The Road Home (NYT Calls for Iraq Withdrawal)

[Orsino]

The Old Grey Lady flip-flops in an unsigned editorial calling for immediate withdrawal from Iraq, heaping the blame on the president and Washington--without once mentioning Judy Miller's name or in any way acknowledging complicity:

Like many Americans, we have put off that conclusion, waiting for a sign that President Bush was seriously trying to dig the United States out of the disaster he created by invading Iraq without sufficient cause, in the face of global opposition, and without a plan to stabilize the country afterward.

At first, we believed that after destroying Iraq’s government, army, police and economic structures, the United States was obliged to try to accomplish some of the goals Mr. Bush claimed to be pursuing, chiefly building a stable, unified Iraq. When it became clear that the president had neither the vision nor the means to do that, we argued against setting a withdrawal date while there was still some chance to mitigate the chaos that would most likely follow.

While Mr. Bush scorns deadlines, he kept promising breakthroughs — after elections, after a constitution, after sending in thousands more troops. But those milestones came and went without any progress toward a stable, democratic Iraq or a path for withdrawal. It is frighteningly clear that Mr. Bush’s plan is to stay the course as long as he is president and dump the mess on his successor. Whatever his cause was, it is lost.

The political leaders Washington has backed are incapable of putting national interests ahead of sectarian score settling. The security forces Washington has trained behave more like partisan militias. Additional military forces poured into the Baghdad region have failed to change anything.

Lest you think they've turned completely hippie, though:

The United States could strike an agreement with the Kurds to create those bases in northeastern Iraq. Or, the Pentagon could use its bases in countries like Kuwait and Qatar, and its large naval presence in the Persian Gulf, as staging points.

[DemoTex]

1. This will be an interesting week, to say the least. Hope Lindsey Graham reads his NYTs today!

I think that the references to the Kurds, Kuwait, Qatar, etc., are suggestions as to how to expedite an orderly withdrawal.

Meanwhile, look for more big GOP defections from the Bu$hco camp as Congress returns this week. Maybe Lindsey will eat his words from last week.

K&R

:kick:

[BlueMole]

2. To the NYTimes

Editors:


So you are now against the war in Iraq. It's about time.

You were among the Bush Crime Family's biggest cheerleaders in the run up to this disaster. Why don't you comment on that? It's all in the archives.

You backed up your lying little war slut Judy Miller until the very end. (Chalabi told me to tell you...mucho WMD's)

You have backed up all the Bush Crime Family's fear mongering without question, and now suddenly you "see the Light! halleluyah!!!"

Please. I'm not buying the BS you are selling.

You really should be ashamed of yourselves.

No amount of pandering to the right will make you loved at Lucianne.com.

Now you try to pander to the left when the game is over.

You disgust me.

Other major dailies have already taken the lead on this. I guess you are a little late.

Did I say you disgust me?

And as an aside; do you really think people will pay $$$ for your timesselect to read the pathetic screeds by Brooks, Dowd, et al?

----
Glassboro, NJ

Former subscriber


:beer:

[Barrett808]

3. k & r