The "save the surge" movement has begun.
The President's out in public giving speeches in Cleveland and holding a press conference today in Washington.
And there's people who know how to communicate in English promoting the surge as well.
The right-wing of the New York Times reporting staff is writing up optimistic comments by generals verbatim. Conservative bloggers like Hugh Hewitt and Glenn Reynolds are up in arms and the talk radio guys are celebrating the "interim report" to Congress about the "wonderful news." Rush Limbaugh is so happy about the interim report that his web site poses him at his "weenie-boy" best with a big American flag over his shoulder.
I never knew that conservatives could so excited about committees. That's because it turns out that appointing committees is the major accomplishment of the Iraqi government since the surge began.
According to the CNN Report Card (sorry I couldn't work the link), the Iraq government has formed a Constitutional Review Committee and has completed its Constitutional review.
Excellent.
But still, appointing even an important committee doesn't make up for the fact that the Iraqi government hasn't "established a strong militia disarmament program to ensure that security forces are accountable only to the central government and loyal to the Constitution of Iraq." In fact, the Iraqi's can't. The Shiite militias are the strongest Iraqi military force and have effectively infiltrated the Iraqi Army and police as well. Any attempt by the Iraqi government to disarm the militias would be political and military suicide.
But there's more.
The report grades the Iraqi government's progress on "setting up procedures to form semi-autonomous regions" as "satisfactory." Like Rush, I'm ecstatic about that. In fact, I've been walking around Philly with a flag over my shoulder just to show my happiness. And I can't tell you how many people have stopped me on the streets to tell me how impressed they are over these new procedures.
But I do wish that better progress was made on "ensuring that Iraq's political authorities are not undermining or making false accusations against members of the Iraqi Security Forces" and that the Iraqi government was "providing Iraqi commanders with authority to make tactical and operational decisions, in consultation with U.S commanders, without political intervention, including the authority to pursue all insurgents and militias."
As important as new procedures are, these items seem more significant.
The Iraqi government did spend $10 billion on economic reconstruction and provide three brigades to support the Baghdad security plan.
In fact, however, the Baghdad plan has not changed the situation in Baghdad. Sunni insurgents are still able to carry out car bombings. Shiite militias are still active in death squad work, and the Iraqi government, military, and police are still massively corrupt, riddled with militia members, and incapable of carrying their share of the load--or any share of the load.
I tend to assume that the "save the surge" campaign will have some impact on public opinion. The right is good at public relations. But the Bush administration has generally found that new kinds of bad news from Iraq wipe out their efforts to manipulate public opinion.
It's hard not to believe that this will be the case with the save the surge campaign as well.
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The surge just like the war in Iraq is a horrible failure and a waste of man power and resources. We've committed ourselves to an unjust and irresponsible war for no real reason. I can list several reasons but the fact is none of them are acceptable. Iraq was never a threat to us and our involvement there has only served to strengthen Al-Qaeda. I tuned into the news today to see reports that Al-Qaeda is as strong now as it was pre-9/11. Fantastic job Georgie boy! You've done nothing but undermine our safety further! I can't wait until Hillary takes office. 2009 can't come soon enough.
The surge was DOA. Everyone knew it wouldn't work. Even the obsequious assholes both in the Administration and the Republican minority in Congress who pleaded with us to give this "surge" just six months knew. They were buying time with the lives of our brave men and women in uniform. DISGUSTING. But come hell or high water, the President intends to stay the course in Iraq. His latest quote is we might be able to bring soldiers home "in awhile," and the White House is circulating a memo that they see progress. Progress in what area?!? And they're serious!! Keep in mind when they talk about progress in Iraq now, they've misled us on this issue several times already. Anyone remember Cheney and Rumsfeld two years ago parroting the phrase that we were
seeing, "the last throes,of the insurgency." By then, 1,000 U.S. soldiers were dead. And then what happened? Six months after the "last throes" bullshit, 2000 of our soldiers were dead. By January, 2006 2200 (apx) were dead. Last throes?? I'd hate to see this crew's idea of long and drawn out. By January of this year, 3000 (apx) were killed. Last Throes? In the months since January of this year, another 600 (apx) U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq. Over 3,600 U.S. soldiers are dead, 26,000 seriously wounded, and 40,000 will suffer with post-traumatic stress disorder, and the White House keeps telling the American people that we are making progress. There is no credibility left whatsoever in the White House. None. The American people are exasperated by a Commander in Chief who is deliberatley blind to what is happening in Iraq. U.S. soldiers have not failed, but this President has. U.S. commanders have not failed, but this administration has. The American people know it and we want only one new order given: Get U.S. soldiers out of Iraq! That means by early spring next year. It would be a travesty of justice if it takes until the general election of 2008 for the American people to throw every Republican out in order to stop the war. We are 17 months away from a new President being sworn into office. That could easily translate into 2,000 U.S. casualties if we follow this President. Ten soldiers on average are dying every day. Ninety soldiers on average are gravely wounded every day. A hundred civilian Iraqis on average die every day. How many more must die before we stand up for our soldiers? Before we stand up for our national interests and get our soldiers out of Iraq? It's way past time to bring them home and end this travesty.
