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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (56686)	9/22/2004 12:51:21 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Respond to of 89467

Rose-Colored Glasses Need New Prescription 9/20/2004 The steady stream of reports about instability in Iraq continues. Yesterday, on the Sunday talk shows, three prominent Republican senators acknowledged the massive problems that US forces are facing over there. Why can't President Bush do the same? Explosions, bombings, and hostage situations now dominate the news in Iraq. We are facing the same problems we have for months, only the scope appears to be expanding, not shrinking, as it should be. But the President Bush has yet to properly address the problem - mainly because he has yet to admit that it even exists. But there can be no mistaking it: the problems in Iraq are real. Reports indicate that efforts to train and equip the Iraqi security forces are not going well - and this was one of the military's highest priorities in rebuilding Iraq. Three months into the process, fewer than half of the military personnel in charge of training the Iraqis have even started their jobs. Here's how the New York Times assesses the ramifications of this manpower shortage: "Chronic personnel shortages in the headquarters of L. Paul Bremer III, the former senior American administrator of Iraq, and Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, the former American ground commander in the country, hampered their ability to oversee reconstruction and security missions, military officials said." "This is a damn joke. [Gen.] Petraeus and the military guys aren't the problem. They know what they need. But there's no sense of urgency in this administration," said Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE). Three of Biden's Republican colleagues in the Senate joined in criticizing the administration's handling of the postwar efforts. "The fact is, we're in trouble. We're in deep trouble in Iraq. And I think we're going to have to look at some recalibration of policy," said Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) on "Face the Nation." Meanwhile, on "Fox News Sunday," Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) had this to say: "We made serious mistakes right after the initial successes by not having enough troops there on the ground, by allowing looting, by not securing the borders...Most of it can be traced back to not having sufficient numbers of troops there." On "Late Edition," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) echoed McCain's statements: "The administration has been stubborn about troops. We do not need to paint a rosy scenario for the American people." The task of painting a rosy scenario even when the facts don't match up has been a favorite pastime of this administration. Meanwhile, the serious policy analysis and revision suggested by these senators (and scores of others) just isn't happening. Read more here and here. bushrecall.org