The Surge to Nowhere

The goal of the architects of the surge was to extend the life-sucking occupation in Iraq beyond the Presidency of George W. Bush. In an op-ed called "The Surge to Nowhere", International Relations Professor Andrew Bacevich takes apart the rhetoric of the surge.

From The Washington Post:

As the fifth anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom nears, the fabulists are again trying to weave their own version of the war. The latest myth is that the "surge" is working.

In President Bush's pithy formulation, the United States is now "kicking ass" in Iraq. The gallant Gen. David Petraeus, having been given the right tools, has performed miracles, redeeming a situation that once appeared hopeless. Sen. John McCain has gone so far as to declare that "we are winning in Iraq." While few others express themselves quite so categorically, McCain's remark captures the essence of the emerging story line: Events have (yet again) reached a turning point. There, at the far end of the tunnel, light flickers. Despite the hand-wringing of the defeatists and naysayers, victory beckons.

[skipping]

In only one respect has the surge achieved undeniable success: It has ensured that U.S. troops won't be coming home anytime soon. This was one of the main points of the exercise in the first place. As AEI military analyst Thomas Donnelly has acknowledged with admirable candor, "part of the purpose of the surge was to redefine the Washington narrative," thereby deflecting calls for a complete withdrawal of U.S. combat forces.

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In May of last year Bacevich's son, a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army also named Andrew, was killed by a suicide bomber while serving in Iraq. He was 27, and one of 3,921 members of the U.S. military killed since the invasion.

TAGS: Iraq OCCUPATION, Escalation, Troop Levels, Rhetoric

John Boehner is So Emo

John Boehner went before the House and cried like a baby during debate on the Iraq War funding bill.



This behavior is particularly disorienting. If he's legitimately crying (he's not), then he buys the bullshit coming out of his mouth.

If he's faking, than he's using the deaths of those citizens to cleanse the taint of the Iraq War.

Boehner has long been one of the most distasteful politicians in an era thick with them. Posting on a politican's smarminess has been passé for some time. Congrats Boehner, you've become notably odious.

Maybe you can find us the next Terry Shaivo.

TAGS: John Boehner, Iraq War, Congress, 9-11

The Iraq News

Republican Lawmakers Pay Bush Visit, Iraqi Lawmakers Want us Out, Bush Assures Saudis, Propaganda Plan Months Before Attack, Cheney in Iraq, Big Oil, Much More...

The Iraq War is toast. It's just a matter of packaging the long goodbye. In a monumental 77 minute meeting yesterday at the White House (Think Progress has Tim Russert's riveting report), the President was told frankly to his stupid face by Republican law makers that they may soon pull the plug themselves. Though Bush allegedly recognized their concerns and the need to end the conflict, he has stated elsewhere that he intends to veto Congress's second attempt at a spending bill.

UPDATE: Crooks and Liars--Olbermann's segment on the meeting at the White House.

Here's The Iraq News:

• Yesterday, 144 Iraqi lawmakers signed onto a legislative petition calling on the United States to set a timetable for withdrawal.
• Did President Bush promise the Saudis that we would not leave Iraq while he's President? Raw Story points to quotes in this article by Washington Post writer David Ignatius. Good to know he lies to them too. By the way something, this Ignatius guy has a lot of range. Of the fired U.S. attorneys, he's giving Alberto Gonzales the biggest headache in the media and I think Tom Cruise played him in a movie once. I can handle the truth and the truth is, David Ignatius, you the man.
• Also from Raw Story--The administration had a propaganda plan for the Iraq War two months before Shock and Awe.
• The people we're allegedly fighting for have a parliament that wants to take a couple months off, which every American from Nancy Pelosi to Dick Cheney finds unacceptable. Now their Speaker has suggested that Cheney (visiting Baghdad, don't ya know) butt out and go try to "control Nancy Pelosi". Okay dick, not Cheney, the Iraqi Speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, I know you're frustrated, but going on vacation is a titanically bad move. How 'bout this suggestion I'm stealing from The Young Turks, why don't we just pull out all of our troops until you assholes decide to show up.
• We're not likely to be leaving without the oil. If Bush seems to have any resolve left, it's because the Iraqi lawmakers have yet to pass a law that would essentially land Iraq's oil in Big Oil's pockets. The bill that will do that is on it's way to the soon to be vacationing Iraqi Parliament.
• Robert Gates foresees a shift in strategy following the surge assessment in September from General Petreaus.
• Petreaus seems to be playing games on when he knew about a report on soldiers' ethics. We gotta trust this guy?
• U.S. Deathtoll: 3,380.
• Polling.

VIDEO: Dick Cheney is spending some time in Iraq pushing around the media and almost getting blowed up during the last throes of his Vice Presidency (via Crooks and Liars).
VIDEO: Here's former Commander General of the 1st Infantry Division in Iraq Gen. John Batiste (Ret.) slowly and clearly explaining that the President has enormously effed this whole war up and the Congress needs to get us out. So strongly does Batiste feel about this, that this man ended his service after 2 and a half years in charge of the the 1st Infantry Division so he would be able to speak out. Listen.


