If you can show me a public or even private statement of opposition to Bush from Sharon or a senior Israeli official in the run-up to the war, I'd like to see that citation.
Posted by Steve Soto at November 27, 2007 11:53 AMChambliss and Graham are just trying to salvage their GOP elections. I guarantee that if we woke up tomorrow and found the GOP poised to win back the House and Senate in 08 that those two creeps would change their tune in a heartbeat. It is sadly funny that two GOPers as culpable as any for Bush's Iraq quagmire are now running like little bunnies away from an Iraqi Democratic government that they've been telling us our GI's were dying for. Whatever happened to the purple fingers, Lindsey? Didn't George tell you guys he intended to occupy Iraq permanently? What's up with two guys named Lindsey and Saxby anyway?
Posted by T2 at November 27, 2007 12:11 PMThis is the Army talking, they think that Maliki is depriving them of their surge "victory" with his "obstructionism". Bush just yesterday annointed Maliki for the rest of the Bushco crisis. Too late, boys. Hard K rations.....
These GOoP guys think in terms of puppet regimes, like Vietnam, that's how deep their democracy spreading goes. Don't "waste" the surge "victory", what claptrap.
Steering all funds directly to the provinces, yeah, that'll put political reconcilation back on the front burner.
Thrashing around with no idea of what to do, when a withdrawal schedule on a negotiated, regionally approved basis is the only sensible course, as the Left has said for a year.
Posted by euzoius at November 27, 2007 12:50 PM"Thrashing around with no idea of what to do" - that is the most succinct description of Bush Iraq policy I've heard to date. Actually, it pretty much sums up his entire presidency. Hat tip to euzolus.
Posted by T2 at November 27, 2007 01:16 PMI fully agree that al-Maliki has to demonstrate his government is capable of doing something constructive to gain any continued support at all. I wish Dems were challenging that agreement.
But I break with the GOP Senators on the notion that the surge has reduced the violence. On 8/29, Moqtada al-Sadr declared a 6 month ceasefire. That reduced the violence... till next March 1.
The Iraqi government is more interested in pretending that they don't hate the Sunnis than national reconciliation
Posted by Kevin Hayden at November 28, 2007 04:32 AM