What an exciting day to begin my tenure at Blogcritics! From the Iraq Study Group to the confirmation of Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense, I find myself in a target-rich news environment.
Before analysis comes observation. Secretary of State Condi Rice is absent from the discourse regarding the ISG findings. Outgoing Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld is a below-the-fold mention in passing, as the fallout from the leaked memo dwindles. The only news from Vice President Cheney’s office is a birth announcement for his daughter Mary and her partner, Heather Poe. There have been no glib statements from neocons this week.
During the White House press availability this morning the burden of leadership could be seen and heard in the timbre of President Bush’s voice and in the deepening lines across his forehead. Gone was the man I campaigned for in 2000 and 2004. The idealistic chap who charmed and inspired has grown into the role of President, albeit with alternating moments of triumph and defeat.
The Iraq Study Group outlined a snapshot of the war in Iraq. The bipartisan group of five Republicans and five Democrats offered a grave analysis. The seventy-nine recommendations will be debated for weeks, months and years to come. In January, the 110th Congress and the Bush Administration will face their first test. I hope the resounding cry for bipartisanship is heeded before a single hearing begins.
During the Cold War, Republicans and Democrats were united through nine presidencies and more than eighteen sessions of Congress. The gravity of the threats Americans faced brought us together. Domestic policy differences weighed heavily during electoral contests. The preservation of our Constitution, the safety of our people and the importance of individuals freedoms were championed by both parties.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Bliffle
"If just five percent of the world's Muslim population are violent extremists - willing to be a suicide bomber or jihadist for Allah - that is roughly equal to 60 million suicide bombers. There may not have been a nuke buried in the Iraqi desert, but 60 million suicide bombers - they ARE the Weapons of Mass Destruction."
Where do you get these numbers? Or did you just make it up?
2 - Joe
Bliffle:
It's called math and speculation, google 'em.
Some fraction of the Muslim population wants to blow people up. What fraction? 20, 10, 5, 1?
Even one tenth of a percent is a disheartening number and will have an effect on how the world views Islam; and more importantly, how the world treats Islam.
3 - Media Lizzy
First of all, thanks Joe for answering the math question. Second... if the remaining 95% os Muslims would hold the 5% (or any other - pick a fraction) accountable for their radical & violent behavior, the world we live in would be a much better place.
Tolerance, and the Christian ideal of 'turning the other cheek' is honorable, if wholly unrealistic when it comes to those willing to be the shahida.
Even if tyhe fraction were just 1% - that is still 1.2 million people. I stand by the statement. Muslim Extremists ARE the WMD.
4 - Georgio
Nice article Lizzy and well written ..You will enjoy BC as there are a lot of intelligent critics here from both the right and the left..
I like your idea about getting rid of Condi..I have not heard that suggestion before but it is right on...My only fault with you is that you voted twice for Bush ..once is understandable but twice is being in denial.
5 - Bliffle
"It's called math and speculation, google 'em.
Some fraction of the Muslim population wants to blow people up. What fraction? 20, 10, 5, 1?"
Can two play at this game? I didn't think so, but I'll go ahead anyway.
Some percentage of Americans are willing to blow away the entire middle east with HBombs. What fraction? 20, 10, 5, 1? Suppose it is even just .1%. Say it's .1% of 300million US citizens, that means 300,000 Americans willing to obliterate the middle east entirely. Surely it is impossible to assure that these belligerents are not in positions of great power in the administration or the military. We don't even know who they all are! We know that it is impossible to successfully screen people in positions of power no matter how much wiretapping and torturing we resort to. We know that it is possible to "hack" security systems: spammers do it every day, ordinary people crack the DVD copyright protections all day long. Security systems don't work.
Also, the most insecure part of any system is PEOPLE! People willingly give away security when confronted by apparent authority, loss of affection, money, power, or simple brute force.
Therefore, one must conclude, the USA has people with their fingers, figuratively, on The Button, who only await a sufficient outrage to obliterate Those Nasty People.
Given that scenario, is it any wonder that Iran and North Korea see their only defense as a credible nuclear attack?
I, personally, do not trust the Islamic Ummah one bit. Not because of the crazies, but because of the reluctance and unwillingness of 'moderate' muslims to chastise them and bring them to account. I don't recall one islamic terrorist being tried by an islamic country. It's just not stylish in that society.
But I'm almost equally distrustful of the current crop of maniacs in the US government, who, apparently, pause at no excess to excuse the errant war in Iraq, for example. After all, Bush 1 refered to these same characters (you know the names, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Perle, etc.) as "the crazies" before his son shut him up. And crazy they are, as the evidence of history shows.