ART BY: Carlos Latuff.

TAGS: John Batiste, Iraq War, Withdrawal, Dick Cheney

The Iraq News

Al-Sadr's Supporters Quit Government, Surge Analysis, Pincus, Moyers, More

Supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr announce tomorrow they're quitting the Iraqi government.

From AFP:

The political bloc of firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Sunday said it is quitting the Iraqi government, as a wave of bombings left another 43 people dead in Baghdad.

"We will announce our withdrawal from the government tomorrow," Saleh Hassan Issa al-Igaili, a lawmaker from the Sadr group, told AFP.

(more)

More Iraq News:

• The surge has succeeded in decreasing the number of deaths in Baghdad by a bit less than half. Unfortunately that accomplishment means absolutely nothing because the surge means that civilian deaths outside of Baghdad are up about a third and troop deaths are up twenty-one percent.
• Newsweek examines the perils of an Iraq war pull out. Like genocide, for example. And they're right to worry. This is no new revelation, but our president has managed to create a foreign policy nightmare with two very bad possible outcomes.
• Walter Pincus reveals that the US holds about 18,000 detainees in addition to the 34,000 detainees Iraqis are holding. 8,000 of these have been detained more than a year. When we leave, guess who gets a troop surge.
• Meet the top Democratic candidates' advisers on Iraq.
• Bill Moyers plans to somehow squeeze the lies of the Bush administration about Iraq into one 90 minute documentary.

VIDEO: BBC coverage of suicide bombing in Karbala.

TAGS: Iraq War, Troop Levels, Worse Days Lie Ahead, Moqtada al-Sadr

Crossposted at IST.

How Did This Whole War Thing Get Started Again?

Last week, Democratic Representative David Obey of Wisconsin kicked the living shit out of the Washington Post for helping to lead the march to war in Iraq.



Then today come the news that the Pentagon officially shot down the connection between Iraq and al-Qaida.

From AFP:

Interrogations of Saddam Hussein and seized documents confirmed the former Iraqi regime had no links with Al-Qaida, a Pentagon report said Friday, contradicting the US case for the 2003 invasion.

A two-page resume of the report was published in February, but on Friday the Pentagon declassified the whole 120-page document.

(more)

Cheney quacked indignantly in response.

From AP:

Vice President Dick Cheney repeated his assertions of al-Qaida links to Saddam Hussein's Iraq on Thursday as the Defense Department released a report citing more evidence that the prewar government did not cooperate with the terrorist group.

Cheney contended that al-Qaida was operating in Iraq before the March 2003 invasion led by U.S. forces and that terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was leading the Iraqi branch of al-Qaida. Others in al-Qaida planned the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

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Why does the Pentagon hate America?

The Young Turks immediately kicked Cheney in the chest and screamed, "This is Sparta!"


Bush's response to all this was, "What part of I don't give a fuck what anyone else says don't you people get?" Then he added 12,000 more troops to the surge.


BYU isn't down with the whole thing. Especially Cheney.

Crossposted at Ice Station Tango and AlliedRadio.Net.

TAGS: Iraq War, Dick Cheney, Escalation, al-Qaida

The Iraq News

Fourth "Anniversary" of Shock and Awe, Bush Speech, Walter Reed, Protests, "Zip It," Frank Rich, More

I just watched President Bush give a five minute speech on the first four years of the Iraq War. Today's the "anniversary". That's one and a quarter minutes of speech per year of warfare.

Bush managed to exceed the low expectations he's set for these speeches. Though I just harangued him for brevity, it was probably a blessing for him and us. To his credit, he appeared sober. He was dressed. His facial expressions fit the mood; that's to say, he wasn't laughing the whole time like he always does.

So, with Bush's 'big acknowledgment' of the anniversary of Shock and Awe in the history books, here's the Iraq News.

• So far, 3,185 members of the American military have died in Iraq. 40% of Americans still think the invasion was the right thing to do. A lot of journalists are still telling little and big lies about it.
• New shit has come to light on what caused the Walter Reed scandal. A three year delay in privatizing the hospital led to critical staff shortages as the number of soldiers in need of care rose sharply. The privatization movement, people, is dead. Write it on your blogs. Spread the word. We actually need a government. Shocker.
• Thousands of Christians marched on Washington Saturday to protest the Iraq War. In fact there was widespread protest generally ignored by our press. San Francisco. Hollywood, California. New York City. Tallahassee, Florida. Providence. Miami. Barack Obama in Oakland. Obama in Denver. I could go on and on.
• Ned Lamont tells us what the UN weapons inspectors knew four years ago.
• The outing of Valerie Plame was done to help make this war happen. Now Plame has testified under oath that she was under cover and improperly outed. Yet, no apologies for the people who dragged her, ass first, through the mud for four years.
• Arianna on four years.
• Frank Rich writes, "The Ides of March 2003." Rich does a fantastic job in this article of demolishing the Bushies call for patience.
• From the Guardian (h/t The Carpetbagger Report)--"The Regrets of the Man Who Brought Down Saddam". Here's me quoting Steve Benin quoting Cliff Schecter, “Try and imagine how truly horrible it must be. Something you wanted with all your heart, and this is the result? You’d rather have a homicidal despot in charge than the U.S. Government?”

