Washblog

It's been a mean week for this family in learning of my Rep. Brian Baird's new assessment of what America's foreign policy should be in Iraq  --  continue the military presence.

I can only imagine how it feels, Lietta.

About Baird's "new assessment": the most detailed description I could find of how he thinks "facts on the ground have changed" is contained in his Times Op-Ed of August 24th. Here are his claims, one by one:

Our soldiers are reclaiming ground and capturing or killing high-priority targets on a daily basis.

How does he know this is true? Which ground is being reclaimed? How often have soldiers reclaimed ground, only to lose it when they leave? What's a high-priority target? How many of these high-priority targets have been promptly replaced by other high-priority targets?

Sheiks and tribal groups are uniting to fight against the extremists and have virtually eliminated al-Qaida from certain areas.

How does he know how big a factor al-Qaida has been in "certain areas?" How often have commanders called anyone they don't like "al-Qaida in Iraq?" What accurate count do we have of al-Qaida's presence in Iraq? Whare are the "certain areas?" Who are the "extremists?" Isn't it true that the U.S. military has been arming these sheiks and tribal groups? How many of these weapons are used, and will be used, in ordinary sectarian warfare?

The Iraqi military and police are making progress in their training, taking more responsibility for bringing the fight to the insurgents and realizing important victories.

Again, how does he know this? Who told him that "military and police are making progress in their training?" Haven't we heard this before? What's changed? What about the repeated claims that Iraqi police are aiding the insurgents? And what "important victories," specifically, have they won? What's "important" about them?

Businesses and factories that were once closed are being reopened and people are working again.

Where is this happening and how does he know it's happening? Are there businesses in other places that have recently closed? Which people are working again? All of them, some of them, or a few of them? And what work are they doing?

The infrastructure is gradually being repaired and markets are returning to life.

What evidence does he have that the infrastructure is gradually being repaired? How gradual? How often is infrastructure repaired and then destroyed again? What markets are returning to life? What does "returning to life" mean? How many Iraqis have recently died in those markets "returning to life?"

I don't find what Baird is saying to be credible. Baird has suggested that people are not listening to him, but what is there to listen to?

Most importantly, I don't understand Baird's newfound faith that the Bush administration can actually accomplish anything, anywhere, constructive. What, exactly, have they done to deserve his trust?

A worthwhile video, and I earnestly hope Brian Baird will have a chance to see it as well, and read the new book to see what this President really has in mind for September Patreaus report.    

New York Times - quoting from new book, 'Dead Certain', by author Robert Draper;

For now, though, Mr. Bush told the author, Robert Draper, in a later session, "I'm playing for October-November." That is when he hopes the Iraq troop increase will finally show enough results to help him achieve the central goal of his remaining time in office: "To get us in a position where the presidential candidates will be comfortable about sustaining a presence," and, he said later, "stay longer."

But fully aware of his standing in opinion polls, Mr. Bush said his top commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, would perhaps do a better job selling progress to the American people than he could.

Mr. Draper agreed to share parts of his transcripts from those interviews, and the book itself, with The New York Times under the agreement that they would not be published until shortly before the book, "Dead Certain" (Free Press), is officially released on Tuesday.

On the Surge in Iraq "--we have set the bar so low it's buried in the sand at this point." - Barack Obama

On the Surge in Iraq "--we have set the bar so low it's buried in the sand at this point." - Barack Obama