Next time any self-proclaimed "moderate" of any position advocates, say, invading Iran, suicide bombing Chicago, etc., could you please Give It A Thought, please?
6 - Media Lizzy
Thank you, Georgio. My support of President Bush remains firmly intact for a few reasons. First, he is one man charged with arguably the toughest job - except for the soldiers on the front lines. Second, the last three sessions of the Republican Congress have been an absolute embarrassment. Presidents come and go inside the beltway but COngress and their entrenched staff remain. Rightly, the GOP base voters turned on the leadership and voted them out.
Until the President's critics (elected officials and party leaders) are equally as accountable for their behavior, then I find the attacks very shallow.
President Bush was failed by his staff, and his cabinet. His ideals are still right on - but success is defined by meeting the objectives... clearly that has not occurred.
I still support my President. I won't run from a friend in tough times. Yes, I have met him multiple times as has my daughter. We're a Gold Star family and my support of him is an entirely apolitical decision.
Thanks for reading and I will certainly keep it up. Look for some commentary regarding the joint news conference later this evening or first thing tomorrow.
7 - D'oh
Media Lizzy, one thing here, you say correctly that, "President Bush was failed by his staff, and his cabinet."
What you don't mention is that the President is the Commander in Chief, and is fully responsible for not only picking that Cabinet and advisers, but is also responsible for all that they do in his name.
You know, the old "buck stops here" bit.
Since he has not fired those advisers (he has had some "resign", different animal), he is forced to accept the responsibility completely and should be held accountable for it all, including a disasterous pre-emptive war that has achieved none of the stated goals, as well as bailing out in Afghanistan with the job nowhere near completed.
You might want to read this
for some insight, including an original Reaganite (Ed Meese) sharing his critique of this Administration.
How about we go with reality based, rather than faith based , foreign policy?
8 - Bliffle
"President Bush was failed by his staff, and his cabinet."
What crap! He chose them, he appointed them, he demanded absolute loyalty, and he fired them when they were insufficiently obedient.
And GWB is NOT a man who can afford to be so dictatorial since he was so ill prepared for the job of president. A failed businessman, bailed out only by an over-indulgent father, a Governor whose few successes were credited to a (democrat) mentor, a reckless student, and a lazy loafer who spends very little time actually working at his job, and spends NONE of his personal time improved his knowledge.
He's a bum. Your personal admiration is ill placed.
9 - Georgio
Oh wow Lizzy you are really in denial when you blame others for Bush's failures..He has no one to blame but himself..just today in a press conference he stated that "History will record WHY DIDN'T BUSH AND BLAIR FORESEE THE THREAT " what threat ..there never was a threat except the ones he made up !...
your loyalty is admirable but following a leader who has ruined this Country for years to come is unforgettable
I'm sorry for your loss as a gold star mother but Bush had no brains when he invaded Iraq..How you can continue to defend him is beyond me..
10 - Baronius
Media Lizzy - Welcome aboard. Based on your article and comments, I'm sure you'll do fine around here. Of course, condolences and thanks.
I've been a big fan of Rumsfeld, but I've got to say that the leaked memo bothered me. Up until now he's seemed like a straight-shooter, surrounded by political opponents who don't fight fair. But a week after his departure, a memo that makes him look good makes the national news. Say it ain't so.
11 - Media Lizzy
Thanks to all for making my first post here at BlogCritics great fun!
A couple of things... first, I am a Gold Star Wife - not mother. My husband died on President Clinton's watch, not Bush's. As for my personal reasons, I stand by them. I am confident that President Bush understands the sacrifice he is asking of others.
Next. I do not believe that one man, president or not, has sooooo much power that his decisions can "ruin" our nation - nor "destroy" our republic. Surely, our nation is not so fragile as to break because of one man. To suggest such weakness demonstrates more about the critic, than President Bush.
Finally, I know where the "buck" stops. President Bush has offered his service and history will be the judge of his ideology, his performance and if there is a reckoning to be had... let it happen.
Going forward from this moment, I believe President Bush has been afforded a chance by the Iraq Study Group to right our ship of state. It is time to name a Special Envoy to the Middle East and get down to business. We have a new Sec Def. Secretary Rice has been put on notice as well. Later this month, the President will reveal the path he has chosen.
If the American people don't like it, 2008 is just around the corner.
12 - MCH
Media Lizzy;
Since you "support" the invasion and occupation of Iraq, have you ever considered enlisting and volunteering for combat over there?
- MCH, US Navy '70-74
13 - Clavos
Holy shit, emmy, you've really outdone yourself this time!!
Did you not see upthread that Lizzy is a Gold Star wife? How much sacrifice does one person have to make before they're acceptable in your book?
