New Iraq strategy : "bringing back Saddam" (the Baker option)

[tocqueville]

Suggestions are rife for dumping the president's goal of "democracy" in Iraq and swallowing a little of the hard stuff. Reports indicate that in two desperate capitals, Washington and Baghdad, rumors about possible future Iraqi coups are spinning wildly. People of import are evidently talking about the possibility of a new five-man "ruling commission", a "government of national salvation" that would "suspend parliament, declare martial law and call back some officers of the old Iraqi army". Even the name of that Central Intelligence Agency warhorse (and anti-neo-conservative candidate) Iyad Allawi, who couldn't get his party elected dogcatcher in the new Iraq, is coming up again in the context of the need for a "strongman".

This was, of course, the desire of the elder George Bush and his advisors back at the end of Gulf War I, when they hoped just such a Sunni strongman - one who could work with them - would topple a weakened Saddam Hussein. Dreams, it seems, die hard. And, as if on cue, who should appear but former secretary of state and Bush family handler James A Baker III, a Bush Elder kind of guy.

While on the talk-show circuit for his new book, he also spent last week plugging (but not revealing) the future findings of the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan commission he co-heads whose aim is to suggest to a reluctant president new policy possibilities in Iraq. They too are putting "all" options on the table (as long as those options involve "continuing the mission in Iraq"). The group, according to some reports, has, however, ruled out the president's favorite option, "victory". One option it is apparently considering involves skipping "democracy", minimizing American casualties, and focusing "on stabilizing Baghdad, while the American Embassy should work toward political accommodation with insurgents".

A political accommodation with the insurgents? Curious how word gets around. Sometimes a small change in terminology speaks volumes for future mid-course corrections. The other day, General George Casey, commander of US troops in Iraq, gave a press briefing with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon. As part of his prepared introductory remarks (not in answer to some random question), he offered this list of "groups that are working to affect negatively":

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HJ18Ak01.html

[LynnTheDem]

1. Funny how they're now "groups" and not "terrorists".

NOW we should work with the "groups"...include the "groups"...negotiate with the "groups"...

"strongman".

Aka Saddam Hussein.

The man who did a better job securing a secular non-"Isalmofascist" Iraq than george w. bush.

Funny too how most the world warned george w. bush & his MFing stupid rightwingnuts this is exactly what would happen with his illegal supreme crime war of choice aggression against a nation that hadn't been doing anything to anyone.

Too bad about all the bodies and blood.

[NNN0LHI]

2. Are we going to put the statues of Saddam back up? n/t

[bdamomma]

6. yea, is Bush going to give back Saddam his gun, bushie

won't be too happy, he uses that when he plays cowboy!

[hippiechick]

3. Wait, let me get this straight ...

...Poppy and JBIII are part of the team that helped install Saddam in the way-back days.
They declined to take him out during Gulf War I.

Dimson, Rummy and Unca Dick dislike Saddam and think the world is "better off without him"
dictating over Iraq, thus their motivation to capture him even more than Osama.

Now, if that's accurate - then there must be more of a disconnect between Generation 1 & 2
than most of us thought - and maybe there has been all along? Anyone know if Popster and
Cheney are close pals? Had a falling out? Or maybe Dick's the surrogate father that Popster
never was?

:shrug: <--- trying to sort out this Oedipal soap opera

[Kagemusha]

7. Actually you're getting it quite nicely.

I can't disagree with a single assertion. (As depressing as my informing you of this may be to you...)

[elehhhhna]

8. So Saddam will be sentenced to take over the management of Iraq?

Figures.

[Cooley Hurd]

4. One problem with this strategy - Iran...

There's no way in hell Iran is going to allow another Sunni dictator to rise to power in Iraq. The Shiite militias will go NUTS! The BFEE has to face facts - they fucked up, and there's really NO way they'll be able to get this Genie back into the bottle.

Besides, what about ALL THOSE PURPLE FINGERS?:shrug:

[HamdenRice]

5. Impossible and impossibly stupid idea--genie is out of the bottle

This might have been possible after Gulf War I -- ie Sadam 2.0 -- when the Kurds' and Sunnis' experience of being powerless and terrorized by Sadam was still fresh in their minds. But the Kurds have had de facto independence for over a decade and the Shiites and their Iranian allies have tasted power.

If they try to install a Sunni dictator, or for that matter any other kind of dictator, then the civil war that results will make the current civil war look like a picnic.