Iraq News
The Associated Press reports that military leaders told Bush yesterday they're concerned about the strain that the Iraq war is having on the troops.
"John McCain's empty rhetoric today can't change the fact that he has steadfastly stood with President Bush from day one and is now talking about keeping our troops in Iraq for 100 years. His new appreciation for diplomacy has no credibility after he mimicked President Bush's misleading case for a unilateral war of choice when it mattered most. Why should the American people now trust John McCain to offer anything more than four more years of President Bush's reckless economic policies and failed foreign policy?"
Just how do you define success in Iraq? It's one of the points that McCain's no-policy policy address today was expected to address, and it's now different than the definition he gave a couple months ago. It seems what's meant by "success" keeps changing, perhaps to allow us to stay there for another 100 years?
This time, on Iraq. I'm wondering which John McCain is going to show up today. Will it be the one who was against replacing Rumsfeld, in favor of staying the course, and supporting Bush's strategy? Or will it be the one who recently claims, well, exactly the opposite?
I really love that they keep posting the video of McCain calling for us to be in Iraq for 100 years ("Make it 100!"). I'll help them spread the word:
The briefing [by Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker] took place on the day when the 4,000th American military death of the war was reported and just after the invasion’s fifth anniversary.
Somehow I missed this the other day, so here it is. Recognizing five years of a war in Iraq, Pelosi warns against Bush's plan for a $3 trillion dollar war in Iraq.
At the Baker Institute for Public Policy in February, McCain made the same mistake he's made three different times in the last three days when he said: "But Al Qaeda is there, they are functioning, they are supported in many times, in many ways by the Iranians."
Our research director just dug this one up, particularly relevant given McCain's trouble understanding the basics in Iraq. This is from Larry King Live, 4/23/1991, when he was arguing deposing Saddam:
This is his third position in three days.
It was five years ago today that we invaded Iraq, and there's a lot more to go if John McCain has his way. So it's worth taking a second to reflect on what has happened in that time.
Well, not really.
It seems McCain's failure to understand the basics of what's happening on the ground in Iraq isn't a one-time deal. Not only did he keep making the statement repeatedly today, but he was also making the false claim last night.
This wasn't some little piece of trivia, either, and it undermines his argument that he somehow has his an expertise on matters of foreign policy.
Most Iraqis say the escalation of the war isn't working, a new poll for this week's fifth anniversary of the war shows:
John McCain has tried to rewrite history, pretending he didn't march in lockstep with President Bush every step of the way on Iraq, from echoing the Bush Administration's false and misleading case for war to parroting their rosy rhetoric. As our latest video shows, McCain has been Bush's most loyal foot soldier from day one.
Maybe instead of four more years of Bush, with McCain we'd be getting four more years of Dick Cheney.
While McCain is saying his tax-payer funded trip isn't part of the presidential campaign...
It's been almost a year now since Senator McCain took that famous leisurely stroll through a Baghdad market -- just him, 100 American soldiers, three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships.
Now McCain is not only saying he fears al Qaeda wants him to lose, but also that they might attack Americans just to prevent him from getting elected.
I wrote about this yesterday, but now ABC News has posted a copy of the Pentagon report that the Bush administration reportedly tried to keep secret, throwing up as many barriers to access as possible.
The Bush administration is
reportedly trying to make sure a Pentagon report finding "no direct connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda" never sees the light of day.
This weekend McCain showed why he's second to none when it comes to painting a rosier picture of the war in Iraq than anybody else. Discussing the violence in Baghdad, McCain retorted that "there's problems in America with safe neighborhoods as we well know."
He promised us 100 years in Iraq, so let the countdown begin with this easily-embeddable widget!
Earlier today McCain said that to win the presidential race he must convince Americans that staying the course is working. If he can't do that, he said, "then I lose. I lose."
Mission accomplished!
Today seems to be McCain-100-Years Day on this blog, so I might as well add one more post on the topic.
So say 9 out of 10 current and retired military officers, according to a new poll. But as John McCain might say, those people obviously don't, you know, understand the military.
Here's the thing about John McCain's remark that he wants us to stay in Iraq for the next 100 years: he didn't just say it, he kept saying it over and over when asked about it.
Tell that to the vast majority of Americans who worry specifically about that. The full context, which includes the same bogus explanation as his 100 years comment -- thereby missing the point -- comes over at Think Progress.
