NYT editorial: Bush, Maliki and the Memo: We can no longer afford Bush's refusal to face facts

[DeepModem Mom]

Bush, Maliki and That Memo
Published: December 1, 2006

....The memo, which was published by The Times this week, at least answers the question of whether Mr. Bush is being told what’s going on in Iraq....But the president’s performance this week — his refusal to impose any deadlines on Mr. Maliki to start reconciliation talks and break with the militias, and his refusal to give the Pentagon a deadline to stand up an effective Iraqi Army — tells us once again that Mr. Bush does not listen.

That does not bode well for James Baker and the Iraq Study Group, which, according to reports, is likely to call for some pullback of American combat troops along with more aggressive regional diplomacy. Yesterday, Mr. Bush seemed eager to preempt that advice, brushing off suggestions that he talk directly to Iran and insisting that there would be no “graceful exit” from Iraq.

Mr. Bush’s lack of curiosity was well known even before he became president, but as time has gone on and bad news has mounted, that disinterested quality has turned into a stubborn refusal to hear bad news. The country simply cannot afford it any longer. Three years of having Mr. Bush trust only his gut has plunged Iraq into bloody chaos and done untold damage to America. There needs to be an urgent change in policy.

Mr. Hadley’s memo actually provides a clue to how Mr. Bush has managed to avoid facing hard facts. Despite the horrific situation it describes, the policy recommendations fail to convey any strong sense of urgency and seem to shrug off American responsibility for what has gone wrong. Either the president’s security adviser was afraid to be as blunt as the situation requires or he, too, has managed to convince himself that the disaster is really not all that disastrous.

The president’s advisers need to tell him all the harsh truths about Iraq in the vivid terms they require; they need to tell him how little time he has left to act. This administration has been orchestrating a foreign policy disaster of epic proportions, and history will remember both that the president failed to hear the warning bells and that many others failed to ring them loudly enough.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/01/opinion/01fri1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[Art_from_Ark]

1. How the hell do they expect to "stand up an effective Iraqi Army"?

Basically, they destroyed Saddam's army, and now they're trying to piece together a new one from scratch in the midst of a civil war.

[Botany]

5. Point

"Basically, they destroyed Saddam's army" kinda but what "they" really did was tell a whole
bunch of Sunnis to go home, take their guns and by the way you have no work, power,
or electricity. Smart move # 244.

bush has screwed the pooch 1,000 ways from Sunday.

[aquart]

6. Yup. It's a ridiculous premise.

The inescapable conclusion is that Bush/Cheney has to be removed immediately. But that is just too much for them to face.

So they bleat nonsense. In their own way, refusing to face reality just as much as Bush.

[symbolman]

2. Oh for god's sakes

I am SO SICK of these CLOYING bullshit articles!!

WE all KNOW what the hell is going ON, why doesn't BUSH KNOW? He'd got the Homeland people, CIA, FBI, PDBs, NEWSPAPERS, TV SHOWS, Lou Fucking DOBBS, People Marching in the Street from DAY ONE, ex Veterans, POWELL, ALL that and MORE..

and he Doesn't KNOW, or gets some kind of PASS on all this.

He's a LYING GREEDY MORON, and He's FLEECING the American Public, Looting the Treasury, using it as an ATM for his corporate PALS and WE are supposed to PUT UP WITH THIS, AND the Articles TOO.

The fucking NY TIMES GOT US INTO THIS, with THEIR REPORTERS talking about MUSHROOM CLOUDS, being used as a RESOURCE once they'd done their Job and reported FALSE INFO to be used by Bush to Push for WAR.

THEY are just as culpable. And now they want to tell us that Bush is a NON CURIOUS PERSON?

He's the Goddamn Corporate DEVIL himself, the fucking ANTICHRIST filling his Pockets and saying,"Just wait a little more, still haven't STOLEN the Kid's piggie Banks yet" WHile he's KILLING our COUNTRY, all the respect is gone for us, our kids are DEAD and DYING..

CUT THE CRAP, MEDIA, and GRILL this FUCK, and NOW!!!

[marions ghost]

7. Ditto

thanks for expressing...

The NYT hypocrisy at this point is disgusting. :puke:

[katsy]

8. what you said!

:yourock:

[symbolman]

9. Here's some MORE

The Congress should convene IMMEDIATELY and Declare Bush INSANE. REMOVE him From OFFICE NOW.

Cheney steps into place, DECLARE HIM TOO ILL, then Pelosi becomes Madam PRESIDENT.

NOW IS THE TIME.

Here's the link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2839012

Join the party and post to it. :)

Thanks!

[AverageJoe]

3. Without a trace of irony....

While I applaud this fierce indictment of the * administration, I find it amazing that the NYT can say such things with a straight face. Have they forgotten how they were *'s whoring cheerleaders in the run-up to the Iraq debacle?

[grasswire]

4. oh really?

"...many others failed to ring them loudly enough."

Such as the New York Times? Eh?