Baker Urges Bush on Phased Exit in Iraq

[quaoar]

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/consumer_news/10637983.htm

BARRY SCHWEID
Associated Press


WASHINGTON - Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, an architect of the U.S. war with Iraq in 1991, is advising the Bush administration to consider a phased withdrawal of some of the 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

Otherwise, Baker says, the United States risks being suspected of having an "imperial design" in the region.

A protracted U.S. military presence in Iraq is probably unavoidable since attacks on U.S.-led coalition forces and on Iraqi security forces are likely to continue, Baker said Tuesday in a speech at Rice University in Houston.

"Even under the best of circumstances, the new Iraqi government will remain extremely vulnerable to internal divisions and external meddling," he said.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. Wow..James Baker is quoting John Kerry now?

That is exactly what Kerry said in the first debate.

[Sandpiper]

2. LOL!!! Risks being suspected of Having an Imperial Design?

Little late for that Jim, don't you think?

[rfranklin]

16. What does Baker know? Poppy didn't get re-elected...

and that's all that counts.

[Sparkly]

27. That was my first reaction, too

They're pretending we're still trusted around the world...

[Hieronymus]

44. OMG..........

The WORLD knows the US has an Imperial Design.
:crazy:

[renaissanceguy]

48. Duh. It's been the plan all along.

It was never about WMD. It's about conflicting ideologies and corporate interests.

http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.16472020

[Erika]

3. Our invasion of Iraq

was and remains an act of imperialism. I think this administration would love to adopt Iraq as our next state.

[quaoar]

6. Nah

Highly unlikely Iraq would be a red state.

[Erika]

25. True

He'll just keep it as another Puerto Rico or Guam until the oil is gone.

[David Zephyr]

4. This is such bullshit. Bush is on his knees begging for a way out.

The fact that Baker is now suggesting it is ONLY because everyone in the White House knows we have LOST the war.

[blm]

13. Yes. And when total chaos erupts and the extremists

loyal to Bin Laden REALLY take over Iraq as so many predicted, the Bushies will have their media blame the left and their "incessant whining" which George Bush magnaminously gave in to as a concessionary move in his hope for a truly United States.

I can hear it already. Let's pull out and blame the left when Bin Laden moves in. It will be a win-win situation for them because they know they control the media.

[David Zephyr]

18. The chaos has already begun and it's out of control.

However, it will be Shi'a Iran that will be ruling the greater part of what we currently call Iraq and they are sworn enemies of Osama and the Sunnis which is why the civil war that is approaching has even Bush's closest confidants whispering in his ear that he needs to get the hell out quickly, declare we won peace with honor and took "democracy" to the Middle East.

Bush lost Iraq and gave it to the Iranians who played him like a fiddle.

[blm]

28. i'm just predicting the spin of BushInc and their media.

but, I am quite certain that many Islamic extremists will fight like hell to control Iraq. Bin Laden always had a target drawn on Saddam because of his insistence on secularism. Bush was a great help to Bin Laden in that regard. Especially when he helped turn Iraq into mass chaos and violence.

[NYC]

32. I don't think they'll bother to blame the left.

We will be told that Iraq is now a free and democratic country, and there will be no more news reporting.

How much do we hear about Afghanistan?

[NYC]

31. That's all we hear lately.

They are setting us up for the withdrawal. Withdrawal is a good idea, but that's because it never should have begun.

They are just making excuses now for a reason to get out of this hopeless quagmire.

I wonder what they will do about the oil??? They still don't have it, to my knowledge.

[David Zephyr]

34. Bingo, NYC.

So you've been smelling the cut and run odor coming from the White House, too.

They are looking to get out fast now as it is all about to implode.

[NYC]

40. But what about the oil?

Will they forfeit the oil?

They remind me of a child with a hand stuck up the vending machine trying to get a candy bar. If the child would release the candy bar, his hand would come free. But, he is not willing to release the candy bar, so his hand remains stuck.

[saltpoint]

5. This really is news.

Baker is such an evil fixer, too. For him to publicly embarrass Dubya like this is really something.

What a godforsaken mess the Bushes have made of things.

[Kolesar]

15. Baker fixed Florida 2000 for Dumbya

The Bushies really brought him out of obscurity to jump in and make the right calls to fix the election. This really is a bizarre thing to see in the press. I am sure Dumbya is often crying for an exit strategy & even willing to forgo the 14 US military bases in Iraq. Baker might be there to "float" the concept.

Then Dumbya will take credit for eliminating Hussein and retire with an asterisk by his name in the history books.

[saltpoint]

17. Yes, BorealAvenger. I think you've nailed it.

And you're right also about Baker fixing Florida in 2000. What a greasy event that was.

[David Zephyr]

36. That's exactly what Baker is doing: floating the concept

and thereby preparing FoxNews and the Republican chorus to begin trying to paint this military defeat as a victory and our cutting and running as part of a "plan".

The Iraqi people have defeated George Bush and Iran will wind up running the greater part of Iraq by proxy.

[Kolesar]

39. Establish another Shi'ite Theocracy, to which Jimmy Carter will say

"YOU STUPID IDIOTS"

[goodboy]

7. "we will not waver...that shows weakness to our enemy" who said that?

worthless monkey.

[pokercat999]

19. That's it Goodboy

you owe an apology to monkeys worldwide!

[librechik]

8. uhoh--Baker's about to get tossed on the scrapheap with Scowcroft

How dare he think Shrub's Imperial Design is wrong?

[DoYouEverWonder]

20. Another sign that W is out of control

He now shunning all of his dad's old buddy's. I wonder how much longer they are going to put up with W's power crazed antics. He's really made a mess of things and even Jimmie the Fixer can't put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

[arcos]

9. Bakers are anti American!!!

oh, you mean James Baker? nevermind...



:eyes:

[leftchick]

10. why do I suspect "the fixer" is throwing a bone out

Good God we know why they are there and it is all about "imperial design". This is for the AmeriKans who don't know wtf is going on. We must not let anything disrupt the Coronation!

:eyes:

[chelsea0011]

11. Carville had it right on yesterday's Crossfire

Bush is going to find a way to sneak out

[renaissanceguy]

49. Nah, he could be shouting "HA HA, Gotcha!"

and half this country wouldn't care or take notice.

http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.16472020

[David__77]

12. "external meddling!" This is hilarious!

1944:

"German leader Adolph Hitler warned that if German troops left France any time soon, France would be at risk for external meddling."

[LynnTheDem]

52. Hitler...bush...no difference, same lies.

It's always the same lies.

WHY tho do the people always fall for the same lies. Over & over & over again.

[murray hill farm]

14. I dont care how we get out...

i just hope we get out...soon!!

[pokercat999]

21. NOW! we need to get out NOW! eom

[murray hill farm]

37. Yes!!!

We need to get out now!!!

[Botany]

22. Ready .... Set ..... Gone

Watch how fast after this shame election we declare victory and split.

[newscott]

23. deleted

deleted

[Redstone]

24. Unavoidable? Bullshit!

"A protracted U.S. military presence in Iraq is probably unavoidable..."

Oh, fuck him. He doesn't have any relatives over there to worry about.

We could very easily just strike the tents and go home. If it would make us feel better, we could declare victory just before doing so.

Oh, wait a minute, Didn't bush declare victory a year ago on that aircraft carrier? So what are we waiting for?

Support our troops by bringing them home. Now.

Redstone

[David Zephyr]

26. Folks, Please...Baker Isn't Questioning Bush, He's Preparing the Public

for Bush's cutting and running.

This is directly from the White House.

[NNN0LHI]

29. Why do James Baker and Brent Scowcroft hate America?

Don't these two turncoats realize we can't leave now or all those soldiers who have been killed in Iraq will have died in vain? And I thought Chimpy has been saying that some guy in Iraq is a buddy of bin Laden? What of that? We just going to let all them terrorists get away? Baker and Scowcroft should both be brought up on charges for suggesting such a thing. Damn American bashers.

Don

[David Zephyr]

35. Don Baby!

Your post made my day.

It reminds me of the Nixon/Ford retreat from Vietnam after the U.S. was clearly being routed and the end was obvious. Nixon's "Peace With Honor" as a slogan to slick up America's humiliating defeat by a peasant, agrarian people.

At that time, I told a dear friend of mine that Nixon and Ford wound up doing EXACTLY what George McGovern had promised to do...only years later and the difference was that when Ford did pull the troops out...George McGovern did not call him a communist for doing it.

I very much enjoyed your post which spotlights the unbelievable gall that these motherfuckers have as they now scramble for a way to pull the U.S. out before all hell breaks loose.

[Vidar]

30. It's scary when the right-wing reaganauts are the voice or reason.

[grasswire]

33. don't trust this!!

Baker never says anything that isn't approved by Bushco.

This is disinformation. Part of their scheming.

[teryang]

38. They're getting ready to change the scene of action

...to Iran.

[renaissanceguy]

50. Bingo.

I remember * speaking about "spreading democracy" to other countries in the mideast. Be prepared for massive nation building and WWIII.

WE MUST get people to stand against this. WE MUST expose all the Iraq lies and beat it in the heads of every American out there. WE MUST tell out elected officials that we will recall or vote them out if they authorize another Bush war.
http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.16472020

[tinanator]

41. dead on

if the truth ever passed their lips the universe might very well collapse. At the very least they would choke to death on it. Smile to think about it...

[NEOBuckeye]

43. You're dead on, grasswire

Baker is Poppy Bush's right-hand man. Why anyone would ever take his words at face value is beyond me.

There's much more to this than what meets our eyes and ears.

[NEOBuckeye]

42. Fuck Jim Baker

He's as guilty as anyone else who got us into this quagmire.

Thanks to Carlyle, he's not exactly hurting for money, either.

[Gloria]

45. Recall how recently there were articles about how Baker was on

the "outs" with Bush....

At this point, who knows what's up, or what's down with these horrible people??

[Deja Q]

46. SUSPECTED?! I think the world's tuned into the bloody obvious by now.

:eyes:

And when the US leaves, the remaining oil wells get fried.

I don't knw who I should cheer. There were no winners in this "war". Except for * and being able to have his own personal historical relic hanging on the wall in the white house where Bill Clinton once leaned on when having his own "gun" attended to.

And * shouldn't even have the gun. It belongs in a museum - aka the Smithsonian.

[Spazito]

47. Baker is the 'front man' for the Bush mafia....

so if he is saying this, it is sanctioned not only by baby bush but also by Babs(Ma Barker)Bush and Poppy.

[DemBones DemBones]

53. Baker is the consigliere. nt

[struggle4progress]

51. kick