Bush's New Iraq Argument: It Could Be Worse; Abizaid "very optimistic"

[ProSense]

Bush's New Iraq Argument: It Could Be Worse

By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 24, 2006; Page A01

Of all the words that President Bush used at his news conference this week to defend his policies in Iraq, the one that did not pass his lips was "progress."

Snip...

Christopher F. Gelpi, a Duke University scholar whose research on public opinion in wartime has been influential in the White House, said Bush has little choice.

"He looks foolish and not credible if he says, 'We're making progress in Iraq,' " Gelpi said. "I think he probably would like to make that argument, but because that's not credible given the facts on the ground, this is the fallback. . . . If the only thing you can say is 'Yes, it's bad, but it could be worse,' that really is a last-ditch argument."

As recently as two weeks ago, Bush was still making the case that things in Iraq are better than they seem. The new Iraqi government "has shown remarkable progress on the political front," he said on Aug. 7, calling its mere existence "quite a remarkable achievement."

The White House and the Republican National Committee regularly send e-mails to supporters and journalists highlighting positive developments. In yesterday's Wall Street Journal, an article by U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad argued that a shift in security operations in Baghdad has shown "positive results" and said that "this initial progress should give Iraqis, as well as Americans, hope about the future."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/23/AR2006082301878.html

FLIM FLAM MAN

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3 U.S. soldiers among fatalities in Iraq

By ELENA BECATOROS, Associated Press Writer
22 minutes ago

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A series of attacks across Iraq killed more than a dozen people, including three U.S. soldiers, authorities said Thursday. The killings came despite assurances from U.S. officials that progress was being made to improve security in the capital.

At least 13 Iraqis, including civilians, soldiers and police, were killed in bombings and shootings, becoming the latest casualties in the country's ongoing sectarian and political violence.

Snip...

Abizaid said he and Army Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, were "very optimistic that the situation will stabilize."

He said that comments he had made previous regarding the possibility of Iraq sliding into civil war had been misinterpreted.

"I believe there is a danger of civil war in Iraq, but only a danger. I think Iraq's far from it," Abizaid said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060824/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_060820190636

[ProSense]

1. It's all the same really: lies (OP edit) n/t

[ProSense]

2. U.S. Strategy and Tactics Fail to Mesh in Iraq

U.S. Strategy and Tactics Fail to Mesh in Iraq

Morning Edition, August 24, 2006 · Tom Ricks, a reporter for the Washington Post and author of the book Fiasco, says he's seen a persistent disconnect between U.S. strategy and U.S. tactics in Iraq. Ricks tells Steve Inskeep that the current U.S. strategy is being undermined by questionable tactics.

Listen

[donkeyotay]

3. What is the definition of a civil war?

A civil war is "war between geographical sections or political factions of the same nation."

This endless bullcrap about whether it is or isn't is a distraction from the fact that it is and so much more. It's also a disaster, a fiasco, a blunder, a misstep of historic proportions.... Next these nincompoops will tell us how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.