| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"Harry Hope" |
| Date: |
08 Jul 2007 08:41:25 AM |
| Object: |
The Republican administration moves the goal posts |
From The Washington Post, 7/8/07:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/07/AR2007070701274.html?hpid=topnews
Administration Shaving Yardstick for Iraq Gains
Goals Unmet; Smaller Strides to Be Promoted
By Karen DeYoung and Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, July 8, 2007; Page A01
The Iraqi government is unlikely to meet any of the political and
security goals or timelines President Bush set for it in January when
he announced a major shift in U.S. policy, according to senior
administration officials closely involved in the matter.
As they prepare an interim report due next week, officials are
marshaling alternative evidence of progress to persuade Congress to
continue supporting the war.
In a preview of the assessment it must deliver to Congress in
September, the administration will report that Sunni tribal leaders in
Anbar province are turning against the group al-Qaeda in Iraq in
growing numbers; that sectarian killings were down in June;
and that Iraqi political leaders managed last month to agree on a
unified response to the bombing of a major religious shrine, officials
said.
Those achievements are markedly different from the benchmarks Bush set
when he announced his decision to send tens of thousands of additional
troops to Iraq.
More troops, Bush said, would enable the Iraqis to proceed with
provincial elections this year and pass a raft of power-sharing
legislation.
In addition, he said, the government of President Nouri al-Maliki
planned to "take responsibility for security in all of Iraq's
provinces by November."
Congress expanded on Bush's benchmarks, writing 18 goals into law as
part of the war-funding measure it passed in the spring.
In addition to the elections, legislation and security measures Bush
outlined in January, Congress added demands that the Iraqi government
complete a revision of its constitution and pass a law on
de-Baathification and additional laws on militia disarmament, regional
boundaries and other issues.
Lawmakers asked for an interim report in July and set a Sept. 15
deadline for a comprehensive assessment by Gen. David H. Petraeus, the
top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ryan C. Crocker, the U.S. ambassador.
Now, as U.S. combat deaths have escalated, violence has spread far
beyond Baghdad, and sectarian political divides have deepened, the
administration must persuade lawmakers to use more flexible, less
ambitious standards.
But anything short of progress on the original benchmarks is unlikely
to appease the growing ranks of disaffected Republican lawmakers who
are urging Bush to develop a new strategy.
Although Republicans held the line this year against Democratic
efforts to set a timeline for withdrawing troops, several influential
GOP senators have broken with Bush in recent days, charging that his
plan is failing and calling for troop redeployments starting as early
as the spring.
According to several senior officials who agreed to discuss the
situation in Iraq only on the condition of anonymity, the political
goals that seemed achievable earlier this year remain hostage to the
security situation.
______________________________________________
What's their new definition of "Mission Accomplished"?
Harry
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| User: "J Carroll" |
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| Title: Re: The Republican administration moves the goal posts |
08 Jul 2007 09:22:45 AM |
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Harry Hope wrote:
From The Washington Post, 7/8/07:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/07/AR2007070701274.html?hpid=topnews
Administration Shaving Yardstick for Iraq Gains
Goals Unmet; Smaller Strides to Be Promoted
By Karen DeYoung and Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, July 8, 2007; Page A01
The Iraqi government is unlikely to meet any of the political and
security goals or timelines President Bush set for it in January when
he announced a major shift in U.S. policy, according to senior
administration officials closely involved in the matter.
As they prepare an interim report due next week, officials are
marshaling alternative evidence of progress to persuade Congress to
continue supporting the war.
In a preview of the assessment it must deliver to Congress in
September, the administration will report that Sunni tribal leaders in
Anbar province are turning against the group al-Qaeda in Iraq in
growing numbers; that sectarian killings were down in June;
and that Iraqi political leaders managed last month to agree on a
unified response to the bombing of a major religious shrine, officials
said.
Those achievements are markedly different from the benchmarks Bush set
when he announced his decision to send tens of thousands of additional
troops to Iraq.
More troops, Bush said, would enable the Iraqis to proceed with
provincial elections this year and pass a raft of power-sharing
legislation.
In addition, he said, the government of President Nouri al-Maliki
planned to "take responsibility for security in all of Iraq's
provinces by November."
The Iraqi parliament has a no confidence vote scheduled. When al-Maliki gets
the boot and the new Iraqi President is finally seated, do you think Bush
will ***** in his pants when Iraq formally declares war on the United States
after signing a mutual defense agreement with, oh say Iran???
--
John R. Carroll
www.machiningsolution.com
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