Notes from the Shows

I'm still getting used to the different sequence of talk shows with the new cable setup so I was bouncing around back and forth today from show to show. I caught Khalilzad several times and he seemed very hopeful that the Iraqis would reach their upcoming (arbitrary) deadline and complete a draft constitution by tomorrow. He said that he's been actively involved with assisting the drafters, and that he thought many of the remaining thorny issues (federalism, the role of Islamic law, the rights of women) would be resolved. The ultimate outcome, of course, remains unknown, and just what the new constitution will look like is very important.

As noted in some comments below, I think it was probably a mistake to have put a "deadline" in place for the drafting of the governing blueprint, and I just hope that any document that is released has been properly considered and had time to percolate among the various groups there so that all can be comfortable with it. I'd be much more concerned about an unacceptable constitution than a few more days spent discussing it.

Senator McCain on "Fox News Sunday" noted the importance of the constitution and credited Khalilzad with his role in the drafting of it, calling him a "superb guy. He said, and I agree, that the most important element of the constitution must be that it protects the rights of women and all the ethnic minorities in Iraq. McCain discussed the state of things militarily in Iraq in some detail, noting as I have the importance of not withdrawing too early. The "whack-a-mole" nature of things in the Sunni Triangle is worrisome - we send troops in, they placate an area, but there aren't enough troops to secure the zone and as soon as they leave the insurgents return. This is a serious problem, and McCain repeated his call for additional troops there to deal with it. As Iraqi units are trained and equipped, McCain said, they should be coming on board for the moment as supplements to American forces, not replacements - until they are fully prepared to manage their own security, we cannot pull out.

I agree with this. While I don't want our forces there one moment longer than they have to be, a premature withdrawal has the real potential to create even more serious chaos and turmoil than the country is experiencing now, and we cannot afford to have that happen. Leave aside the fact that we got in there - that's done, that bridge is crossed. We're there, and we must remain there until the Iraqis can take charge effectively of their own security. That said, the process toward that goal must be conducted with all deliberate speed, and with every possible element of international cooperation. And, as I've said repeatedly, the president ought to cut the bull and level with the American people about the real state of things in Iraq, instead of just blithely spouting "stay the course" talking points.

Asked about his confidence in Secretary Rumsfeld's conduct of the war, McCain said, as he has before "I don't have confidence, but it's up to the president." "My job is to work with him as long as he has the confidence of the president," McCain noted, saying that it would not do anybody any good for him to pick a fight with Rumsfeld. The clear implication from McCain's statements, and one which I share, is that the president's confidence in Rumsfeld is seriously misplaced.

Of President Bush's recent refusal to completely eliminate the threat of force if Iran does not stop its nuclear weapons program, McCain called the comments "entirely appropriate," before noting Bush's caveat that force would only be used as a "last resort." While I'm afraid the sequence of events leading up to Iraq takes much of the credibility away from that caveat, I do agree with the president - and McCain - that obviously the threat of force under certain circumstances must not be taken off the table. To do so would be a serious mistake, basically giving Iran a green light to do whatever they want with no possibility of international reaction. That is not to say, of course, that the threat of force is a serious one right now: a credible war plan against Iran right now, tied up as we are in Iraq, is difficult to envision.

The interview with McCain ended with the usual '08 discussion; McCain insisted he'll make no decisions on another race until after the 2006 midterm elections.

Howard Dean had what I thought was a fairly good interview on "Face the Nation." He seems to be doing at least somewhat better with sticking to real arguments instead of resorting to zingerism at every opportunity. Don't get me wrong, he still flung his share of them, but he's done worse. He criticized the Administration for having "no plan" in Iraq, saying we need a "reasonable way to get out," but noting that an immediate pullout would be "wrong."

Pressed on what Democrats would do, Dean said it is "up to the president to come up with" that plan for an eventual departure from Iraq, that it's not the role of individual senators or congrssmen to devise that strategy. I agree, but it certainly couldn't hurt for Democrats to be out discussing specifics and offering anything but vague demands for departure. I suspect the American people, who are growing increasingly more uneasy with the way things are going, would appreciate some specific alternatives, no matter who they come from.

Of the Democrats' strategy on the Roberts nomination, Dean said that he had "five or six areas of deep concern" that he wanted senators to examine during the hearings, but implicitly quashed any idea of a filibuster against Roberts in the Senate. The judicial philosophy of the nominee is of great importance, Dean noted, adding that he would ask how Roberts would have voted in past cases (while not asking him to prejudge future decisions).

Dean agreed that Bush's comments on Iran were "the proper thing for any president to say," but threw the threat back at Bush by saying that it lacked credibility because of Iraq. I did not see much of Joe Biden's interview later on "Meet the Press," but I heard his answer to this - apparently the idea that Bush has "squandered our resources" in Iraq was one of the talking points today, since both Dean and Biden used the phrase in their respective interviews. I don't necessarily agree or disagree, but wanted to note it.

Toward the end of the interview Dean said that he thought the Democrats' overarching strategy going into the next election cycle would be "We can do better," saying that Democrats from now on have to be seen as "right and strong" (rather than "right and weak" as he said they have been, or "wrong and strong" as he perceives Bush has been).

As I said, I missed much of Biden's interview, but I heard him say that he'll continue to request more documents from Roberts' time in the solicitor general's office and that he's still considering a run for the presidency in 2008.

It was good to switch things up and have Dean on the show this morning. While I always enjoy watching McCain, I do think it's time for a serious shake-up on the Sunday talk circuit. Some of these guys who are getting to be "regulars" need to take a few weeks off and give others a chance to speak - I'd love to read a morning lineup and see some new and different faces for a change. Where's Obama, where's Feingold, where's Tancredo, where's Cornyn? I don't want to just hear people I generally agree with all the time. Let's mix it up a bit, get some real interviews going instead of just more of the same.