Clipmarks | jklugman's 'fubar' clips

Petraeus goes back on promise to assess surge in Sept.

Thu, 17 May 2007 19:03:18 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: As late as April 26th David Petraeus promised that we would know whether things were working out by September:

General Petraeus said he and the American ambassador to Iraq, Ryan C. Crocker, intended to stick by a vow to offer the White House and the Pentagon an assessment of the progress of the new strategy by early September. And he signaled that he hoped for political progress in Iraq, not just military improvements.

''We'll have seen whether in fact our efforts in these areas have helped produce the kind of progress that they are designed in fact to produce,'' he said. ''One would certainly hope that the Iraqi legislators would match that with their own hard work. That's our expectation.''

(from the New York Times, "US Commander Says Fall Pullback in Iraq Would Lead to More Sectarian Killings", by David S. Cloud and Michael R. Gordon, April 26th)

Clip Source: www.iraqslogger.com

Baghdad – Three months into the job, General David Petraeus says it is difficult to predict how well the surge of troops in Baghdad will succeed before the full number of troops arrive and that he would not have a definitive answer about prospects for stability by September, when he is to report back to Congress.

“I think generally is is still early days. We are literally still just setting the footprint if you will to do what we intend to achieve but until we get all those forces in and have really worked with them for a while I think it’s difficult to see what’s going to happen,” he told me in an interview Tuesday evening.

Tags: david petraeus, promises, iraq, fubar

US officer: our generals are not worthy of our soldiers

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:20:04 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Lt. Col. Paul Yingling wrote an article in the Armed Forces Journal that says that lack of accountability has resulted in generals who are basically toadies of the civilian leadership, failed to confront the seriousness of the insurgency in Iraq, and misled the public about the situation there.

Via Richard Adams at the Guardian News Blog.

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

An active-duty Army officer is publishing a blistering article attacking U.S. generals, saying they have botched the war in Iraq and also misled Congress about the situation there.

"America's generals have repeated the mistakes of Vietnam in Iraq," charges Lt. Col. Paul Yingling, an Iraq veteran who is deputy commander of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. "The intellectual and moral failures . . . constitute a crisis in American generals."

Its appearance signals the public emergence of a split inside the military among younger, mid-career officers and the top brass.

America's general officer corps did not accurately portray the intensity of the insurgency to the American public," he writes. "For reasons that are not yet clear, America's general officer corps underestimated the strength of the enemy, overestimated the capabilities of Iraq's government and security forces and failed to provide Congress with an accurate assessment of security conditions in Iraq."

Tags: iraq, military, army, paul yingling, incompetence, fubar, soldiers

Bush endangering troops by not planning for withdrawal

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:24:14 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Mark Thoma reproduces part of a National Journal article that points out that troop withdrawal can be very dangerous for the troops, and by failing to plan for it the Bush administration is increasing the odds for a chaotic, difficult, and dangerous withdrawal for the US troops when withdrawal does come.

Clip Source: economistsview.typepad.com

in all probability, the United States is going to draw down some or most of its troops from Iraq sooner or later, regardless of whether the surge ends up pacifying Baghdad or not (likely not). Military experts all agree that pulling out could end up being the most difficult and treacherous phase of the entire war. But the Pentagon can’t really plan for withdrawal because the president doesn’t want to discuss it.

As you pull forces out, it reverses, and your strength curve goes down, and the situation becomes steadily more dangerous. It's most dangerous for the very last squad that leaves the country. That's why you saw helicopters on the rooftops of the Saigon embassy in 1975."

The military could take a host of steps to help mitigate the risks of a U.S. troop drawdown... [But] ... It's almost impossible for the military to seriously plan for a contingency -- withdrawal -- that the commander-in-chief won't even discuss, Sinnreich noted.

Tags: bush administration, iraq, fubar, incompetence, war

White House backtracking on temporary surge

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 22:12:15 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks:

Basra, Iraq (AHN)-During a news conference with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, the top U.S. commander in Iraq Gen. George Casey estimated that the 21,500 additional U.S. troops sent to Iraq will only need to stay until around late summer.[1]

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

WASHINGTON, April 27 — The Bush administration will not try to assess whether the troop increase in Iraq is producing signs of political progress or greater security until September, and many of Mr. Bush’s top advisers now anticipate that any gains by then will be limited, according to senior administration officials.

