Article

2007-01-13 Iraq

Withdrawals could start if Iraq plan works -Gates

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Posted by Fred 2007-01-13 00:00|| || Front Page|| [5 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 More bumbling. You aren't going to fool, or jawbone, anybody in Iraq into doing/not doing anything, ever. You have to directly force them, or kill them in the process.

Neither Maliki or any successor are in the position of having a wide range of options, among which are just deciding to pacify and organize the country any time they finally feel like it.

If Maliki gets in the way just bypass him, threaten him in private, damage his interests, kill his friends or political allies. Posturing in the palace rotunda a la Casey or in the Senate office buildings a la Gates has only one sure effect: it forces rational lunatics (Iraq is full of them) to hedge their bets in ways inimical to our program.

Everyone knows that improvements would lead to reduced US deployments. Dangling that in front of people is some sort of monument to the political mismanagement of the war. Sickening.

Posted by Verlaine 2007-01-13 02:47|| 2007-01-13 02:47|| Front Page Top

#2 Wars are increasingly fought in American living rooms. The primary combatants are the MSM and the DoD. When you put a trimmer like Gates in charge of the DoD, you're going to lose.

I hate to say it, but our only hope is a Democrat president and a Republican legislature.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2007-01-13 05:54|| 2007-01-13 05:54|| Front Page Top

#3 I'd call Gate's "dangling that in front of people" evidence of utter stupidity and incompetence. But what do I know?

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2007-01-13 10:23|| 2007-01-13 10:23|| Front Page Top

#4 Nimble, I've read similar things lately in several places, but I think that's not correct. If the 90s weren't evidence enough, the present performance of the Dems WRT war and war-making should be. They are unfit for office, as a group. There is a tiny minority of adults (Bayh, Nelson, a few House members) with the sense and spine required - but even those folks have shown the last two years how useless even they are under pressure.

The unelected Dem officials, critical to the conduct and tone of any admin., would be even worse. There are even fewer bright spots among that group. Maybe Holbrooke - but recall that these people would be nearly lone voices in any Dem admin. - esp. one that will likely be seen as owing its election to a rejection of Dubya's "aggressive" foreign policy.

Geez - these people were so incompetent and risk-averse even before 9/11 that they pursued that bizarre, ridiculous Kosovo air campaign, and nearly lost it. Look at their obsession with every casualty and every negative beep from the NYT, UN, or Paris.

The flaws of the Dems go far beyond irresponsibility and partisanship - and thus if they had the keys, there would be no reason to expect much improvement. Any Dem admin. in the near future is very likely to be catastrophic for US security. These people are truly over their heads and they mostly lack character as well.

Posted by Verlaine 2007-01-13 12:04|| 2007-01-13 12:04|| Front Page Top

#5 I am about midway through Gates' From The Shadows. It's a hard slog becuase there is so much ass-covering and back-slapping.

Posted by Free Radical">Free Radical 2007-01-13 12:15|| 2007-01-13 12:15|| Front Page Top

23:45 RD
23:42 Frank G
23:35 Phineter Thraviger
23:33 RIcky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo)
23:28 Old Patriot
23:22 badanov
23:18 Chuck Darwin
23:15 3dc
23:12 RIcky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo)
23:04 RIcky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo)
23:02 xbalanke
23:02 RIcky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo)
22:56 RIcky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo)
22:56 trailing wife
22:53 xbalanke
22:50 Shieldwolf
22:48 RD
22:42 RD
22:39 Shieldwolf
22:29 trailing wife
22:23 Mike N.
22:22 trailing wife
22:11 USN, ret.
22:08 USN, ret.