(AND AS IF ALL THAT WEREN'T ENOUGH, I FOUND THIS STORY FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THIS MORNING.)
Iraq PM: Country Can Manage Without U.S.
BAGHDAD (AP) - Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Saturday that the Iraqi army and police are capable of keeping security in the country when American troops leave "any time they want," though he acknowledged the forces need further weapons and training.
The embattled prime minister sought to show confidence at a time when congressional pressure is growing for a withdrawal and the Bush administration reported little progress had been made on the most vital of a series of political benchmarks it wants al-Maliki to carry out.
Al-Maliki said difficulty in enacting the measures was "natural" given Iraq's turmoil.
But one of his top aides, Hassan al-Suneid, rankled at the assessment, saying the U.S. was treating Iraq like "an experiment in an American laboratory." He sharply criticised the U.S. military, saying it was committing human rights violations, embarassing the Iraqi government with its tactics and cooperating with "gangs of killers" in its campaign against al-Qaida in Iraq.
Al-Suneid's comments were a rare show of frustration toward the Americans from within al-Maliki's inner circle as the prime minister struggles to overcome deep divisions between Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish members of his coalition and enact the American-drawn list of benchmarks.
In new violence in Baghdad on Saturday, a car bomb leveled a two-story apartment building, and a suicide bomber plowed his explosives-packed vehicle into a line of cars at a gas station. The two attacks killed at least eight people, police officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorize to release details of the attacks.
Thursday's White House assessment of progress on the benchmarks fueled calls among congressional critics of the Iraqi policy for a change in strategy, including a withdrawal of American forces.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari warned earlier this week of civil war and the government's collapse if the Americans leave. But al-Maliki told reporters Saturday, "We say in full confidence that we are able, God willing, to take the responsibility completely in running the security file if the international forces withdraw at any time they want."
But he added that Iraqi forces are "still in need of more weapons and rehabilitation" to be ready in the case of a withdrawal.
On Friday, the Pentagon conceded that the Iraqi army has become more reliant on the U.S. military. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace, said the number of Iraqi batallions able to operate on their own without U.S. support has dropped in recent months from 10 to six, though he said the fall was in part due to attrition from stepped-up offensives.
Al-Maliki told a Baghdad press conference that his government needs "time and effort" to enact the political reforms that Washington seeks - "particularly since the political process is facing security, economic and services pressures, as well as regional and international interference."
"These difficulties can be read as a big success, not negative points, when they are viewed under the shadow of the big challenges," he said.
In the White House strategy, beefed-up American forces have been waging intensified security crackdowns in Baghdad and areas to the north and south for nearly a month. The goal is to bring quiet to the capital while al-Maliki gives Sunni Arabs a greater role in the goverment and political process, lessening support for the insurgency.
But the benchmarks have been blocked by divisions among Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders. In August, the parliament is taking a one month vacation - a shorter break than the usual two months, but still enough to anger some in Congress who say lawmakers should push through the measures.
Al-Suneid, a Shiite lawmaker close to al-Maliki, bristled at the pressure. He called Thursday's report "objective," but added, "this bothers us a lot that the situation looks as if it is an experiment in an American laboratory (judging) whether we succeed or fail."
He also told The Associated Press that al-Maliki has problems with the top U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus, who works along a "purely American vision."
He criticized U.S. overtures to Sunni groups in Anbar and Diyala, encouraging former insurgents to join the fight against al-Qaida in Iraq. "These are gangs of killers," he said.
"There are disagreements that the strategy that Petraeus is following might succeed in confronting al-Qaida in the early period but it will leave Iraq an armed nation, an armed society and militias," said al-Suneid.
He said that the U.S. authorities have embarrassed al-Maliki' government through acts such as constructing a wall around Baghdad's Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah and repeated raids on suspected Shiite militiamen in the capital's eastern slum of Sadr City. He said the U.S. use of airstrikes to hit suspected insurgent positions also kills civilians.
"This embarrasses the government in front of its people," he said, calling the civilian deaths a "human rights violation."
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT. ESSENTIALLY WE HAVE BEEN TOLD, "OKAY GUYS, WE GOT IT FROM HERE." Why do I feel skepticism about whether the Bushies will pay attention?
Hi EG,
I'm so sorry we never got it together to pull off another fraymeet while you were in Philly. The one we held last September was so awesome for the sheer number of great posters who attended - I think it comes down to being more of a biennial thing, to get that many all together again.
Still, I feel bad that you were here and we didn't hook up - vacations and family and work as always - hope you have a safe trip back & that you enjoyed your time here.
It was nice of you to write the note. I won't pretend that I wasn't disappointed at not getting to meet any other Fraysters in Philly. But life also moves on and I had an excellent time while I was in town. Got a lot of work done. Had a couple of meetings about a book proposal. Saw some of my history friends. And the weather was the best I've seen in Philly in the summertime. So, altogether no complaints. Thanks again for writing. Ric
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