A Turning Point for Iraq: Neocon likes Kerry's ideas

[beachmom]

I almost fell over when I read this via Andrew Sullivan. Thomas Barnett is a highly respected strategic planner who seems to have a neocon bent in his world view, and this is what he said today on his blog:

So rather than dicking around with the question of which Shiite faction gets to claim the PM spot, like the U.S. and the UK recently tried to do, I would rather follow Kerry’s advice of creating external pressure via deadlines, as in, we demonstrate that our patience is not infinite and that we’re smart enough to keep this fight as focused on its essential Sunni-Shiite roots as possible and not let it become a wider front (and thus another propaganda victory for al Qaeda) in years ahead.

By forcing the Sunni-Shiite struggle to the forefront, we force al Qaeda to reveal more openly its anti-Shiite hatreds and that only makes clear to both our public and the region that Shiites tend to be nationalists who see a world of recognizable borders while the radical Sunni Salafis do not.

So distinctions to be made: 1) don’t give up on democracy in Iraq or anywhere else in the Middle East, because it’s quite possible the region will need to go the Gorby route on politics before the Deng possibilities for economic connectivity emerge; but 2) also don’t hold U.S. ground combat troops (note the modifiers there) hostage to that long-term process.

snip

I also like the Kerry op-ed simply because he raises the specter of a Dayton-like accords on Iraq, one that I would logically argue should include the Iranians.

http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog/archives2/003140....

In Andrew Sullivan's post, he quotes Barnett and then says this:

Barnett, however, is open-minded about the possibilities of our current moment, and even thinks John Kerry's ideas are worth considering. I still think that a Kerry administration would have been able to move this endeavor forward more effectively than the incompetents who helped screw it up. But we are where we are.

http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/2006/04/patience_pleas...

Like a starving dog, I am thrilled to receive scraps like these from conservatives who are willing to admit that Bush is a big screw-up, but are willing to go a step further and say, "yeah, Kerry would have been better on Iraq". It never occurred to me that there would be anything but dismay for Kerry's bold plan from the Right, but the honest conservatives do have moments of intellectual honesty and this is one of them.

But it gets even better, people. I went to check Barnett's biography, and read this:

In addition to his speaking and consulting, Tom Barnett is a prolific blogger on current global events at his website www.thomaspmbarnett.com, where he counts among his regular readers representatives from all the major U.S. military commands, virtually all U.S. federal departments, numerous foreign governments, and major research and corporate entities the world over. His popular weblog has spawned a weekly newsletter based on his ideas and vision of "a future worth creating."

This is good news, guys. This is a SERIOUS plan, and SERIOUS people are looking at it, including the power brokers and decision makers of Washington D.C.. We need to put our differences aside, and unite behind this plan. This isn't Democratic posturing with a resolution that will go nowhere. People with REAL POWER and INFLUENCE are taking notice. Let's bring those troops home!!

[liberalpragmatist]

1. Well, to be fair, Sullivan DID vote for Kerry

So that gets him some points in my book. I have very little sympathy for those who voted FOR Bush in 2004 and turn around a year later and say "maybe Kerry would have been better."

[WildEyedLiberal]

2. God, I have a friend like that

She let her sorority bimbo friends and frat boy asshole buddies brainwash her into a Bushbot, then six months later tells me how much she HATES religious fundamentalists.

THEN WHY DID YOU VOTE FOR ONE????

She had no answer.

[beachmom]

3. He's been pretty tough on Kerry since, though

This is the first time since the election that Andrew Sullivan has shown respect for John Kerry, so it's significant. Sullivan is great at bashing Bush, but he regularly bashes Democrats. I can't overemphasize how big this is that the neocons are now thinking that threatening to pull out troops is a good idea. This is a complete contrast to the White House response, which was really lame and sounded about a year old.