Kristol: ‘Sober, Serious’ People Want Over 100,000 Troops In Iraq When Bush Leaves Office

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/09/09/kristol-sober-serious/

Kristol: ‘Sober, Serious’ People Want Over 100,000 Troops In Iraq When Bush Leaves Office

Tomorrow, Gen. David Petraeus will testify to Congress to provide his perspective on the escalation in Iraq. The Washington Post reports this morning that the White House political office has been coordinating with Petraeus for months to market Bush’s strategy to the public:

Ed Gillespie, the new presidential counselor, organized daily conference calls at 7:45 a.m. and again late in the afternoon between the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, and the U.S. Embassy and military in Baghdad to map out ways of selling the surge.

Petraeus’ testimony should be seen in that light — another way of “selling the surge.” The American public, however, isn’t fooled about what’s going on. 66 percent say Bush will stick with his policy no matter what Petraeus says, and 53 percent say Petraeus will try to make things in Iraq look better than they are.

This morning, Bill Kristol spoke plainly about the White House’s intentions. “The truth is we are going to have over 100,000 troops in Iraq when George Bush leaves office,” Kristol said. He added “sober Democrats who want to be serious about” Iraq and “who want to think about the consequences of losing” are coming to the view that “of course you can’t just pull out.”

Watch it/read transcript at link~

The Washington Post reports that CentCom chief Admiral William Fallon has been pushing a plan to substantially slash the number of U.S. combat forces in Iraq, and has been engaged in a bitter clash with Petraeus:

{H}is efforts offended Petraeus’s team, which saw them as unwelcome intrusion on their own long-term planning. The profoundly different views of the U.S. role in Iraq only exacerbated the schism between the two men.

“Bad relations?” said a senior civilian official with a laugh. “That’s the understatement of the century. … If you think Armageddon was a riot, that’s one way of looking at it.”

Only “sober and serious” flacks for the White House believe that a long-term presence in Iraq is a strategically sound decision.

[trumad]

1. I believe that the words sober and serious have taken on a whole new meaning

these last couple of years;;;ie: It means wrong about everything!

[aquart]

4. It means thieves, fools, and mass murderers.

But since Kristol doesn't kill anyone with his own fair hands, that's not a consideration with him.

[soothsayer]

2. well, good, let them keep the bilgewater folks BUT reduce the contract

payouts so those mercenaries only earn what our warfighters do.

[libnnc]

3. These "sober" and "serious" people are working very hard to

keep troops in harms way.

More death. More destruction. More blood. More broken bodies. More coffins. More funerals. More wasted money.

More. More. More. More. More. More. More. More.


It's weird. When other leaders demand an endless supply of bodies to shove into the meat grinder, we call them "monsters"...

Sober and Serious

Monsters.

[rucky]

5. Okay, this is the second Neocon "sobriety" reference in a week.

are they about to out a Democrat as a problem drinker?

:tinfoil:

[spanone]

6. Translation: REPUBLICANS WANT 100,000 TROOPS IN IRAQ WHEN JUNIOR IS DEPOSED

[Liberal Veteran]

7. Kristol and his ilk are more worried about their own ideology than Iraq or America.

This isn't about doing what's right.

[libnnc]

9. He comes by it quite naturally.

Google Gertrude Himmlefarb (his lettered mother).

I had the displeasure of reading her "ideology" on the study of history last week.

Only the great characters of history matter to her. Fuck the little folks.

[Buns_of_Fire]

8. "Sober, serious" people would like Kristol and his ilk to "STFU".

"ESAD" comes to mind, too.

[AndyTiedye]

10. Odd Choice of Words

[cliss]

11. I'm going to take issue with Mr. Kristol.

"We are going to have over 100,000 troops in Iraq when George Bush leaves office,” Kristol said.

Really? That's just slightly less than the 166,000 which are currently stationed in Iraq.

We are bankrupt, as it is. We've spent how much? One trillion? Half a trillion? It's hard to keep up. The point is, not one dime of this money has been paid for in current funds. It's all been mortgaged to the future, courtesy of China and Japan which lent us the money.
Speaking of 'mortgage' we've got a few problems right here at home.

Just how does Mr. "Crystal ball" Kristol think we are going to sustain our presence there?

When we run out of money, we'll run out of wars.

[Neshanic]

12. And so it begins. The propaganda that our candidates will have to combat.

Slowly, methodically, planned, while the nation watches American Idol.

[Garbo 2004]

13. Kristol's a deadender. Describe "victory" for us Bily: it's US out of Iraq & the Iraq people

determining their own gov't. At least that's what these liars were telling Congress & the people 6 years ago. Mission was accomplised in 2003 so why are we still there? Hhmmmm? Cui bono?

[Ishoutandscream2]

14. A sick, twisted, delusional man

Does Bill have children? How would he feel if his offspring had to be part of the occupation? Would Bill have a different opinion?

[lligrd]

15. Notice He Didn't Say Intelligent, Lucid People nt

[SalmonChantedEvening]

16. Rule Number One: Wars are never going good when you need

To plan a MARKETING STRATEGY!!!

That is all.

[Swamp Rat]

17. No, 'seriously insane' is more like it.

[EFerrari]

18. Why does anyone listen to this "man"?

He's been consistently WRONG about everything. It's just weird. :shrug:

And, hi Swampy! :hi:

[Swamp Rat]

22. Way'at sfexpat2000!

:hi: :hug:

Yes, I know someone who thinks he is right about everything and reads his column every week, taking it as gospel. Personally, I can't stand to even look at his pasty face, but I do like to watch Jon Stewart expose his crappy propaganda on the Daily Show. I wonder if Bill will mind if his son has to go to Iraq indefinately. Last I heard he was a freshman in college in the ROTC (Marines). Will he ever experience combat like America's poor and uneducated?

[baby_mouse]

19. "Oh my goodness. We've always supported the War. HONEY...?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Bill Kristol says we're sober and serious!"

"Oh, top cow! Let's phone our liberal cousins and tell them!"

[Marr]

20. Surely we must have a 100,000 "sober, serious people" who will go sign up then.

Our current military personnel are spent and the military is overstretched.

How many people subscribe to the Weekly Standard? Are those magazines all being mailed to Iraq, or are most of their subscribers sitting in comfy chairs stateside?

[Wiregrass Willie]

21. And most are Israelians