Monday, October 09, 2006

Perpetual Calendar






AP:
The Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, a Bush loyalist offered his darkest assessment of Iraq yet on Thursday, suggesting the war there was "drifting sideways" without a firm commitment from its government to disarm militias and rebuild the country.

Returning from a recent trip to the region, Sen. John Warner said the military had done what it could, and if after three months the Iraqis have made no progress to calm ethnic violence and hasten reconstruction, then Congress will have to make some "bold decisions."
Is "three months" the new "next six months" -- the now-discredited, Friedman-trademarked deadline?

During Vietnam, a reliable characteristic of policymakers in Washington was their desire to kick the can down the road endlessly, hoping that someone else would have to make the decision to escalate, withdraw, or negotiate. That war spanned four different U.S. presidents, and that can got badly dented.

If we're going to avoid that in Iraq, it's essential that the keepers of the perpetual calendar get called out as their deadlines pass. Will anyone in the media remember to ask Sen. Warner "well, what now?" on January 5, 2007?

8 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

No

10/09/2006 1:07 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Come on...this is what modern leadership is all about. Never admit to making any mistakes and never do anything that the opposing side can make a campaign comercial about. The democrats have their wish though...unless the Bush wages war on North Korea, they can say he is weak on defense for allowing the North Koreans to develop nukes.

10/09/2006 10:44 AM  
Blogger Bravo 2-1 said...

I believe Senator Warner will stand by his own deadline on this one.

10/09/2006 10:59 AM  
Blogger DED said...

I'd be willing to second what copy editor wrote, but I worry that Bush and company will do some arm twisting on Warner to get him to play along "for another 6 months." I hope that copy editor is right though.

10/09/2006 11:04 AM  
Blogger mega said...

"Beyond the Euphrates began for us the land of mirage and danger, the sands where one helplessly sank, and the roads which ended in nothing. The slightest reversal would have resulted in a jolt to our prestige giving rise to all kinds of catastrophe; the problem was not only to conquer but to conquer again and again, perpetually; our forces would be drained off in the attempt."

Emperor Hadrian AD 117-138

10/09/2006 11:45 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What media?

Not unless Paris Hilton, George Clooney, or Oprah kick it.

10/09/2006 2:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Chaos works well for American foreign policy.

We'll leave this can for Hilary to kick. She'll have massive executive power, of course, and we can have public lynchings of our former leaders. Hurray!

Will the Republicans lose the support of the NRA if they ask Iraqis to disarm?

Maybe we can send the Minutemen to patrol after the US leaves?

The war will continue until Republicans are asked to go.

10/09/2006 4:11 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Bush_blasts_study_that_estimates_655000_1011.html

10/11/2006 11:36 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home