Posted on 12/07/2006 12:10:32 AM PST by goldstategop
Isnt the main problem with the Iraq Study Group that its just majorly lame? Almost anybody could crank out this kind of generalized boilerplate (We were told by a general/a translator/my taxi driver/my Ukrainian hooker ), and most of us could do it without a budget of gazillions of dollars and an Annie Leibovitz photo session.
Of course, Syria should do this and Iran should do that and, if they were Sandra Day OConnor, Im sure they would. But theyre not. And the only specific strategic proposal is a linkage between Iraq and a renewed and sustained commitment to a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace which concedes the same ludicrous rationale that the Saudi King Abdullah and all the rest of them make: that one tiny ten-mile sliver of Jews is the reason why millions of Muslims from the Straits of Gibraltar to the Emirates are mired in dictatorships, failed economies and jihadist fever. For the Baker group to endorse this clapped out pan-Arabism is disgusting. An Arab-Israeli peace? What does that mean? What exactly is Israel doing to Iraq, or Tunisia, or Qatar, or any other Arabs except those in the Palestinian territories? To frame it in those terms is to adopt the pathologies of the enemy. Shame on Baker, Hamilton and all the rest.
As for the insight on page 94 that so impressed Rich, yes, its true that the DIA and other analytical agencies dont have a lot of strength in depth. But why is that? Its certainly not because the US taxpayer isnt showering them with dollars. Its to do with a bureaucratic torpor that has proved almost totally resistant to any attempts to reform it since 9/11. And, while we may well engage with Syria and Iran to no effect, and US troops may well put their left foot in and take their right foot out, the one thing you can guarantee wont be shaken all about is the torpid bureaucracy of which this stillborn report is yet one more example
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
"And, while we may well engage with Syria and Iran to no effect, and US troops may well put their left foot in and take their right foot out, the one thing you can guarantee wont be shaken all about is the torpid bureaucracy..."
He does have an understated gift for making pompous blowhards look like the fools they are.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
The study's valuable in one important way. It makes a threat that needs to be made, while allowing Bush to continue to play his current roll. The threat is, 'if you don't all start rowing, we're going to pull the plug and let you clowns drown'.
The uniformity of the responses from various Iraqi officials mades it clear that they think we owe them an unlimited amount of time to enrich themselves and accumulate personal power at the expense of the Iraqi people, and they're really startled to hear that we don't agree.
It's really a 'shot across the bow' fired from the schooner USS Plausable Deniability.
We need to thank our creator that this group of 'realist' were not around making recommendations during the American Revolution...
Imagine their reactions and study conclusions after Valley Forge, etc. Every major American city fell to the British during that war!
Having Iran and Syria be part of the 'Iraq Solution' is like having Charles Manson sit on the Supreme Court.
Mr Steyn must be feeling really exasperated. This piece isn't funny, just bitter. The situation is truly dire.
I think Americans suffer from an unrealistic instant gratification syndrome. It's not just evident in Iraq, but it sure matters more in a war. People want to turn on their TV in about 90 minutes and catch how it all ended while they're channel surfing. Maybe reality is the "long hard slog" nobody wants to hear about.
Yes I digress fully now, but I've been around long enough to see that Americans no longer want to think about reality, they just want things. 85% wanted the war in Iraq, but now they just don't want to hear about it anymore.
The situation in America is dire and that is leading to a severe degradation of the situation in Araby.
Mark's a little off point here, but 100% correct. While the U.S. military mobilized for war, 9/11 did nothing to the civilian defense agencies in Washington. It's been business as usual for them. Many of them, especially the CIA, should have been gutted and refurbished, but instead we let everything plod along at the speed of bureaucracy.
The OSS went from 0-60 within a few months in WWII. What's our malfunction now?
For the younger set, these words are from a great song - "Ballin' the Jack" once again demonstrating the breadth of this man's thinking processes.
The only thing the ISG studied was the Cliff Notes version. Going to Iraq for a few weeks and writing 36 pages of pre-determined State Dept, pro-Arab drivel is akin to a bunch of college kids going to an upper level class for the last few days of the semester, getting together and writing their term paper based on what they did in their 100 level course. Pathetic.
While Ballin the Jack is similar - I think Steyn went a little younger. It's the hokey pokey...
Funny takes time and lots of it. This was posted at 4:30 AM the morning after the report came out. Cut us some slack here.
Excellent point.
Re: Surrender Monkeys,
Today we are all French....
This is because Baker works for the Saudis.
L
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.