In interviews over the past week, the officials made clear that the White House is gradually scaling back its expectations for the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. The timelines they are now discussing suggest that the White House may maintain the increased numbers of American troops in Iraq well into next year.

Tags: iraq, bush administration, promises, deception, fubar

Riverbend is leaving Iraq

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 23:20:33 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Riverbend, a young woman blogger from Iraq, and her family are going to leave Iraq. They will first go to either Syria or Jordan (the only two countries that Iraqis can go to without a visa) and then somewhere else.

There are moments when the injustice of having to leave your country, simply because an imbecile got it into his head to invade it, is overwhelming. It is unfair that in order to survive and live normally, we have to leave our home and what remains of family and friends… And to what?

Clip Source: riverbendblog.blogspot.com

On a personal note, we've finally decided to leave. I guess I've known we would be leaving for a while now. We discussed it as a family dozens of times. At first, someone would suggest it tentatively because, it was just a preposterous idea- leaving ones home and extended family- leaving ones country- and to what? To where?

After Jordan or Syria- where then? Obviously, either of those countries is going to be a transit to something else. They are both overflowing with Iraqi refugees, and every single Iraqi living in either country is complaining of the fact that work is difficult to come by, and getting a residency is even more difficult. There is also the little problem of being turned back at the border. Thousands of Iraqis aren't being let into Syria or Jordan- and there are no definite criteria for entry, the decision is based on the whim of the border patrol guard checking your passport.

Tags: iraq, fubar, civil war, war

Losing Iraq

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 19:15:18 GMT

clipped by: jklugman

Clip Source: marccooper.com

That the war in Iraq is now "lost" is perhaps the most authentic thing to date that Reid has said about that conflagration. It's at least 1/3 of what the Dems ought to be simply saying about the war i.e. that it was wrong from the beginning, that there is no way to win, and now it is time to leave. Period.

As we talk ourselves to death over Imus and Cho, we have mostly overlooked the fact that Wednesday was the bloodiest record: 230 people murdered or found dead in 24 hours. That's more than seven Virginia Tech massacres in a single day. And that's without counting the equal number of wounded.

So much for the U.S.-backed "surge and security" plan. We temporarily reel in the Shiite death squads embedded in the police and the Sunni respond with terrorist car bombings of civilians. Delusional, my friends.

Tags: marc cooper, iraq, war, civil war, civilian-killings, fubar, bush administration, harry reid

Pentagon blocks military officers from testifying to Congress

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 16:48:18 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Is our training of the Iraqi security forces not going well, and the Pentagon is covering up that fact?

Clip Source: www.warandpiece.com

Pentagon lawyers abruptly blocked mid-level active-duty military officers from speaking Thursday during a closed-door House Armed Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee briefing about their personal experiences working with Iraqi security forces.

The Pentagon's last-minute refusal to allow the officers' presentations surprised panel members and congressional aides, who are in the middle of an investigation into the effort to train and organize Iraqi forces.

Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Martin Meehan, D-Mass., called the Pentagon's move "outrageous" and left open the possibility of issuing subpoenas.

One correspondent suggests: "My guess: the training is not going well, there are some big gaps, and a bunch of horror stories that the Pentagon doesn't want aired. ... That said, this will backfire."

Tags: military, iraq, war, congress, democracy, fubar, secrecy

Greetings From the Red Zone - Lawrence Korb's visit to Iraq

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:41:01 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Lawrence Korb visited Iraq on behalf of the National Academy of Public Administration. His account of his five-day visit (April 7th through April 121th) talks about an Iraqi government that is totally paralyzed and beset with corruption; and the US officials there are out of touch with reality.

Contractors are willing to say the place is a mess, but only as long as they don't have to go on the record.

Via Kevin Drum at Washington Monthly

Clip Source: www.americanprogress.org

The long wait did allow me to speak to some of the contractors about the situation on the ground. When I assured them I was not a member of the press, they were unanimous that the surge was not working.

Listening to the briefings, it is easy to see how people making a quick visit to the region with very little understanding of the situation can go away with the impression that things are getting better and that there is “light at the end of the tunnel.” These men and women believe in what they are doing and are close to their clients.

