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Home Front: Politix
Panel reaches deal on U.S. Iraq policy
2006-11-30
AP. They left out "recommendations". Neither they nor AP make the call on US Foreign Policy. Asstards.
A bipartisan commission, under pressure to offer a U.S. exit strategy for the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq, has reached a consensus and will announce its recommendations next week, the group's co-chairman said Wednesday.

Former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., declined to disclose any specifics about the Iraq Study Group's decisions. The report, much anticipated by the Bush administration and members of Congress, is coming out next Wednesday amid the spiraling violence in Iraq that has raised questions about the viability of the Iraqi government. "This afternoon, we reached a consensus ... and we will announce that on December 6," Hamilton told a forum on national security at the Center for American Progress, a liberal group. "We're making recommendations," said Hamilton, who led the group with former Secretary of State James A. Baker III.
Hamilton gets it. Sorta.
Posted by:.com

#7  I know who's going to get screwed.
Posted by: gromgoru   2006-11-30 18:16  

#6  I've got a brilliant idea. Why don't we pull our troops out, and since it's a "law enforcement" issue to the Donks anyways, let the NYPD and/or the Atlanta PD in on the action. Seem to be good at killing (and overkilling) things lately. Redeploy troops to Tehran, Pyongyang and Syria. Could also use them to cordon off Mecca/Medina in the "Sea of Glass" threats for the next coming attack.
Posted by: BA   2006-11-30 11:36  

#5  These guys need to watch more football. A 'prevent' defense leads to more 'near losses' (and not a few losses.) As they say, the best defense is a good offense. So let's be offensive.
Posted by: Glenmore   2006-11-30 11:24  

#4  I suspect this panel opinion is the beginning of a dangerous downward spiral. This panel has been built up as the committee of savants who will produce a magic solution to allow us to solve this Iraq dilemma. Now we see that the solution is to kiss up to Syria and Iran while US troops are withdrawn as quickly as possible. Iran will agree to assist withdrawal because that's exactly what they want anyway. In addition, knowing Baker's proclivities, he undoubtedly promised them that they could proceed unhindered on their "peaceful" nuclear program. This committee opinion will also be used in Congress to force draw down of troop levels. It will be the support pillar used to justify funding cuts for operations activities. This sort of talk will begin early in the next Congress, assisted by the rumor of the most massive supplemental appropriations request since operations began. This will lead to cuts or funding stalemates. Significant withdrawl of US troops will cause the Saoodis to take some sort of action to protect their Sunni brothers. This causes major concern for Israel also. Later, they will be forced to take major military action to protect themselves from being over run. Then the chips will really be down and the game is at stake.
Posted by: SpecOp35   2006-11-30 10:47  

#3  The only panel legitimate to 'work it out' is one elected by the American people. This other crap is just dressing for people who believe they don't need the consent of the govern to rule. Get fancy titles and you think you run the place. They have as much to say on the issue as any Rantburger and nothing more.
Posted by: Procopius2K   2006-11-30 09:19  

#2  Iran and Syria won't engage seriously until they've been at the receiving end of a sufficiently large barrage of incoming something-or-others. They think we can be bullied into surrender, despite all our toys... and this kind of thing makes them more intransigent, not less.
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-11-30 08:30  

#1  NYT has a few more details. Nothing we haven't already heard about - the kind of mush you'd expect from a committee - "we should withdraw at some unspecified rate and some unspecified time". They did admit that Bush's recent speeches threw a monkey wrench into their deliberations. They obviously didn't want their recommendations to be DOA.

But I think it will be DOA anyway. The world just doesn't work the way these geniuses seem to think it does. The jihad will continue and intensify no matter how much "talking" we do with Syria and Iran.
Posted by: fmr mil contractor   2006-11-30 07:44  

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