Sen. Burns: Bush has a plan to win Iraq, but is keeping it secret

[sabra]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/18/AR2006101800902.html

Burns: President Keeping War Plan Quiet

By MATT GOURAS
The Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. -- Sen. Conrad Burns says he believes President Bush has a plan to win the war in Iraq but is keeping it quiet, a statement Democrats pounced on Wednesday as reminiscent of comments made during another divisive war.

Burns, at a debate Monday with Democratic challenger Jon Tester, said he believes Bush has a plan to win _ but added: "we're not going to tell you what our plan is."

...

Democrats likened Burns' comments to statements by President Nixon that led to news reports that he had a "secret plan" to end or win the war in Vietnam. Like Nixon, Burns never used the word "secret" but made it clear it wasn't in the president's or the country's interest to discuss any plans he has for winning the war.

Matt McKenna, a Tester campaign spokesman, said Burns' comments were eerily similar to Nixon's.

"I think the comparison is two politicians who put their own ambitions above the safety and success of the troops," McKenna said Wednesday.

[aquart]

1. Auditioning for open mike night?

Seriously, he's gotta be doing this for the laughs.

[Lerkfish]

2. ex-cellent

our secret plan is in place, smithers!

[BlueEyedSon]

3. ROFL!!!

heh, fell off my chair there....

[MnFats]

4. oh where, oh where have we heard this before???And with Nixon..

the war dragged on another three years and cost another 20,000 American lives and untold tens of thousands of dead Vietnamese.
please.
fuggin' "secret plans" we can do without.

[Jeanette in FL]

15. That was my first thought when I read the title

Well, the Republicans always goes back to what works for them. Unreal.

[BOSSHOG]

5. And my opponent has a secret plan to turn your children into homosexuals

I'm Conrad Burns, the senatorial candidate that God voted for in the past and who God will vote for again.

[MADem]

6. If it weren't so deadly serious, it would be funny as hell....

But hey, what else is new? He's got his ENEMIES/NoFly list...he's abrogated our civil liberties, he can break into Watergates and anywhere else he'd like, and wiretap like mad....let's hope the stupid fucker has TAPED all of his conversations...and someone in the House learns about them!!!!

Will Laura be like Pat and say "George, burn the goddamn tapes?" Pat was the smartest person in the Nixon administration, IMO....!!!!

[eleny]

7. A page out of Nixon's playbook

During his campaign for president he had a secret plan to end the war in Vietnam.

[Hubert Flottz]

8. I love the sound of the gnashing GOPer teeth...

Spin little spiders, spin!

[Parche]

9. what the hell

Thats like telling your GF/BF/other "We are going to have sex tonight, but I am going to keep it
a secret"

[frogcycle]

12. what's strange about that

that's all I seem to get lately... :)

[frogcycle]

10. back when I was a Girl Scout leader...

the girls had an expression they used when they didn't like the sound of something (like selling cookies or whatever)

"Let's not and say we did"


It used to crack me up. Now, however, our government has come to that. They realized a week or so ago that "stay the course" in all its variations that they tried like "adapt to win" or whatever, was just not going to work. They realized that accusations of "cut and run" were ringing hollow. They realized, (as demonstrated by the quickly-leaked Baker commision report) that they in fact had to have an actual plan. They have no clue what such a thing would be, so they just go "let's not and say we do".

It was funny coming from 12-year-old girls who didn't want to clean up the campsite. It is not funny coming from the "leadership" of the (formerly) free world.

[radfringe]

11. two comments

1. burns "BELIEVES" bush has a plan - so burns hasn't actually seen or been told by bush that there is a plan... does burns also BELIEVE the tooth fairy has a plan to corner the market on dental equipment?

2. Bush has a plan - uhhuh... heard that one before, and considering Kissinger's visits to the white house, I wonder if it's the same plan he gave Nixon to get out of Viet Nam?

[AndyA]

13. Bush: "Neener neener neener, I have a plan and I ain't gonna share

it with anyone. Nuh-uh. Not until I'ma ret to share it!"

IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH IMPEACH

[WI_DEM]

14. Burns went on to add, "he will release his peace plan after the Iraqi

death rate reaches a million and after ten thousand of our brave boys come home in appropriate flag covered coffins."

[truthisfreedom]

16. we've got a secret plan for a successful shuttle mission to the Sun, too!

(we're going at night!)

[DURHAM D]

17. Remember the West Wing episode when CJ couldn't

do the press briefing because she had a dental problem and someone else (I think it was Bradley Whitford's character) went out before the gaggle in her place confident that he could handle it.

He got flustered and screwed up and said they had a "secret plan" to _______________.

Since this story hit last night I have been trying to remember what that screw up/secret plan was about. Anyone ???

[RevolutionStartsNow]

18. i think it was an economic plan

If I recall correctly.

[DURHAM D]

21. Think you might be right - that was a very funny show. n/t

[johnnie]

19. There will never be a "win"

How can Bush "win"? They aren't fighting anything over there. Bush lost the day he gave the orders to go in there.

[warrens]

20. Yeah, blow half the country to shreds, declare victory and leave

With 50,000 left behind to guard the oil pipeline.

[Kashka-Kat]

22. IN a sense that's true- the plan is, and always has been, to occupy the

region endlessly for strategic and economic reasons. Hence the 14th permanent military bases. Of course though they're never going to come out and say what the real mission is, and has been. It really is a secret in every sense of the word!

Why are we thinking that there is anything to be "won" or "lost" here? The
war was "won" and they are accomplishing exactly what they meant to do--albeit in a stumbling incompetent kind of way. We are there occupying foreign soil for profit and strategic control. Period. End of story.

I wish this issue could be reframed slightly - to continue an illegal occupation vs. leaving and turning it over to international conflict resolution. I don't think the Democrats are doing the best job either in framingthe issue-- what are we there for?? Unless someone can answer that question in a clear concise way, finding a solution or resolution will not be possible.

In other words--we have to know why were there to find the way for us to get out of being there.