Bush to present policy changes by year-end(maybe)

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON - US President George W Bush was hoping to ”announce a new way forward” in Iraq by the end of the year, his top spokesman said in an interview with CNN.


The same day that a high-level panel sharply criticized Bush’s strategy in Iraq and urged a change in course, Tony Snow said late Wednesday on CNN’s Larry King Live that the president would compare the findings of that panel, the Iraq Study Group, with upcoming studies by the military and the National Security Council before coming to any conclusions about what policy changes were needed.

“We’re hoping to have all that pulled together so that maybe by the end of the year, the president can announce a new way forward,” Snow said.

~snip~

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2006/December/focusoniraq_December41.xml§ion=focusoniraq

transcript:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0612/06/lkl.01.html

SNOW: Well, what we're trying to do, obviously we have the Baker-Hamilton commission report, the Iraq Study Group. Now we're also awaiting the study from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, headed by General Pete Pace. The National Security Council is working on an inter-agency operation involving the State Department and other portions of the Bush administration. We're hoping to have all of that pulled together so that maybe by the end of the year, the president can announce a new way forward.

But the one thing -- look, we agree with one of the key conclusions of the commission, which is we need a new way forward. It is clear that some of the attempts in the past to work out Baghdad security have not produced the results we wanted.

As Donald Rumsfeld said in that now famous memo, things are --- we're not doing well enough fast enough. It's important for people to understand not only what we're doing, but what the Iraqi government is doing. And the president will talk about it when he's ready.

[radfringe]

1. who's the puppet master?

I think it's going to come down to a question of WHO has the most control of bush's strings? Cheney or Baker?

I wouldn't be surprised if there are not fireworks going off in the background. Although another news article Oil for Sale: Iraq Study Group Recommends Privatization ( http://www.alternet.org/story/45190 ) hints at a probable Halliburton BONUS DAY. This may be enough to satisfy cheney and his buddies

With Nixon it was FOLLOW THE MONEY.. With Cheney it's FOLLOW THE OIL SLICK

we'll see how this all shakes out in January and the investigations begin... should be interesting :popcorn:

[bemildred]

2. "The way forward" seems to be the Mighty Wurlitzer's new theme.

Pops up all over all of a sudden.

[Solly Mack]

3. Has a feel good feel to it (snicker)

The "way forward"....sounds just so hopeful doesn't it?

*snort*

[gratuitous]

4. "The president will talk about it when he's ready"

Meanwhile, some American in Iraq, on his third, fourth, maybe even his fifth rotation, will begin a new day hunkered down, trying to avoid getting killed. Is today the day someone who's been watching him for weeks or months discerns a pattern? Will he walk out the wrong door or around the wrong corner today? Will he be forced (perhaps again) to make the life-or-death choice of saving himself while someone else dies?

I'm sure it's a great comfort to the folks on multiple rotations to know that Mr. Bush is mulling over his choices for the next several weeks, and that he'll talk about doing something when he's (damn good and) ready.

[calimary]

6. It's because that's how long it's gonna take for him to parse this.

It's going to take a considerable amount of time for SOMEBODY in his inner circle to pound it through his thick skull that it's NOT his way or the highway anymore. He won't give up on that easily. Pride, you know. Especially the pride of the I-can't-think-of-any-mistakes-I've-made cowboy. It's gonna take awhile to get through to him, and then to find some way to parse this, and spin it, to avoid making him look as bad as this makes him look. They've got their work cut out for them, alright. And they're not going to accomplish that in a day or two.

[customerserviceguy]

5. It really doesn't matter

what song and dance Chimpy wants to play before the end of the year, it all becomes irrelevant the day the new Congress takes hold. The first hundred hours needs to be about cutting off the funding for this war, they can work on the minimum wage the next week. The American people sent a crystal clear message about Iraq a month ago, let's hope the newly elected can read it correctly.

[Telly Savalas]

7. Take notes, kids.

When liberals and leftists don't support the president's current policy in Iraq, they're traitors.

When the president doesn't support the president's current policy in Iraq, he's offering a "new way forward."

[calimary]

8. No kidding.

FWIW - here's something I just wrote about it:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3006712&mesg_id=3006712