A Strategery for Victory?
President Bush spoke at the Naval Academy today, discussing what the White House is calling "Strategy for Victory in Iraq." Almost simultaneously, a 35-page document (linked via the indomitable Steve Clemons at The Washington Note) was released outlining said strategy. The NYTimes' David Sanger describes the plan and the speech as "a general military plan under which American forces will follow a strategy much like the one the United States is attempting in Afghanistan."
Bush continued to reject calls for a timetable of any kind whatsoever (this from the Administration which has been setting artificial timetables for the political track in Iraq since the day we invaded). Today's speech did not go nearly as far as I and many others would have liked the president to go, and the strategy put forth seems to differ very little from the generalities we've been getting all along. In short, too little, and the hour grows increasingly late.
posted by JBD @ 5:04 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I haven't read the plan, so I cannot comment intelligently, as if I ever do, but the idea that Bush wants Iraq to follow the success in Afghanistan is alarming enough. Isn't he aware that there are large tracts of the nation not under the control of the central government? And I don't think it is a robust independent Afgani military that is fighting Taliban remnants in the mountains.
Jeremy, thanks for posting the entire 35 page report. I have read it and the conclusion I draw from it is that it is NOT a strategy for Victory unless you define victory as helping Iraqi's that want to fight the insurgency learn the skills to do so. It is not a strategy to win the insurgent war nor stop the civil war that has started to break out and to deal with the various militia's, in my humble view. To do that, they would first need to secure the borders, which is not, I conclude from the report, our responsibility. We are transferring that to the Iraqis who are not manned and equipped to take even that over yet. And until the rules for the Iraqi Army changes and mirrors something like a full time career, they won't have enough force to do the job. So it is still the failed "Stay the Course" strategy we have become so accustom to with this President that will remain.
Did you want information overload about this?
restaurant interior design
Post a Comment
<< Home