VIDEO: Tony Snow tells Ed Henry to "zip it" about Iraq. "Zip it?"
VIDEO: This week's episode of Meet The Press came from the fucking Twilight Zone. Watch as Tom DeLay and Richard Perle team up on Rep. Sustek (Crooks and Liars). So the indicted and disgraced Tom DeLay and the un-indicted, yet also quite disgraceful, PNAC member Perle are welcomed into Russert's den on the eve of the war's anniversary? WTF, Russ?
IMAGE: Blognonymous has a poignant picture that speaks many words about the American approach to Iraq.
VIDEO: Here's a quick look at Saturday's St. Patrick's Day march on the Pentagon.


Crossposted at Ice Station Tango.

TAGS: Iraq War, Shock and Awe, Protest, Walter Reed

The Iraq News

Bush to Veto Withdrawal, Patraeus Wants More Troops,
U.S. to Talk to Syria and Iran, Rove, More...

photo from IraqSlogger

President Bush says that if the Congress voted for a withdrawal, he would simply veto it.

From AFP:

US President George W. Bush would veto legislation, crafted by Democrats, calling for a withdrawal of US troops from Iraq by late 2008, the White House said Thursday.

"Obviously, the administration would vehemently oppose and ultimately veto any legislation that looks like what was described today," senior Bush adviser Dan Bartlett told reporters as the president traveled to Brazil.

Earlier, Democrats directly challenged Bush on the strategy for the war, outlining a plan to pull US troops out by late 2008 or much sooner if progress is not made in the violence-wracked country.

(more)

Nancy Pelosi, when asked for comment, said, "I say to my colleagues never confine your best work, your hopes, your dreams, the aspiration of the American people to what will be signed by George W. Bush because that is too limiting a factor."

While Nancy works hard to maintain that positive, can-do attitude, let's take a puke at...

...The Iraq News:

• Unindicted co-conspirator Karl Rove thinks that some day we'll all really dig on pre-emptive war. You know, the way he does. When the day comes that everyone in the United States has to get a nose-picking, brain dead, son of a marginal-at-best former President, we'll see the upside of pre-emptive war (you know, genocide by war plane).
• On Thursday, Commander of U.S. troops General Petraeus told journalists that what he needs to succeed in Iraq is a couple thousand more troops. Oh, and it's gonna take a while, so eat a Snickers bar or something.
• Odd that General Petraeus didn't mention that our army is stretched to the breaking point. But keep those troops coming. Surge! Surge! Surge!
• If you can't stop the war, stick some progressive legislation in the spending bills. Why the hell not, eh?
• The Bush administration is open to talks with Syria and Iran on stabilizing Iraq. Sounds good doesn't it? We'll keep our eyes peeled for when Iraq starts stabilizing. By the way something, Iran won the Iraq War.
• According to the Chairman of Iraq's Commission on Public Integrity says corruption in Iraq is now worse than it was during Saddam Hussein's regime. We should bring that Saddam guy back. Whatever happened to him, anyway? By the way something, things were a lot better for women under Saddam too. Just mention that in passing.
  

VIDEO: Petraeus on BBC.
VIDEO: Peter Jennings on the forgeries that led to the outing of Valerie Plame. More on that (from me) here. This video (blurry) is from June 2003.


Crossposted at Ice Station Tango

TAGS: Iraq War, George W. Bush, Iran, Karl Rove

The Iraq News

$10 Billion Wasted, Kerry After Profiteers, Feith is Pimp for Chimp, Obama v. Howard, More

As the debate in the House of Representatives on the stupid ass troop surge continues on and on and on and on...

Here's the Iraq News:

• Federal investigators say that $10 billion has been wasted in Iraq.
• The GOP has a real great strategy for the escalation debate. Read all about it.
  
• According to the original plan, only 5,000 soldiers would be left in Iraq as of December 2006.
• John Kerry is introducing legislation that will punish war profiteers. This is going to get real interesting. How do you vote against anti-war profiteering legislation? How do you veto it? We'll find out.
• The Australians are getting sick of John Howard's stance on Iraq.
• Muqtada al-Sadr may have left Iraq without the knowledge of his aides. I don't know. Seems suspicious that this guy would go missing at a time that the Bush people are desperately trying to establish links between Iran and Iraq.
• Douglas Feith is The War Pimp for the Presidential Chimp.

AUDIO: NPR--The Iraq War has deepened the Sunni-Shia divide in the Islamic world.
VIDEO: BBC covers the segue from the Iraq War to the Iran War, which will be followed shortly by World War III and Armageddon.
VIDEO: BBC covers Barack Obama's response to silly-assed John Howard's war mongering.

TAGS: Iraq War, John Howard, Muqtada al-Sadr, John Kerry