It's all part of the manufactured storyline McCain's campaign has tried to create by claiming to be a critic -- no, THE critic -- while being the number one supporter of the Bush Iraq policy.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Michael Mullen, said today that "The pace of ongoing operations has prevented our forces from fully training for the full spectrum of operations and impacts our ability to be ready to counter future threats."
On Monday, during the State of the Union, Bush declared: "In the coming months, four additional brigades and two Marine battalions will follow suit." That action would just about bring troop levels to where they were before the escalation.
An interesting report over at the Center of American Progress, which shows that "the Iraqi government has only met three of the 18 benchmarks laid out last year."
A new report by the Congressional Budget Office finds that the cost of escalating the war in Iraq has escalated itself to an estimated $440 billion, or about $11 billion a month.
"The surge has sucked all of the flexibility out of the system. And we need to find a way of getting back into balance." - Army Chief of Staff George Casey
The Government Accountability Office questions the numbers used by the Bush administration in their report that graded whether or not Iraq had met certain "benchmarks."
It's a laughable claim, as our new video shows, from the man who refused to call for Rumsfeld's resignation and for years kept saying that we just need to stay the course.
It's the deadliest year for American troops since the war began.
John McCain tells New Hampshire he literally wants to stay in Iraq for the next hundred years, not just 50 years like president Bush:
TPM Election Central flagged down this quote in a local paper from Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell: "Nobody is happy about losing lives
but remember these are not draftees, these are full-time professional soldiers."
"President Bush has lost all credibility with the American people. We were misled on Iraq, now it's Iran. We need to get to the truth so our foreign policy is not only tough but smart. By electing a Democratic president, we can not only begin to renew the American people's trust in its government but also restore America's moral authority in the world."
"On issue after issue, President Bush and his Republican allies refuse to work with Democrats to solve our country's problems, putting politics ahead of doing what's right. It's Republicans in Congress, not Democrats, blocking funding for our troops while promoting a failed strategy in Iraq. Our troops have done their jobs honorably but Iraq has failed to make the necessary political progress on the ground. From the war in Iraq to health care for our kids, Republicans continue to stand in the way of progress. It's time for Bush Republicans to stop obstructing Democratic efforts and get to work for the American people."
TPM Muckraker has been on the story all day: "After years of obfuscation and denial on the length of the U.S.'s stay in Iraq, the White House and the Maliki government have released a joint declaration of 'principles' for 'friendship and cooperation.'"
Lieutenant General Ricardo S. Sanchez, U.S. Army, retired, who served as the top American commander of U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq following the U.S invasion in March 2003, will deliver the Democratic Radio Address on Saturday, November 24.
According to a new report by the Joint Economic Committee, the economic costs of the war in Iraq will reach $1.3 trillion by 2008. That doesn't take into consideration what happens if a Republican president is elected who isn't beginning to think about how to bring an end to the war.
According to a new CNN poll, "Opposition to the war in Iraq has reached an all-time high."
With new deaths of Americans in Iraq announced, this year has become the deadliest year for US troops since the war began. The grim milestone is a reminder that violence in Iraq continues, yet the Republicans in Congress continue to block Democratic measures to bring our troops home.
Bush will request another $196.4 billion to be thrown into Iraq (mostly), according to the Associated Press. Given that the war has already cost the American people $455 billion -- and more importantly, thousands of lives -- I'm sure we can expect to see Rep. Boehner telling us what a "small price" it is.
Two weeks ago, General David Petraeus testified before Congress that sectarian violence in Iraq is decreasing. But the Washington Post has published new evidence challenging the way that the U.S. military is analyzing and tallying each civilian death in Iraq.
And from Fox News, of all places.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement after President Bush spoke today on many issues, including the war in Iraq
John McCain's nonsensical claim that the Webb's amendment is unconstitutional is shot down incredibly easily by Josh Marshall:
After Stephanie wrote below about the pro-troop Webb amendment, which would guarantee longer rest periods for troops between deployments, news came that there's going to be an apparent toothless McCain-Warner proposal that's simply a "sense of the Senate" type resolution.
Congressman Tom Lantos (CA-12), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee will deliver the Democratic Radio Address tomorrow. In his address, Chairman Lantos will discuss President Bush's failed policies in Iraq and the need for a New Direction.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today renewed his call for House Republican Leader John Boehner to apologize for his reprehensible and offensive comments trivializing the sacrifices our brave men and women in uniform make for our country every day.
