Eleanor Clift: Bush's Iraq "resolve" looks more like passing the buck

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Mr. Fix-It
Republicans hope that James Baker’s involvement in the new Iraq Study Group will help them forge a path out of the war-torn country.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11995032/site/newsweek/



March 24, 2006 - President Bush was trying to show resolve, but instead it looked like he was trying to pass the buck when he said the decision on when to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq would be made by a future U.S. president and Iraqi government.

Handing off responsibility is a hallmark of Bush’s leadership. He doesn’t want to go down in history as the president who lost Iraq, so he’ll hang tough and leave the day of reckoning to his successor. Stating publicly and proudly that there is no end in sight for the U.S. mission in Iraq feeds Bush’s delusion that his determination—along with his low poll numbers—will be vindicated at some future date.

Bush has his eye on his legacy, but House Republicans have a more immediate concern—and that is how to save their jobs come November. "Stay the course" is not a popular slogan on the campaign trail. That’s why a new Iraq Study Group commissioned by Congress and co-chaired by former cabinet member James A. Baker III, the Bush family Mr. Fix-It, is seen by many Republicans as their best hope to forge a path out of the hell that Iraq has become. It was Baker—the secretary of State in the first Bush administration—who parachuted into Florida after the disputed 2000 vote and executed the legal strategy that made Bush president. Now it’s Baker’s cunning and diplomatic deftness that Republicans hope will extricate them from Iraq, or at least give them some new talking points in the run-up to the election.

The commission was the inspiration of Virginia Republican Rep. Frank Wolf, a thoughtful moderate with genuine concerns about his party’s policies in Iraq. He also has an important seat on the House Appropriations Committee, which decides the State Department’s budget, so when it comes to diplomacy, he has a captive audience. Wolf has been calling for a fresh look at Iraq since at least last fall, and his main criterion for choosing the commission’s 11 bipartisan members was that they bring a wow factor, that their very names would command attention. Co-chairing with Baker is the Democrats’ Mr. Integrity, former Indiana congressman Lee Hamilton, who is fresh from co-chairing the 9/11 commission. Among the other luminaries are former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and the Clinton’s confidant—superlawyer Vernon Jordan. “They’re going to go everywhere and look at this thing and come up with something, and the president will pay attention,” vows a foreign-policy specialist who helped shape the idea.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. You KNOW they are really feeling desperate if they are calling in Baker!

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

3. If Bush had made wise decisions in the first place...

...there would be no need to call anyone in.

I'm guessing that Baker will play a "stealth" role...I don't anticipate a lot of photo ops or press skirmishes announcing his presence.

[grytpype]

5. You bet it's going to be stealthy!

They had to set up this "Iraq Study Group" because they can't get anyone near Bush, he's being kept in a bubble so no one can tell him to his face that he screwed up.

He's probably furious that this study group is being set up.

[grytpype]

4. And you know who sent him, right?

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

6. Yep. Two entities have been responsible for cleaning up behind Junior...

1). His daddy, and

2). The Saudis (watch "Bush's Brain"...there's a discussion of how Bunnypants got handed one company after another to run into the ground, even though it was clear that he had no aptitude for business whatsoever).

:patriot:

[mdmc]

2. poor w.

[grytpype]

7. Vote that article up!

It's been freetarded down to 3 stars, give it 5!!!!

[grytpype]

8. More info about the Iraq Study Group here:

Here's some more info about the Iraq Study Group, it's essentially a deputation of The Establishment that is going to try to influence Bush on Iraq policy. Good luck with that guys!

http://www.usip.org/isg/

In light of the importance of Iraq to United States interests and the future of the region, there is urgent need for a bipartisan, forward-looking assessment of the situation in Iraq.

At the urging of Congress, the United States Institute of Peace is organizing the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, led by co-chairs James A. Baker, III, former secretary of state and honorary chairman of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, and Lee H. Hamilton, former congressman and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Iraq Study Group will conduct a forward-looking, independent assessment of the current and prospective situation on the ground in Iraq, its impact on the surrounding region, and consequences for U.S. interests.

The United States Institute of Peace is organizing the group with the support of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Center for the Study of the Presidency (CSP), and the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.

More:

About the Iraq Study Group

The Iraq Study Group will make a forward-looking, independent assessment of the current and prospective situation on the ground in Iraq and how that affects the surrounding region as well as U.S. interests.

The study group will examine four broad topics:

* the strategic environment in and around Iraq;
* the security of Iraq and key challenges to enhancing security within the country;
* political developments within Iraq following the elections and formation of the new government;
* and the economy and reconstruction.

The effort is being undertaken at the urging of several members of Congress and the White House welcomes it. A final report will be released to the Congress, the White House, and the public at the conclusion of this effort.

Members and Participating Organizations

Leadership of the group will be provided by two distinguished co-chairs: James A. Baker, III, former secretary of state and honorary chairman of the Baker Institute, and Lee H. Hamilton, former congressman and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The balance of the bipartisan group will be comprised of Americans who have distinguished themselves in service to their nation: Robert M. Gates, Rudolph W. Giuliani, Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Leon E. Panetta, William J. Perry, Charles S. Robb, and Alan K. Simpson.

The members of the study group will consult with members of Congress and others, including four working groups of experts and a group of retired military officers. The four working groups will be comprised of experts from private industry and leading policy and academic institutions.

Heh, says "the White House welcomes it." Well that's a relief.

[BrklynLiberal]

10. Guiliani??!!!!!!!!!!!

:puke: :wtf:

[grytpype]

11. seriously

[ChairmanAgnostic]

12. translation:

"The Iraq Study Group will make a forward-looking, independent assessment of the current and prospective situation on the ground in Iraq and how that affects the surrounding region as well as U.S. interests."

this means, we will not point fingers by showing just how badly served Iraq and US were by Rummie, Rice and Bremer. We refuse to look at history and determine fault. In fact, we will do our utmost to PREVENT any historical review that might embarrass sonny and his co-conspirators.

"The study group will examine four broad topics:

* the strategic environment in and around Iraq;
* the security of Iraq and key challenges to enhancing security within the country;
* political developments within Iraq following the elections and formation of the new government;
* and the economy and reconstruction."


this means, we already know that this shit should have been done BEFORE we invaded, and that in fact, we DID to this BEFORE we invaded, but Rummie and Cheney shit canned the extensive and accurate State Dept. study and replaced it with PR spin, Cheney oratory, and Rummie press conferences.

My god, they are rebuilding what should have been in place for the past 4 years! This cannot be just arrogance, hubris and incompetence. They must have planned to have the war go badly so they could maintain Bush as a "war" president. And that is an impeachable offense.

How many in State, CIA, and even NSA and DIA warned of precisely what happened? All too many. Only professional liars like Bush, Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld can claim that no one could have known. Yet the MSM buys their crap as gospel. Amazing, grace, amazing.

[BrklynLiberal]

9. A great way to really piss off Georgy-boy would be to really rub his

nose in this..How his Dad had to send in one of HIS buddies to rescue his sonny-boy, yet AGAIN!!! That incompetent fool cannot do ANYTHING right! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: