Re: the Silence is Deafening...the Iraq Study Group report
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I saw the co-chairs on TV last night. They were very critical of the administration. Their basic assessment is that Iraq is a mess. They believe we should set a reasonable timetable and stick to it, whether the Iraqis stand up or not. They believe we must engage Syria and Iran, not only vis-a-vis Iraq, but in general. They believe that the siuation is grave, in that we are not winning and are in danger of losing, but that there's really not much we can do about it.
The vice-president, as recently as the week before the election, said our policy should be full-speed ahead because it's working. The president, last week, said the violence in Iraq was caused by Al-Qaeda; the chairs said that while Al-Qaeda was involved, there were other, more pertinent causes of the bloodshed.
I don't see how the report can be considered anything but a rebuke of the administration's policies.
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This seems to be a nearly unanimous reaction and interpretation in the non-Copernicus universe.
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