And from a REMF, no less...
Sheesh!
14 - Bliffle
"...I believe President Bush has been afforded a chance by the Iraq Study Group to right our ship of state."
Looks like GWB has rejected that chance, too.
In fact, I don't know what We The People can do even if we all unite to bring the troops home. He seems to have all the power to keep the war going regardless of congress, the courts, or anyone else. By ceding so much power to the president we've created a monster, a Frankenstein.
15 - Bliffle
Of course the interesting aspect of the ISG and the events that are cascading towards a climax right now is the Greek Drama playing out between the Bushes, pere and fils. Bush2 has made no secret of his contempt for his father, while Bush1 is open about his concern for the Childe Presidente. Now, with dire war threatening to engulf us all, the father has dispatched his best lieutenant, aged now, but still shrewd and resourceful, to provide the intelligence and leadership that the son has not gotten from the sycophants and special pleaders that gathered around his power. But the son, perhaps still intimidated by his father, seems resentful and immediately rejects the plan. The hopes of supporters as well as the hapless citizens of the kingdom are dashed. They all hoped this plan would provide the graceful exit from Bush2s dilemna. Even the kingdoms foes thought that this would be the chosen path and would force upon them a new paradigm. But no! the son rejects the lifeline, whether out of pride, resentment or misunderstanding.
Where is the Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles, to write this story? Alas, Americas writers are too busy with Big Cash Big Advance contracts writing toilet paper ads for TV and Superman Comix CGI Movies to undertake such a humble exercise.
Who can write the story? Who can find the words, frame the focal points of the plot?
16 - STM
I can only half agree with you Lizzy ... I think George W. Bush could have been a great president, especially if he and his clueless administration had any idea about what actually goes on in the world. My view on Britain's role is that Downing St should have known better too, having been embroiled in a similar war there in the 1920s.
Sad, because the rationale of Bush and Blair in invading in Iraq wasn't a bad one, even if the WMDs didn't exist, and as I've said before, most Iraqis are at least grateful to the coalition for the removal of a murderous madman.
Today, I have just listened to a young Army intelligence officer, a member of a covert long-range patrol group actively searching rural and border areas of Iraq for insurgents, who was in my office for a chat after his second tour of duty there.
He was trying to be very positive about all the good work done, the new schools built and the like, but in the wash up there was an air of gloom about it all.
Listening to his informed analysis, the conclusion to be drawn is that there's no status quo and never has been almost from the moment the actual fighting ended in 2003, and that the price in coalition lives will continue to be high, and that the insurgency is stronger than ever and the situation in regard to the enemies of the West (not just America) worldwide is far more complicated than can be answered by tossing up silly throw-away lines about the 5 per cent of muslims willing to carry a bomb (which is a bit of ill-informed nonsense anyway).
At the end of the day, this courageous young man's real enemies were probably the highly paid idiots and yes-people in Washington and London who forgot to have a quick check of their history books (a cursory glance might have given them some clues) before they gave such faulty advice to their respective leaders.
The only real exit strategy in Iraq is to do just that, otherwise it's just more of the same. The real question is not just how it's to be done, but when ... and to what end.
17 - MCH
"And from an REMF, no less..."
- Clavvy
But had I been a DESERTER, it'd be non-sequitur.
18 - Joe
MCH:
Actually, deserter or not, your statement itself is non-sequitur. Lizzy should enlist because she supports the war? Perhaps if you don't support the war you should join the terrorists!
If you want to argue/discuss/comment then welcome aboard; if you're going to spout from the absurdist hippie ad hominem playbook then head off to Code Pink, you'll be right at home.
19 - Zedd
Bliffle:
As far as your lack of trust for the moderate islamists, I wonder if they feel the same about us. Right now the most extreme numbers of Iraqi dead extend to 650,000 the very least 50,000.
The G6 allowed us to go to Iraq even though many of them didn't believe in our mission. I supose many feel a lack of trust for the reasonable people of the West because they "allowed" this horror to take place.
20 - Zedd
Lizzy:
As for Condi, I believe that she is a good employee. She has done her job as prescribed by her boss. When Powell was in the administration, she joined forces with him to redirect this reckless leadership and was soon out numbered once Powell left.
You are correct in that her loayalty may have cost her her credibility but it should be stated that she has done a phenominal job under these insane conditions. Her boss is a dope, her colleges are illogical, hawkish, greedy and power hungry and they have the respect of her boss. If you are intelligent, what do you do?
21 - MCH
"if you're going to spout from the absurdist hippie ad hominem playbook then head off to Code Pink, you'll be right at home."
