Off The Record
initial
| Author | Date | Time | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B Ruberton | 2007-01-12 | 22:40:32 | What exactly is the Bush plan? |
| The recent ‘New Way Forward’ speech is leaving more questions than answers. Certainly on the surface the plan seems to be one last thrust of troops into Bagdad to clean up the mess and pave the way for a future exit. Of course, it has been some time since we have been able to take what this administration says at face value. The follow up chorus has not made the story any easier to swallow.
The supposed benchmarks that the Iraqis are to meet are as unclear as the plan that got us into Iraq in the first place. When questioned by Senator Kerry on Iraqi consequences for not meeting these benchmarks, Condoleezza Rice responded “You work with plan A and give it the best possibility of success”. That’s true, especially when you have no plan B. According to Dr. Rice, “We don’t have an option to fail in Iraq.” It seems that if there was a plan B available they would take it, or even a new plan A. Senator John McCain stated “I believe that those who disagree with this new policy should indicate what they would propose to do if we withdraw and Iraq descends into chaos.” According to Sen. Joe Lieberman this message was mentioned by Mr. Bush at an earlier meeting and seems to have become a new talking point for the die-hard hawks. Senator Barack Obama also said that he had questioned Mr. Bush on accountability for the benchmarks and did not receive an answer from the President. So what we end up with is an escalation of troops into an unpopular war with no plan or timeline for withdrawal. We don’t know what the benchmarks are and even if we did, we wouldn’t know what to do if we started to miss them. It must be assumed that this isn’t the best plan for the New Way Forward, it’s the only plan, the best they could do, take it or come up with your own plan. Of course being Commander and Chief has some benefits. We have already seen an escalation in other theaters like the five Iranians seized by U.S. troops from a representative office of the Tehran government in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Arbil on Thursday and the air attack in Somalia. These attacks do make a statement and show how the White House can affect the news cycles and public attention. They may even be able to appear to be making progress in Iraq for a while. Perception is everything no matter what the facts are, again, looking at how we got into this war. Recently Senator Chuck Hagel stated “This speech given last night by this President represents the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam if it’s carried out.” He feared secret operations into Iran while the Iraqi benchmarks are distracting our attention. Surely there are still those in the White House that would like to see us confront Iran on the battlefield and would like to do it without the consent of the American people or the people who represent us. Yes, there certainly is a plan for Iraq and the surrounding region, and maybe someday we will actually get to hear it. |
discussion
| Author | Date | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| B Ruberton | 2007-03-20 | 22:00:35 |
| With all of the new scandals in Washington, the new Congress seems more than happy to spend its time confronting the administration on everything except the war in Iraq. There have been a few token bills that never had a chance of going anywhere but there is no real effort to stop the surge and the war. The Bush administration has been selling the surge with reports of success, as expected, without any real successes to point at. After four years, there are really two scenarios. If the surge does work, somehow, it has to be asked why it took four years and over 3000 American lives to try this subtle change in direction. And if it doesn’t work we have to know what comes next. For even though the Bushies are quick to say there must be no timeline, no broadcasting of our plan to the enemy, the fact that they have told the Iraq people that this surge is the last chance for success in Iraq really does just that, gives a timeline. It is well knows that Sadder and hence his followers have faded away, just as they did during the initial invasion. But rest assured, when the time is right, they will be back. It goes back to the old Iraqi saying, “The Americans have all of the clocks, but we have all of the time”. |
| Author | Date | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| B Ruberton | 2007-01-13 | 12:52:43 |
| Well, the president’s latest radio address confirms his latest talking point challenging lawmakers, skeptical of his new Iraq plan, to propose their own strategy. It’s hard to imagine that this is how our forefathers expected our government to work. Now that Democrats are in the majority of the legislative branch of the government they must assert their power and be included in the discussion, not merely informed and sent on their way. Perhaps if the meetings, leading up to the new plan, included representatives of the people the plan would have been better received by the people.
The people spoke loud and clear that they are not happy with the status quo in Washington and that this Congress is supposed to follow through with the needed changes. If Congress is not even at the table when policy discussions are taking place the people are going to continue to feel left out and betrayed. |
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