Cindy gets her answer...not with a meeting, but with a whimper.

[Career Prole]

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; A01

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 where 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."

<snip>

U.S. officials say no turning point forced a reassessment. "It happened rather gradually," said the senior official, triggered by everything from the insurgency to shifting budgets to U.S. personnel changes in Baghdad.

"Administration Is Shedding 'Unreality' That Dominated Invasion"

No one here needs to be reminded who created that "unreality".

This "democracy" was supposed to be it, right? The "noble cause"?

It was WMD's and al Qaeda connections...then it wasn't.

It was WMD programs...then it wasn't.

It was to depose Saddam Hussein's regime...then it wasn't.

Finally, it was winnowed down to bringing democracy to Iraq...now, with no fanfare, it isn't.

Tell me, please...what was it all for? Nah, screw it.

Don't tell me.

Tell Cindy Sheehan. All she wanted to know is what "noble cause" bush was referring to last week...the one her son died for.

Tell all those thousands upon thousands of grieving people on both sides of the world what the "noble cause" was.

Tell our soldiers. Tell the Iraqis.

They are quite literally dying to know.

[Erika]

1. They died for Halliburton and greed.

[Straight Shooter]

2. "shedding the unreality" = "waking up and smelling the coffee"

It's too little, too late. We told you so. You wouldn't listen. Now go talk to Ms. Sheehan and tell her how dreadfully sorry you are.

Yeah, right, like that's going to happen. :(

[MisterP]

8. actually, it = "methadone"

[noamnety]

3. The goal now

"is to ensure a constitution that can be easily amended later."


What a fucking waste of life.

[oasis]

4. Bush should hand out barf bags at his next press conference.

[KitchenWitch]

5. And they called Kerry a flip-flopper

[Skip Intro]

6. The UN-Reality!!!!!!!!!!?????

WTF does THAT mean?

[Career Prole]

10. UN-realities? It's like our UN-treaties and the UN-Geneva Conventions

and our UN-freedoms. Someone in the White House sticks an "UN" in front to make something go away. Ask any repuke...it's all the UN's fault! ;)

[Eloriel]

7. And, of course, Bush has to "go on with is life" instead of meet her

Bush: Can't meet Cindy because he must "go on with my life"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2007296

[Generic Other]

9. Did I read this correctly?

Is this Mission Abandoned? Are we manning the lifeboats?

[Career Prole]

11. Certainly sounds like it...any women and children still alive may enter

the boats first. Immediately after all WH appointees and Halliburton employees, that is.

[ahem]

12. Not a lie, not a mistake, heck, not even a misunderstanding, it was an

unreality. Can't possibly use a term that makes it sound like they were wrong in any way. Well, it's certainly unreal, I'll give them that.

[Catrina]

13. Unbelievable!!

So we can expect apologies to one hundred thousand or more Iraqi families, US troops, tortured prisoners.

How about all those who were fired or smeared for trying to reason with these idiots? Larry Lindsey, Paul O'Neill, Richard Clark, General Zinni, General Shinseki, General Byrne? The dead reporters, the ones who resigned, were let go ~

The families of the troops ~ the list is long ~

And when do the impeachment proceedings begin?

There should be OUTRAGE over this.

But it isn't Bush or Cheney, or Rumsfeld saying all of this. It seems lately that people are just speaking out on their own. Something is going on that we don't know about, I think.

Eg, Abramoff was indicted this week, which will no doubt affect Tom Delay, their hitman in Congress. At the same time, Hastert has been accused of ethics violations, the Senate leader and third in line for the presidency.

If indictments were handed down by the grand jury in the Plame case, and among them were Bush and Cheney, and Hastert was no longer available, who would replace Bush?

All this is either a huge coincidence or it was planned ~ and then there was that suspicious story about General Byrne. I don't want to get my hopes up.

[Career Prole]

14. There may indeed be outrage...this article is brand-spankin' new.

I hope it gets some air on the Sunday talk circuit this morning.
The 30-something percent who still thought invading Iraq was worth it thought so because of the democracy "sub-rationale", one must think.

They are also the ones who believed most deeply in bush.

I don't think they'll be quiet in their disappointment. :)