- Joe
I agree Joe, those absurdist hippies at Code Pink are far worse than those chickenhawks at Code Yellow.
22 - zingzing
media lizzy: "I still support my President. I won't run from a friend in tough times. Yes, I have met him multiple times as has my daughter. We're a Gold Star family and my support of him is an entirely apolitical decision."
first, sorry for your loss. with that out of the way, what do you mean by "my support of him is an entirely apolitical decision?"
do you blindly follow, even in the face of reality? how is it that you admit the failure of the administration (to a degree), while the leader of that administration gets off scott-free in your book?
"President Bush was failed by his staff [who contributed the poor advice over the last few years], and his cabinet. His ideals are still right on..."
the "ideals" you see in your "friend" are the ones he wants you to see. his real ideals are shown in his actions, which certainly can't back up your idea of his ideals, can they?
if you are going to write about politics, you should have a political opinion of the most important person in american politics. otherwise, you're just a walking advertisement. take your blinders off and report back to us on what you see. thanks.
23 - Bliffle
STM: "...I think George W. Bush could have been a great president,..."
Not a chance. Because he isn't a Great Man. He doesn't come with the right tools, or even any tools, or even a desire to get tools. He's a frat boy, business failure, playboy, whose only success came from a strong mentor. All of which is why I voted for him in 2000. I figured he'd be a weak president (an imminently conservative position) who'd be guided by Wiser Heads in the party, since there were many such heads left over from his fathers administration. I didn't realize that GWBs antipathy to his father would put him in the hands of radical "crazies". Oops, my mistake.
24 - Nancy
Welcome to the blogfrenzy, ML. Likewise, I am sorry you lost your husband - under anybody's watch. However being a "gold star" anything doesn't confer any sort of authority on you in my book, or any halo of either sanctification or superiority in patriotism or anything else, any more than it does with Ms. Cindy Sheehan.
That said, while I can understand you've met him & found Dubya "charming", I can't understand how a cursory knowledge of his performance record throughout his (to date) sorry existance, not to mention his prediliction for being an apparently compulsive liar as evidenced by his own words on record & in detail, can inspire such blind, unquestioning devotion. His own very significant personal faults should negate totally in the mind of any sane, discerning person of any political persuasion whatever "charms" he exhibits. Just the facts that he has been willing to send thousands of US troops to their deaths or mutilation to support his ego-driven desire to be remembered in history as a "War President" are enough to eclipse any sense of charm for most Americans, these days, compounded by his absolute lack of good judgement of character as epitomized by the horrificly laughable cast of characters he assembled to run his administration, and which he has criminally continued to support long after it became clear they were both out of control & grossly inept. I must agree with the several respondents above who have pointed out that regardless of the nature of the staffers, he is the final "Decider", & so is ultimately responsible for their errors or deficiencies, both morally & literally, as well as his own. Wrinkled brow? So he should have: this Bush has a helluva lot to answer for both to America & to any Higher Power that is ultimately in charge of Judgement. If I were he, with all those deaths, lies, mutilations, & sheer chicaneries on my head & hands, I'd be under a bed in a bunker somewhere, cowering with fear.
In any event, I find your rather slavish unquestioning support of this doofus extremely unfortunate, and in truth it ended up eroding any credibility you started with which seemed a good start to a judicious assessment but rapidly went downhill after that.
25 - Media Lizzy
For my new readers here at BlogCritics, I owe you a more clear picture of my bio.
My life’s work consists of uniformed service, public service at the federal level, numerous statewide campaigns for Gubernatorial & Federal office in several states, and serving as a media director & spokesperson for a presidential campaign delegation. I have served as a senior advisor to Lt. Governors, sub-cabinet officials, a former governor actively considering a bid for the presidency as well as leading media strategists and many other luminaries. I’ve attended state and national party conventions as a delegate, and have been a paid senior advisor to folks who regularly interact with the current President and some on his staff.
There are two things my readers should know. First, my professional assessments are well informed. Second, the separation of my personal support and prayers for President is intact. Just because I personally believe he is a good man, does not automatically infer “blind” support for his decisions, or policies. Yes, the buck stops with W. Of that, I am painfully aware. However, his beliefs are not the problem. It is the execution of such high-minded, forward leaning policy where the failures have occurred.
One man does not run every agency, nor does he run the Congress. Perhaps if the 108th or 109th Congress had done their Constitutionally mandated duty and provided oversight of Rumsfeld, we would not find ourselves in such a mess in Iraq. Having served the Pentagon & WH missions, the problems are far deeper than anything George W. Bush has created.
No credible leadership has existed at the Capitol. The buck stops at both ends of Penn Ave.