They're Not Benchmarks

[slipslidingaway]

Will Bush and the Democrats now 'compromise' on these benchmarks, I believe that is what is being signaled to us. Bush will look as if he caved to the Democrats on the benchmarks, which he wanted all along and the Dems will look as if they are holding him accountable by demanding the benchmarks that Bush wanted in the first place? Maybe there will be a timeline, see Reid's comments below, that Bush could waive. And the war will continue.

Your thoughts?


http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/22389

snip>>

"The new war money bill passed by the House on May 10 does not include even a nonbinding end date for the war. It does fund the war for a shorter period of time at one shot, but the Senate doesn't like that idea, and the bill must be reconciled with whatever the Senate passes. So, what's left in the bill that Bush doesn't like? Benchmarks!

But there are two problems with this. Bush DOES like them.

...Then the bill lists five (count em!) so-called "benchmarks," starting with:

"(1) enacted a broadly accepted hydro-carbon law that equitably shares oil revenues among all Iraqis;"



"Obama Seeks War-Funding Compromise
The Democratic Candidate Could Support Bill with Benchmarks but No Timetable for Withdrawal"

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3169520&page=1


Reid

snips>>

"One would wind down U.S. involvement early next year by prohibiting combat funds after March 31. The other would call for troop withdrawals to begin this year and set a goal of finishing by March 31 next year. But Bush could waive the dates, Reid said.

Reid added that he and fellow Democrats were prepared to pass a bill to fund the Iraq war that is "very, very close" to a bill Congress sent Bush last month, which he vetoed.


Bush has embraced the idea of including in the war spending bill a list of "benchmarks" for measuring Iraq's progress in stabilizing a country that has suffered from relentless violence since the 2003 U.S. invasion."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070515/pl_nm/iraq_usa_funding_dc_3



"Speaker Pelosi:

“The President’s own benchmarks for measuring progress in Iraq will be the centerpiece of that evaluation. You would think that the President would embrace this legislation - it has his benchmarks."

http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=366

[slipslidingaway]

1. Full Strike Communique to Iraqi Prime Minister

Union representatives are meeting with members of the Iraq government to see if a strike can be avoided, in the meantime US lawmakers are making the passage of the oil law one of the benchmarks in the Iraq funding bill :(


snip>>

http://www.basraoilunion.org/2007/05/open-letter-to-us-congress-and-european.html

Date/ May 5, 2007

"To/ His Excellency Prime Minister of Iraq

May peace and God's mercy and blessing be upon you

Subject: Strike

Further to our statement issued number 180, dated April 27, 2007, copy attached.

Our wounded Iraq, weakened by the bayonets of occupation and almost declared sectarian warfare, endures difficult circumstances. Unemployment has reached unacceptable levels; the economy is in desperate condition resulting in inflation of the cost of living of the Iraqi citizen — due in part to the increase in fuel prices in accordance with the notorious agreement with the International Monetary Fund. The IMF has been piling pressure on the government to push for the implementation of its policy in Iraq, and despite the best attempts of some Iraqi decision makers to reform wherever possible and to alleviate the resultant suffering, others have sought to derail serious solutions, by avoid dealing with urgent problems that directly impinge on the life of the citizen.

We at the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions—responding to our sense of patriotism and our legal and professional duty—have contacted government officials in the Ministry of Oil, the Parliament and even the Cabinet of Ministers and communicated the concerns of our members..."