But if one uses the reports of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction and pushes the briefers, a different picture emerges. The place is a mess and despite the almost heroic efforts of some Americans and some Iraqis it is not getting better. One of the consultants told me not to believe anyone who says that the situation is getting better.

Tags: iraq, fubar, corruption

Reports of progress in Iraq challenged

Sat, 10 Mar 2007 12:58:26 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks:

If violence is down in Baghdad, analysts said, it is likely because the Shiite militias operating there are waiting out the buildup in U.S. troops, nearly all of whom are being deployed in the capital. At the same time, Sunni insurgents have escalated their operations elsewhere.

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

President Bush on Tuesday cited "encouraging signs" of military and political progress in Iraq as his new strategy gets underway. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice noted that "things are going reasonably well." And on Thursday, Rice's special coordinator for Iraq, David M. Satterfield, described a "dramatic decrease" in sectarian attacks in Baghdad since Bush's plan was announced in January.

But a number of analysts and critics said this week that some of those signs indicate less progress than the administration has suggested. Sectarian attacks in Baghdad are down at the moment, but the deaths of Iraqi civilians and U.S. troops have increased outside the capital. Though Iraqi leaders have agreed on a new framework law for oil resources, the details of how the oil revenue will be divided among competing Iraqi groups remain unresolved.

Tags: iraq, bush administration, deception, fubar, civil war, news, politics, war

Instapundit on the fall of Muqtada al-Sadr

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 02:15:11 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: I especially liked the one about Bush's "nuanced combination of sophisticated counter-insurgency efforts and attendant political machinations contra Moktada al-Sadr".

Edit: Instapundit is the name of Glenn Reynolds' blog.

Clip Source: johnquiggin.com

One of the many useful services performed by Glenn Reynolds is his chronicling of the relentless decline of Moqtada al-Sadr. Some past instalments

those who thought Sadr represented a mass movement among Iraqis were seriously mistaken. [May 5, 04]

SADR’S DECLINE CONTINUES [Jun 17, 04]

Bush has successfully mitigated the perils of having to grapple with two insurgencies simultaneously– through a nuanced combination of sophisticated counter-insurgency efforts and attendant political machinations contra Moktada al-Sadr. [Nov 1, 04]

And now:

Moqtada al-Sadr doesn’t like the surge. That he’s saying so from a secret location may explain why. . . .

I think it’s time for Glenn to let up on the guy. Hated, with no public support, isolated, irrelevant, outfoxed by the sophisticated Bush and now a lonely fugitive, surely by this time he’s too unimportant for a post.

Tags: muqtada al-sadr, al-sadr, iraq, civil-war, civil war, fubar, glenn reynolds

More than 60 killed in 3 car bombings in Baghdad

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 02:33:55 GMT

clipped by: jklugman

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

More than 60 killed in three car bombings in Baghdad

POSTED: 2:16 p.m. EST, February 18, 2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Amid a massive security operation to secure Baghdad, car bombs Sunday struck in two Shiite neighborhoods, targeting civilians and police, Iraqi officials said.

At least 62 people were reported killed, most of them civilians killed in a twin car bomb attack.

The two car bombs detonated in quick succession near marketplaces and bus stops in the southeastern district of Baghdad known as al-Jadida, or "New Baghdad," killing 60 people and wounding at least 131 others, Baghdad police said. (Watch how attacks raise questions about Baghdad security plan )

About an hour later, a car bomb detonated near an Iraqi National Police checkpoint in Sadr City, killing two -- a civilian and an Iraqi soldier -- and wounding 11 civilians, an Interior Ministry official said.

The attacks come as Iraqi forces, supported by U.S. troops, continue their effort to secure Baghdad from insurgent attacks.

Tags: iraq, fubar, civil-war, civilian-killings, baghdad

How bad are things in Iraq?

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 02:58:47 GMT

clipped by: jklugman

Clip Source: www.brendan-nyhan.com

January 27, 2007

How bad are things in Iraq?

Very, very bad. Here's a disturbing fact mentioned in passing during a NPR report that aired on Monday about kidnappings in Iraq:

Some people now tattoo telephone numbers on their arms, so if they are killed their families can be contacted.

And here's Vice President Cheney on CNN two days later:

Bottom line is that we've had enormous successes [in Iraq] and we will continue to have enormous successes.

