Changing tactics, US turns to diplomacy

[CShine]

WASHINGTON -- On the last leg of a presidential term that will be remembered for a willingness to take unilateral action, the Bush administration yesterday relied on some uncharacteristic diplomacy and horse trading to win international support for its Iraq and Mideast initiatives.

Badly in need of international legitimacy for the US-led project in Iraq, as well as foreign funds and troops, US diplomats rolled up their sleeves and offered major concessions to secure a new UN resolution -- just 18 months after the US said the world body could become "irrelevant" if it didn't back the US-led war effort.

The resolution endorsing the interim Iraqi government passed unanimously in the 15-member Security Council yesterday -- after four revisions and many US compromises, including language giving the interim Iraqi government the right to order US-led troops to leave Iraq and a sharply limited mandate for forces to remain in Iraq that expires in January 2006.

The resolution gives Iraqi leaders control over their own security forces and a say on "sensitive offensive operations" conducted by the US-led force, though not an explicit veto over coalition military actions.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2004/06/09/changing_tactics_us_turns_to_diplomacy/

[NMDemDist2]

1. D'oh!! too little too late I fear eom

[phantom power]

2. Maybe Bush just suffers from dyslexia....

He read the old saying as: "diplomacy is the ultimate failure of war"

[struggle4progress]

3. Oh, yeah, W! Spit in their faces, then tell them you'll compromise!

[Eloriel]

4. Unfortunately, it IS merely a tactic n/t