On the same day the
New York Times reported that the compromise on how to govern Iraqi oil fields, one of the most significant political reconciliation issues facing the Iraqi government, is collapsing, and just two days after General Petraeus reported that he doesn't know if our continued presence in Iraq is making America safer, President Bush is scheduled to speak on the Iraq war.
This is pretty stunning. The Republican leader in the House had this to say today to Wolf Blitzer:
Rep. Duncan Hunter, not very long ago:
The National Security Network spoke to top national security experts in advance of the testimony today by Petraeus and Crocker. You can watch that video below:
On ABC's This Week this morning, Senator John McCain stubbornly defended his support for the Bush-McCain escalation, disregarding not only the facts on the ground as President Bush is known to do, but also disregarding the facts of what he himself has said in the past.
Since the war in Iraq began, the Bush administration has repeatedly insisted that their strategy "is working." And each time, it's been false. Now they're pulling out the same tired line again, but Americans know better. Do they really expect us to believe them this time?
The Washington Post reports today that -- surprise, surprise -- the data used by Republicans to claim the escalation worked directly contradicts what the experts have been saying.
While the "I do tears" claim by Bush in a new book is receiving the bulk of attention, a very different quote stood out to me:
While Mitt Romney finally conceded that Iraq is in the midst of a civil war, he once again refused to break from President Bush's failed strategy. When asked by New Hampshire voters what he would do in Iraq if elected, Romney yesterday echoed President Bush's empty rhetoric in support of the troop surge.
Politicians may have been waiting for September to make a decision about Iraq, but the American people have already decided. Nevertheless, finally, September is here and the White House report will soon be issued -- within a couple weeks.
But not until after the rosy White House report comes out. The overall cost to date has been $330 billion.
Former Senator Max Cleland of Georgia delivers this week’s Democratic Radio Address. He discuses the President’s failed strategy in Iraq and how to bring our troops home safely from an open-ended civil war.
Yes, this appears to be his message in a speech later today, in which he will defend his handling of the war in preparation of the September White House report by comparing it to the Vietnam War. It's an odd message for the White House, given the history.
Today's Washington Post follows up on a story first reported by the Los Angeles Times yesterday that exposed the Bush Administration's plan to shield General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker from testifying before Congress on the Iraq report to be rolled out in September.
Romney is back in Iowa today, on the same day a Bloomberg News report highlights his efforts to shield himself from widespread opposition to President Bush's conduct of the war by shifting his rhetoric.
In a new podcast posted at the official Senate Republican Conference website, Senator Domenici speaks out about McCain's fall.
In a speech today before the National Association of Minority Media Executives Annual Conference, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean responded to President Bush’s remarks today, saying that it’s wrong to keep our already overextended troops in the middle of a civil war in Iraq to learn what we already know now: the surge is not working. He added that we need to elect a Democratic President in 2008 to end the war.
Despite the fact that he has not acknowledged the dire realities on the ground in Iraq and he has displayed a lack of foreign policy expertise, Rudy Giuliani plans to deliver his first major foreign policy address in Michigan today. One day after the International Association of Firefighters publicly questioned Giuliani's leadership credentials in the aftermath of 9/11, his speech today will likely prove to be another one of his displays of arrogance.
President Bush and the Republican presidential hopefuls continue to ignore the facts on the ground in Iraq. Despite today’s Iraq report which made clear that the surge is not working, the Republican presidential candidates continue to blindly follow President Bush and his failed Iraq policy, ignoring the will of the American people, military experts and the Iraq Study Group.
This afternoon, with the 2-week debate beginning for the defense authorization bill, Democrats will push to bring the war in Iraq to an end. It begins with the Jim Webb Troop-Readiness Amendment, which is being introduced today in the Senate.
John McCain announced last weekend that he will travel to Iraq to assess the conditions on the ground there and the "progress" - if any - of Bush's surge plan. A frequent patron of Iraqi market places, McCain has yet to announce his shopping plans this time around:
Four years ago, when President Bush first uttered the irresponsible "Bring 'em on" taunt, Democrats blasted him for the remark, and the White House promptly defended it.
According to a new bipartisan report, the Pentagon has spent $19 billion on training and equipping Iraqi security forces--and can't account for how it was spent. The United States has now spent over $55,000 on each Iraqi recruit, but can't even say how many of those recruits are still in operation.
