Anyone listening out there?
From Reuters/Yahoo 20 minutes ago:
White House sees years of Iraq violence
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House said on Wednesday that Iraq was likely to struggle with violence for many years, but as its forces increasingly take over security, U.S. troops can eventually withdraw.
President George W. Bush, in a speech at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is expected to try and counter criticism that his administration lacks a clear Iraq strategy.
Before the speech, the White House released a document titled, “Our National Strategy for Victory in Iraq,” repeating the Bush administration’s stance that setting a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq would be harmful because it would embolden the insurgents.
“No war has ever been won on a timetable — and neither will this one,” the document said. …
Here’s a link to The Plan (PDF) via CNN. (Thanks, rba.)
Update [2005-11-30 10:0:39 by susanhu]: George unclassified this document just for you, the American people. It’s the SAME plan they’ve been using all along! Aren’t we fortunate he finally unclassified that document? We’ve been so in the dark. Now we’ll know how the plan will definitely, definitely succeed. Definitely, Reign Man. Definitely.
About those dastardly timetables, CabinGirl wrote below:
You know the difference between a goal and a pipe dream?
Goals have timetables.
is it meaningful that only one U.S. Senator (Warner) and four Congressman came with him?
Yeah. Posted a link to “The Plan”. Available on CNN (.pdf). He’s got Rummy & Warner with him. (“Naval Aviator” Rummy, no less).
Link.
I forgot about Rummy.
When they panned to the audience, it looked very dark. ???
Bush’s so-called Plan to win in Iraq is right here. Careful it’s a .pdf file.
I see nothing new or particularly earth shaking in it. It looks like a recapsulization of sos (same old sh*t) from Bush.
“We will not back down” = “Stay the course”
What utter shit. I like iagining that he’s speaking about himself rather than the “terrists”. It fits.
Did you just hear him say, “They massa-cured ….”
They massacre like he does the English language (not to mention tens of thousands of innocent people and U.S. soldiers).
That’s it?
pfffttt.
Think Progress has the poop on this “Victory in Iraq” fairytale that Bush is pushing.
“After two-and-a-half years and 2,110 U.S. fatalities, the Bush administration finally released a “National Strategy for Victory in Iraq” (NSVI). The problem is, it’s not a new strategy for success in Iraq, it’s a public relations document. The strategy describes what has transpired in Iraq to date as a resounding success and stubbornly refuses to establish any standards for accountability. It dismisses serious problems such as the dramatic increase in bombings as “metrics that the terrorists and insurgents want the world to use.” Americans understand it’s time for a new course in Iraq. Unfortunately, this document is little more than an extended justification for a President “determined to stay his course.”
This is just another empty White House publicity stunt.
As a “historical document” or a “series of actionable items”?
That’s why THEIR site is called Think Progress. What a concept.
“No war has ever been won on a timetable”
Saw that and had to laugh. In the Second World War the Germans ran all their campaigns on timetables. The Austrian (the Anschluss), the Czech, the Polish, and the French campaigns were all successful. The Russian campaign was not, but they went off their timetable in two ways: They started late, and got later.
I know W is speaking for an audience of idiots, but really, the military folk he was directly addressing have to know this stuff. Isn’t it embarrassing?
“From a marketing point of view, you don’t introduce new products in August.” Andrew Card, 2002
Besides, it’s just silly to toss out timetables.
Anyone who’s ever observed a construction project knows that there are timetables — and WHY there are timetables:
to get the damn thing done!
and to keep the workers (including the leaders) on the ball!
and sometimes the timetables get shifted slightly or sometimes a lot. Hell, once in a while, they actually get done ahead of schedule.
Jesus.
You know the difference between a goal and a pipe dream?
Goals have timetables.
Did you make that up? It’s the best thing I’ve read… I’m adding it to the story.
I have to give credit where it’s due: it’s derived from something my maternal parental unit told me a long time ago. 🙂
“Look Mommy, that funny man has no clothes on.”
Same old shit, huh George?
But…but…
Peter Daou posted this:
Had to turn the f’er off. I can no longer stand the bumbling, jaw clenching idiot. He has this scarey look in his eyes. That look says to me, Why don’t you people out there in ‘murica get it? God told me we would be victorious in Iraq. He promised me if I just stay the course it will be worth all the maiming, torture and deaths. Three more years of this whacko is far too dangerous to imagine. We must win 06 and get them all iompeached and tried fro war crimes and crimes against humanity before it is too late.
OT…O’Leilly has been spewing the meme that we are really in World War III. He claimed it last night on his show and just now on the Today show. His stance is that Iran is going to nuke us here. He has lost what’s left of his mind, imho.
Definitely, Reign Man. Definitely.
He gets his underwear at K-Mart.
Hi, Billmon! You’re like a legend to me — the way everyone reveres your posts — and here you are.
(He probably watches Judge Wopner too. Well, we know he loves ESPN2, at least before the White House … bet he gets his ESPN2 time in.)
on the cheap. Size CYA.
Oops. I lost interest and wrote e-mails…. I just tuned out. I got bored with it. And this speech is too long. It’s a good thing he’s 100% dependent on speechwriters, or else he’d turn into Castro, giving speeches that go on for hours.
Victory is not possible because to get it we will have to be prepared to kill the last remaining Iraqi, Sunni, Shia or Kurd.They all hate us and are prepared to die more than we are prepared to kill.
I feel better already.
CNN.com question of the day:
Are you impressed by the White House victory stradegy for Iraq? Yes, it’s a good plan 22%, Ni, it’s more spin 78%
Then there is the MSNBCTV question Pres. Bush’s Plan for victory: Is it a step in the right direction?
Yes…22% NO…78%.
Guess he just can’t fool them anymore. That is why he continues to speak to military audiences only. They have to listen and clap politely. The jigs up George. Time to bring the troops home.
Check the slide titled “VICTORY IN IRAQ DEFINED”
No a single item describing a success of the United States military.
Now, just how would the short term milestones apply to the U.S?
Given the President’s recipe for success the Iraqi Army should be occupying the US for the foreseeable future?
Well, based on what I heard today, at least I know why the DOD plans on leaving Iraq in 2009. That will be when Bush leaves office and WHOEVER is next pulls the army out of Iraq. That is a pretty damn grim plan.
Has anyone noticed that what little timetable there is for this war is completely driven by US domestic politics?
I still think he’ll cut and run when it’s obvious how bad the 2006 elections will be for the Repubs.