Opening The Files: 11/29/06
Civil War Semantics, Not So New Phases and a Lame Duck Library
Iraq is fubar, to put it nicely. Violence continues to escalate. A few media outlets have finally decided to buck Weality and call the violence what some correspondents have long insisted was civil war. The Bush administration continues to claim otherwise, preferring the "new phase" moniker (or not). President Bush says that Al-Qaeda is behind the violence and pledges that the US will not leave until the mission is complete. Whatever the "mission" is, no one is saying clearly and considering that Bush is having to hit up Al-Maliki for ideas, I don't think he knows either. What is clear to everyone (sans BushCo) is the fact that the situation on the ground is rapidly deteriorating beyond anyones control and probably already has.
Case in point: Moqtada al-Sadr has emerged as a real power broker amongst the Shia, with his Mahdi Army providing services that the Iraqi government won't (or can't) provide. It doesn't exactly help the cause of disarming the militias when they are the ones the people are turning to for protection. And as for the "elected" officials? Their words are met with stones.
Then you have word that the British are pulling up stakes come next year while Al-Qaeda has put down roots in Anbar province. And the Pentagon is said to be mulling pulling back from Anbar in order to secure Baghdad. Didn't we go through that once already? What is it going to called this time? Operation Forward Together Again?
Of course we all know what is predominantly on Bush's mind as of late. Begging for a ridiculously huge amount of money for a library that can hopefully polish up his legacy.
Anyone else think the money would be better spent elsewhere?
Steve Soto thinks Bush is acting like a bystander in all of this. Too bad he is the one still holding the keys for two more years.
Dale R. Davis warns that we could be seeing the making for a perfect storm in the Middle East and I don't think an umbrella's gonna cut it when this shit storm hits.
A. Alexander says that the administration's soundbite shuffle is just the latest performance piece of Cirque Du Bush.
Matthew Yglesias says its no wonder Iraqis are turning to the militias and Al-Qaeda. Wouldn't you support the person claiming to be protecting you? Bush supporters should understand this better than anyone.
Arianna Huffington pops of a few obligatory jokes but then asks a serious question about just who will be fitting the bill for Dubya's depository. Maybe that was why Cheney was "summoned" by the Saudis.
Cenk Uygur says that NBC has finally admitted what we all knew was as clear as day.
(Filed at State of the Day)
Iraq is fubar, to put it nicely. Violence continues to escalate. A few media outlets have finally decided to buck Weality and call the violence what some correspondents have long insisted was civil war. The Bush administration continues to claim otherwise, preferring the "new phase" moniker (or not). President Bush says that Al-Qaeda is behind the violence and pledges that the US will not leave until the mission is complete. Whatever the "mission" is, no one is saying clearly and considering that Bush is having to hit up Al-Maliki for ideas, I don't think he knows either. What is clear to everyone (sans BushCo) is the fact that the situation on the ground is rapidly deteriorating beyond anyones control and probably already has.
Case in point: Moqtada al-Sadr has emerged as a real power broker amongst the Shia, with his Mahdi Army providing services that the Iraqi government won't (or can't) provide. It doesn't exactly help the cause of disarming the militias when they are the ones the people are turning to for protection. And as for the "elected" officials? Their words are met with stones.
Then you have word that the British are pulling up stakes come next year while Al-Qaeda has put down roots in Anbar province. And the Pentagon is said to be mulling pulling back from Anbar in order to secure Baghdad. Didn't we go through that once already? What is it going to called this time? Operation Forward Together Again?
Of course we all know what is predominantly on Bush's mind as of late. Begging for a ridiculously huge amount of money for a library that can hopefully polish up his legacy.
Anyone else think the money would be better spent elsewhere?
Steve Soto thinks Bush is acting like a bystander in all of this. Too bad he is the one still holding the keys for two more years.
Dale R. Davis warns that we could be seeing the making for a perfect storm in the Middle East and I don't think an umbrella's gonna cut it when this shit storm hits.
A. Alexander says that the administration's soundbite shuffle is just the latest performance piece of Cirque Du Bush.
Matthew Yglesias says its no wonder Iraqis are turning to the militias and Al-Qaeda. Wouldn't you support the person claiming to be protecting you? Bush supporters should understand this better than anyone.
Arianna Huffington pops of a few obligatory jokes but then asks a serious question about just who will be fitting the bill for Dubya's depository. Maybe that was why Cheney was "summoned" by the Saudis.
Cenk Uygur says that NBC has finally admitted what we all knew was as clear as day.
(Filed at State of the Day)
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