Rudy bills himself as the "national security candidate." So why won't he discuss Iraq?
For Rudy Giuliani, money and political ambition take precedent over finding a solution to the Iraq War. In Iowa yesterday, Giuliani claimed that he did not show up for a single meeting of the Iraq Study Group because he was going to run for president and...
Rudy made a quick stop in Iowa yesterday to talk about his "commitments," but was drowned out by reporters asking about the real story: Rudy's no-show at the Iraq Study Group.
Compare and contrast.
In the same week that a Pentagon report showed that the troop surge in Iraq has failed and that Iraq is as dangerous as ever, USA Today's recent review of the National Guard found that in states across America, troops lack significant amounts of equipment, raising questions about their ability to respond to domestic emergencies. After four years in Iraq, the Bush Administration has not adequately managed troop and equipment demands in Iraq, leaving Americans here at home less safe than before the war.
Super-Surge!
Governor Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, delivered the Democratic radio address this week. Chairman Dean outlined the stark differences between the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates on the Iraq War.
After a day like yesterday, smooth talking Mitt Romney could really use a day in the Miami sun. Romney returns to Florida after a day of media reports detailing a string of goofs, gaffes and flip-flops that highlighted his superficial knowledge of foreign policy issues, reminded voters of his flip-flops on social issues, and underscored his efforts to recycle President Bush’s failed domestic agenda.
Specifically, he claimed that the United States "can have a presence in the region" without permanent bases in Iraq because the U.S. "has bases in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar." You'd expect somebody running for president to know that President Bush withdrew virtually all U.S. troops and closed all U.S. bases in Saudi Arabia in 2003.
Under pressure for ignoring Iraq in his stump speech, failing to offer a plan for the future, and displaying a “superficial” knowledge of the war when asked about it, smooth talking Mitt Romney finally responded: he’ll make up his mind sometime before 2057.
Now supports disclosing benchmarks and timetable:
While the Democrats made clear in their debate that they stand with the American people in support of ending the war in Iraq, the Republican presidential candidates have stood firm with President Bush’s stay the course strategy. According to a
Washington Post-ABC News poll released today, 64 percent of Americans do not think that we are making progress toward restoring civil order in Iraq and 56 percent of Americans said in a
USA Today/Gallup Poll today that the war was a mistake.
"Most Americans should accept a long-term United States military presence in Iraq as long as the number of U.S. casualties can drop to almost nothing, Sen. John McCain said Friday."
How can the Bush administration say that the surge has been a success, while still saying it's early to tell if it's working?
Smooth talking Mitt Romney is having more trouble ducking calls for him to offer a real plan on Iraq. While the American people are looking for clear and decisive leadership from their next president, Romney can’t even decide when he plans to make up his mind about the President’s Iraq plan. After initially saying he would decide whether President Bush’s February 2007 decision to escalate the war in Iraq is working within “five to six months,” in Iowa yesterday Romney said he is now willing to wait longer, “potentially as long as the end of the year" to make up his mind. [Real Clear Politics, 2/26/07, 2/8/07, AP, 5/30/07]
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today responded to President Bush’s remarks on Iraq while in Alabama.
The Senator has missed major war votes:
Much has been written about the creation of a "War Czar" to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which has been filled by Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute. Yet what hasn't been discussed is the timetable that he set back in August of 2005, declaring that the United States was expected to withdraw troop levels significantly from Iraq in the next 12 months.
For months, Mitt Romney has been relentless in his campaign to convince Republican primary voters to ignore his real record by switching his views on everything from abortion, to tax cuts, to immigration reform—even his own political heroes. But on Iraq, Romney has refused to offer a clear plan for the future, choosing instead to cling to the President’s failed strategy and praise his leadership. Just last week, after President Bush vetoed Democratic legislation that included a plan to change course in Iraq, Romney called the President to praise his decision. [Politico.com, 5/3/07]
As Americans reject President Bush’s failed stay-the-course strategy in Iraq and even as Republican Congressional leaders tell the President they will “desert him on the war” if conditions don’t improve by fall, the Republican Presidential hopefuls continue to trip all over themselves to align themselves with the Bush White House.
Major General Melvyn S. Montano, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), a former adjutant general of the New Mexico National Guard, delivers the Democratic radio address.
