Thursday, August 23, 2007

John Warner: "Bring them home by Christmas"

This is what I heard on WJLA News at 6.

Apparently Warner came to the conclusion, as he toured Iraq, that the situation was too bleak to "continue the bloodshed". Apparently, Warner wants President Bush to start bringing the troops home next month, and put an end to the occupation of Iraq by Christmas.

While I'm still waiting to see exactly what this "surge report" says...if President Bush follows through on Warner's advice, it means two things. 1) Iraq is "off the table" in terms of an issue for the 2008 presidential candidates and the 2008 election...which means that the GOP could be free of it's biggest anchor. Also, 2) we can begin focusing on diverting funds from an overseas occupation to actually defending the homeland.

I will say this, the unwillingness and/or simply inability of the Iraqi government to come to terms on how to govern their own country has probably been the biggest roadblock to getting ourselves out of Iraq in a positive situation.

As much as I think a positive end to this occupation would do wonders bringing stability to the Middle East, who knows how this report by Petraeus next month will look. That's going to be the make-or-break moment for me in terms of this whole military operation.

3 comments:

Staff said...

Phil:

Petraeus isn't reporting next month: the report is going to be written by the White House.

Petraeus will testify before Congress, though the White House tried to prevent that.

The verdict is already in: Bush has lost the war. The only question is whether the Republican Party will stand up to him or go down in flames with him.

Phil Chroniger said...

Whether Petraeus writes the report, or testifies before Congress, he still has to give his report on the progress, or lack thereof if that's the case, of the occupation in Iraq.

If anyone knows the situation over there, it would be Petraeus, so whether he has to testify before Congress, write a report, record it via dictaphone, place it in the form of a limerick...it doesn't matter. I want to know what he has to say, since he is the commanding general.

If he says things aren't working...then they aren't. Then I'll begin my own calls for a withdrawal strategy.

Bush won the war (that happened years ago), he (among others) has managed to screw up the occupancy that has occurred since then.

zen said...

Bush is asking for $50 Billion more for the war(s)/surge. The White House is writing the report. Why on earth is it necessary to wait for this report? What could it possibly say or suggest that the president hasn't already expressed over and over in many speeches.

Iraq will be on the table as the main (stay the) course well into the 2008 election. Just as we are nearly 6 years beyond 9/11 and that is still an issue—with one candidate (Guliani) running soley on that issue. Bush will never quit. He'll leave office and leave this mess for the next CiC.