Rohirrim
10-13-2006, 01:08 PM
There's no saving Iraq. The National Intelligence Estimate has already stated that Iraq has become a "cause celebre for jihadists." They also stated that the Iraq debacle is "...cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement." Last week, John Warner came back from Iraq and said that Iraq is "drifting sideways." He suggested that, after the elections (of course) we should consider "changing course." We already have the testimony of multiple military leaders who have admitted that the civil war has already begun.
Dubya has called in Jim Baker (once again) to bail him out. Last time, it was for his failing oil company. Now, it's to get him out of the Iraq mess. Of course, Baker won't give any details before the elections next month. This month, Bush is staying the course. Next month, after the elections, he'll no doubt be "redeploying." When the Dems say "redeploying" it means "cut and run." What has leaked of the Baker plan is that he will call in regional leaders to ensure that the chaos of Iraq does not enflame the region. Baker has already admitted that he will include Iran and Syria in the discussions. As Marie Cocco wrote today in Newsday ("Try a "wait and walk" stategy in the Iraq war"), the goal of the Baker approach would be to strike an agreement to "prevent a civil war from bursting beyond Iraq's present borders and becoming a conflagration involving Sunni and Shiite factions throughout the ME."
So what's the irony? This is the plan that Kerry suggested two years ago. With Russ Feingold, Kerry brought forward this measure based on the idea of a regional diplomatic conference with Iraq's neighbors intended to keep borders intact, prevent outside interference and protect Iraq's minorities while drawing down U.S. troops. What happened? The GOP-dominated congress voted the measure down 86 to 13 and launched a smear campaign against the "cut and run" Dems.
As Cocco wrote in her article, "We should all grasp a feasible way out of Iraq when it comes. But doing so will not bring back those who have perished these past two years. Nor will it expunge the guilt we bear from the failure to act sooner."
Dubya has called in Jim Baker (once again) to bail him out. Last time, it was for his failing oil company. Now, it's to get him out of the Iraq mess. Of course, Baker won't give any details before the elections next month. This month, Bush is staying the course. Next month, after the elections, he'll no doubt be "redeploying." When the Dems say "redeploying" it means "cut and run." What has leaked of the Baker plan is that he will call in regional leaders to ensure that the chaos of Iraq does not enflame the region. Baker has already admitted that he will include Iran and Syria in the discussions. As Marie Cocco wrote today in Newsday ("Try a "wait and walk" stategy in the Iraq war"), the goal of the Baker approach would be to strike an agreement to "prevent a civil war from bursting beyond Iraq's present borders and becoming a conflagration involving Sunni and Shiite factions throughout the ME."
So what's the irony? This is the plan that Kerry suggested two years ago. With Russ Feingold, Kerry brought forward this measure based on the idea of a regional diplomatic conference with Iraq's neighbors intended to keep borders intact, prevent outside interference and protect Iraq's minorities while drawing down U.S. troops. What happened? The GOP-dominated congress voted the measure down 86 to 13 and launched a smear campaign against the "cut and run" Dems.
As Cocco wrote in her article, "We should all grasp a feasible way out of Iraq when it comes. But doing so will not bring back those who have perished these past two years. Nor will it expunge the guilt we bear from the failure to act sooner."