Well, knock me over with a daisy cutter! I guess this is why they pay them the big bucks.
Here's the link to the
in-development story.
The full Baker-Hamilton Commission report is
here.
(Bush) was flanked by Baker and Hamilton in a remarkable scene — a president praising the work of a group that had just concluded his policy had led to chaos.
At first blush, the report appears to be unflinching in owning up to the facts on the ground:
It warned that if the situation continues to deteriorate, there is a risk of a “slide toward chaos (that) could trigger the collapse of Iraq’s government and a humanitarian catastrophe.”
“Neighboring countries could intervene. ... The global standing of the United States could be diminished. Americans could become more polarized,” commissioners said.
I'm not sure about that last point — shouldn't Americans start becoming less polarized as this quagmire is increasingly seen for what it is?
The report suggests that we may have reached the option of last resort: diplomacy.
But the main proposal appears to be to take two
Friedman Units and call me in the morning:
“As these actions proceed, U.S. combat forces could begin to move out of Iraq. ... By the first quarter of 2008, subject to unexpected developments in the security situation on the ground, all combat brigades not necessary for force protection could be out of Iraq.”
Unexpected developments? With this administration and this mission, that certainly couldn't happen, could it?
At a minimum, the report will strain the backwashers' prodigious skills of denial and truthiness:
"The current approach is not working and the ability of the United States to influence events is diminishing. ... No course of action in Iraq (is) guaranteed to stop a slide toward chaos.
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