It must be fun to live outside the reality-based community.

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05:40 PM | Permalink

Tags: bush administration, iraq, fubar, civil war, civil-war, incompetence, deception

White House 'panicked' over anti-war resolutions

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 03:15:29 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Via Brad DeLong

Clip Source: www.politico.com

Bush Allies Warn Iraq Vote Could Harm War Plan, GOP Future

By: Jim VandeHei
January 27, 2007 06:45 PM EST

Top White House officials are scrambling to prevent a showdown over the Iraq war that could tear apart the Republican Party and severely undermine President Bush's plan to increase U.S. troop levels.

White House officials are pleading with GOP senators to oppose any congressional resolution that specifically condemns Bush's effort to escalate the war effort in coming months, congressional sources said Friday morning. In private conversations, the officials are telling senators that the resolution would demoralize U.S. troops and hurt the GOP politically for years to come.

Bush allies are arguing that Republicans will damage their individual political interests as well. Their logic is that there is no anti-war constituency inside the Republican Party, pointing specifically to Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., a potential presidential candidate who has opposed the surge but not gained much traction with party activists. "That's a flat argument," the senior aide said. "That does not work."

The Bush White House is described as panicked by the prospects of mass defections and open to compromise. They have cause for concern: at least six Republicans, including Sen. John Warner of Virginia, have signed resolutions opposing the surge. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nev., has not committed to a vote on the resolution next week. He is negotiating compromise language between Foreign Relations Chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., and Warner, the panel's ranking Republican and an influential voice on military matters, to entice more GOP senators to support the measure.

Tags: bush administration, incompetence, iraq, fubar, congress, democrats, republicans, via:brad delong

US official in Iraq: "We are being played like a pawn."

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 18:18:08 GMT

clipped by: jklugman

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

U.S. and Iraqis Are Wrangling Over War Plans

“We are implementing a strategy to embolden a government that is actually part of the problem,” said an American military official in Baghdad involved in talks over the plan. “We are being played like a pawn.”

Tags: iraq, bush administration, fubar, incompetence, war

Trent Lott gets bashful

Sun, 14 Jan 2007 19:58:33 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: According to this article, Republicans are going to wait for 2-3 months to see if there are any improvements in Iraq, before demanding a withdrawal.

Via Josh Marshall

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

The Senate: The Republican Revolt

How close is Bush to losing his own party?

By Richard Wolffe, Holly Bailey and Eleanor Clift

Newsweek

Jan. 22, 2007 issue - Last Tuesday afternoon, a day before President George W. Bush went on TV to explain his decision to send more troops to Iraq, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called his Republican colleagues together for a private talk. Several GOP senators had already come out against the plan. McConnell, Bush's closest Senate supporter on Iraq, hoped to keep others from defecting. He urged his colleagues to stand together at least until Bush had the chance to speak to the country. After the meeting, the senators went outside the room to display their unity to waiting reporters. McConnell said he thought more troops were just the thing to "give us a chance to succeed." He then stepped aside so the other senators could second his sentiments. No one came forward. McConnell's eye fell on Trent Lott. "Trent?" McConnell said, motioning him toward the microphone. "I don't think I have anything to add," said Lott.

Tags: trent lott, republicans, war, politics, bush administration, surge, fubar

Clipmarks | jklugman's 'fubar' clips

Petraeus goes back on promise to assess surge in Sept.

US officer: our generals are not worthy of our soldiers

Bush endangering troops by not planning for withdrawal

White House backtracking on temporary surge

Riverbend is leaving Iraq

Losing Iraq

Pentagon blocks military officers from testifying to Congress

Greetings From the Red Zone - Lawrence Korb's visit to Iraq

Reports of progress in Iraq challenged

Instapundit on the fall of Muqtada al-Sadr

More than 60 killed in 3 car bombings in Baghdad

More than 60 killed in three car bombings in Baghdad

POSTED: 2:16 p.m. EST, February 18, 2007

How bad are things in Iraq?

Brendan Nyhan

January 27, 2007

How bad are things in Iraq?

White House 'panicked' over anti-war resolutions

US official in Iraq: "We are being played like a pawn."

Trent Lott gets bashful

The Senate: The Republican Revolt

How close is Bush to losing his own party?