"U.S. Lowers Sights on What Can Be Achieved in Iraq" (Wapo)

[marions ghost]

"U.S. Lowers Sights On What Can Be Achieved in Iraq"
--Administration is Shedding 'Unreality' That Dominated Invasion, Official Says

By Robin Wright and Ellen Knickmeyer
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, August 14, 2005

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/13/AR2005081300853.html

"The Bush administration is significantly lowering expectations of what can be achieved in Iraq, recognizing that the United States will have to settle for far less progress than originally envisioned during the transition due to end in four months, according to U.S. officials in Washington and Baghdad.

The United States no longer expects to see a model new democracy, a self-supporting oil industry or a society in which the majority of people are free from serious security or economic challenges, U.S. officials say.

"What we expected to achieve was never realistic given the timetable or what unfolded on the ground," said a senior official involved in policy since the 2003 invasion. "We are in a process of absorbing the factors of the situation we're in and shedding the unreality that dominated at the beginning." (more)

[rodeodance]

1. what the heck is going on!!!--just two days ago bush said stay the course

guess it does not matter what the outcome is!!! gawd!!! what a complete mess!!

[marions ghost]

3. my reaction too...

that press conference in Crawford seemed to be all about "stay the course." Seems there's one message for the Sheeple and another for those who might be reading the Washington Post. The message is clearly "Sorry bout that...Get Over It"

There are a couple of threads going in GD about this article too, picking up on the "shedding (make that shredding) unreality" theme.

Neo-con Hope springs Eternal. We're just going to shed this old skin and be Born Again!?! Drinks on us--Iraq is now officially history.
Revise history before it's even OVER.

In Bizarro World, every day is a New Reality.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. It's amazing what the former government was able to accomplish

and what we cannot.

[marions ghost]

4. eh?

can u clarify?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

6. Christian churches went unharrassed, women were educated,

electricity was available, universities existed, engineers, lawyers, socialized medicine and all this in spite of terrific sanctions, a rather thorough bombing of Baghdad's civilian infrastructure back when, continued bombings in the no fly zone, a terrible war with Iran during which we armed both sides against the middle.... pretty amazing how they were able to get along in spite of all these goings ons.

[marions ghost]

7. American bulldozer mentality

just wipe it all out and rebuild at a profit...and it will be BETTER than before...Doesn't seem to be working so well. And now they blithely chalk it up to "our original goals were unrealistic" as if they were merely building a new shopping center that went over budget.

[Burried News]

5. Well at least we got rid of the weapons of mass destruction in

Iraq - now all we have to do is get rid of the weapons of mass misdirection here at home and just let bygones be bygones?
Nope.

Treason took a long time to come to consciousness but it is in the air now and those guilty of it need to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. They sabotaged the constitution and the democratic process.
We need:
Phase 2 of the Senate Intelligence Committee and an accounting by Senators Roberts and Hatch on how the slander of Joe Wilson got into the phase 1 report.
We need release of the second set of Abu Ghraib photos and the Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman (John Warner) follow through on the Taguba Report.
We need complete autonomy for Fitzgerald.

And that is just the start. Because we need a discussion of how to control the Oil Lobby's strangle hold on the economy. Trust busting as it relates to energy and banking needs to enter the discussion as well.

[marions ghost]

9. I'm with you

there's a whole lotta 'fronts' in this battle for democracy.

The more I think about it the more I see that this article is SO insulting --while I'm glad to see it in some ways (because of what it indicates between the lines), it is just mind-boggling in it's total disregard for the consequences. Oops--we goofed. Well DUH. The insulting thing is that they expect everyone to just accept that and "get over it" (leaving them free to continue biz as usual). When a drug co. puts out something that is detrimental to your health, they face prosecution. But when the government commits much greater crimes, they blithely ask for a pardon from their loyal public.

[Demeter]

8. Sounds Like A Food Fight To Me

The MisAdministration is probably tearing itself apart. We just need to see if any one faction wins before the whole shooting match collapses around their ears. I'm betting on collapse, myself.