(1A) Are there any FIXED military objectives to be reached?
"You seem to believe the answer is yes. But then again, you mention that objectives have changed over the course of time. So it remains to be answered."
Ahhhh I didn't realize you were using FIXED in the eternal sense of the word. The military objectives have clearly evolved and are likely to continue in that vein.
"Are there fixed goals that once the military achieves them they can pull out? Or is this going to remain an open ended adventure at the pleasure of the President?
President Bush's tenure is nearly finished so your open ended comment lacks context.
<<<There will be an approach and a strategy that reflects not only the desire for the Iraqis to take more responsibility but the need for the Iraqis to step up,” a senior administration official familiar with the deliberations was quoted as saying. “This is not an open-ended commitment. We are putting real specific requirements and expectations on the Iraqi government.”>>>
msnbc.msn.com
<<<“The idea is to develop with the Iraqi government a series of benchmarks — oil, federalism, constitutional reform — there’s like 20 different things,” the president said, “and have that developed in a way that they’re comfortable with and we’re comfortable with.” Bush said benchmarks couldn’t be forced on Iraq — “It’s a sovereign government” — but the administration was doing everything it could to move the process along.
“And when you say that Iraq is the central front in the war on terror, they know you’re not going to abandon the central front in the war on terror? So they think, ‘Okay, well, we’ll wait a while.’“
“That’s that arc that [General George] Casey talks about, about how fast do you push, push them out without us, but if you push too fast, does it not achieve our objective,” the president answered. The U.S. simply couldn’t press beyond a certain point; there has to be a middle ground. “Part of the benchmark is precisely to create that sense of purpose for this government to have something to aim for,” Bush said. He expressed faith — again, this was in late October — that the Maliki government could get things done. “The whole purpose of the benchmarks, is to have — okay, you said you’re going to do this now, let’s start getting some decisions made.”
>>>
article.nationalreview.com |
