Will Somebody Please Ask the Pretzeldent

[smoogatz]

how close the Iraqis are to being able to stand up so we can stand down? Apparently Rummy's obsessed with "metrics" (meaningful stats that guide his conduct of the war), so what are the metrics on training the Iraqi security force? Are they 50% ready? 80%? 20% or less? What are the standards? Can we leave when the Iraqi security force is trained and equipped, or do we have to wait 'til they're battle ready? Maybe we're stuck there until the Iraqi army can actually defend the country's borders and contain the insurgency on its own--which ain't gonna be easy, because now we're finding out (surprise, surprise!) that elements of the force we've trained to be soldiers and police by day are acting as insurgent cells and sectarian death squads by night. Is there even any assessment procedure in place that can be used to generate the "readiness" metric? There's now (finally) talk about establishing "benchmarks," but has anyone said what those benchmarks are, exactly? Because it sounds like just another bullshit catch phrase to those of us who actually pay attention to these things. So please, your W-tude, inform the lowly rabble, if it's not too much trouble: How ready (or not) are they, and why in the fuck is it taking so long?

[oldtime dfl_er]

1. Sorry but he has no idea

Asking W will get you nowhere, he knows nothing. He "relies on his generals" and Rummy so that he doesn't have to worry about any of those silly details.

http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby/1401215