Yep, nothing says success like marking time for five years and counting.
But unlike in September, when that news was fresh and the administration said a corner had been turned, even some of the war's strongest supporters in Congress have grown impatient and frustrated. Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, and Crocker will face many lawmakers who had expected more by now and who are wondering whether any real change will occur before the clock runs out on the Bush administration.
"I think all of us realize we're disappointed at where we are," Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said at a hearing last week. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) asked, "How do we get out of this mess?" While the cost in U.S. lives and money increases, said another senior GOP senator, who spoke on the condition of anonymity: "We cannot . . . just say we're coasting through and waiting for the next president."...
Although the United States has spent nearly all of the approximately $21 billion appropriated for Iraqi reconstruction since 2003, $500 million has been budgeted annually for the past three years for the Commander's Emergency Response Program, distributed by U.S. officers on the ground for local development efforts.
Despite considerable U.S. expenditures on oil and electricity infrastructure, oil exports and the supply of electricity and other services have not risen significantly since 2004. In early April, according to State Department statistics, the electricity supply met 58 percent of demand, compared with 66 percent a year earlier. The International Committee of the Red Cross reported last month that "millions of Iraqis have insufficient access to clean water, sanitation and health care."
So much for the rose-colored glasses version, even in the WaPo. Tom Ricks has some good questions and some things to think about and watch for during the hearings. Juan Cole has a round-up of the latest, and it is not cheery news. The NYTimes shows the startling increases of violence, including within the supposedly secure Green Zone in Baghdad, where attacks are up sharply yet again. AP is reporting that al Sadr is again threatening to rescind the cease-fire.
With Sens. Clinton, McCain and Obama in the Senate Armed Services Committee for the testimony today, expect the media to parse every last syllable, facial expression and eye roll from the presidential candidates. Would that they would give the same level of scrutiny to the honeyed evasions and pronouncements dripping off the tongues of Petraeus and Crocker -- I could do with some serious fact-checking and calling of bullshit during this round of testimony rather than a horse race bonanza. Frankly, we all could -- this is too important for the infotainment treatment.
(Yes, I know the picture has nothing whatsoever to do with Iraq and the Senate Armed Services Committee. But it was too cute a pix not to share. Meet Lucky, the little puppy who stumbled into our driveway last week and has now found a home with us. The Peanut, as you might imagine, is thrilled. She's home with me today, so I'm going to watch the hearings and will highlight along as we go -- but full liveblogging with a small puppy and five year old is impossible this morning. So let's follow along together in the thread...)
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P: Talking up the “Sons of Iraq”, i.e. paying off Sunni tribes that is leading to the fragmentation in the country.
General Zed!
quagmire!
So? Lucky is adorable, and how he has lived up to his name by being found by you!
That Lucky gives me some mighty puppy-lust.
CHS:
Forgive the crassness of reposting a comment, but this quote says it all:
Here’s Bush on Petraeus (via Froomkin):
In case anyone had doubted there was a sexual dimension to this relationship. Just call him Pool Boy Petraeus.
I would have made first if I wasn’t in this Petraeus daze right now…
Is it too early for a drinking game?
McCain prediction: He will repeat the success in Iraq meme and then ask why the Dems hate America succeeding for 100 years …
Glenn has a post today with poll results on setting a date and getting out. Overwhelming support, what a surprise.
What a sweet face Lucky has…I’d much rather look at him than McCain or LIEberman!
i want to see a map showing where the us military enjoys support.
Maybe just a tiny nip in the coffee, we may need it.
No way, eh ?
What’s the ‘magic’ word ?
thanks for the puppy…..i think of the Iraqi puppies ,all the time
and little general is READING IT ALL,whose words are those?
LUCKY!! too cute!
Magic word = “the”
P: Transfering control to Iraqi forces.
Well we saw how well that worked in Basra. Even though these were a miserable failure there, P. is still talking them up, which shows how he can’t go off script.
benchmarks
Of course he can’t go off script, ’cause he’s got nothing.
psst Hi!
How’s McCain doing without his Lieberminder?
ok,why are we in IRAQ?,one good reason why we cant leave,since we dont own that country
hi back!
Well if we are to beieve P’s charts everything is going swimmingly. After saying that the Iraqi security forces are great. He adds almost as an afterthought that they still can’t defend the country. (after 5 years they still can’t do this)
who wrote that crap?
Wow, the Iraq Gov’t is able to buy more American goods than American consumers … /s
Anyone know where we can get copies of Petraeus’ nifty graphics? It would be interesting to dissect them later.
Lucky ! - warm puppy belly, puppy breath - sigh
Those are HIS words, of course.
The script was given to him fair and square, the words are his now.
why are we there? somebody,anybody
the dog is adorable.
petraeus on the front page of the nytimes not so much. actually, when i first saw the picture i did a double-take. the ways he’s holding his arms behind his back, it looked like he was handcuffed. a hallelujah chorus started forming in me, but then i looked again. rats.
How about we roll out your charts/lists to counter the General …
america is NOT behind this BS….this is a fascist speech period
This is like a CEO giving you his expansion plan and pointing to all the charts that show everything is going great, except for the one small fact that the company is going under.
Things are going so well in Iraq that we can cut our troops back to more than we had there when the surge started. That’s progress.
Hopefully, for Jello shots and some of your recipes … *g*
Don’t forget that training Iraqi forces was P’s responsibility before he took overall command in Iraq.
that fukkkkkker cant even look up,so we see his LYING EYES
bwaahaahaa - was just thinking of the first time someone noticed ‘an irregularity’ buried in Enron’s Annual Report
anytime…why are we in Iraq?
that’s the cutest puppy I’ve ever seen. maybe someone left a baby on your doorstep?
Re hearings: Every time I hear about Iran is doing this or that, I think of future historians giving this war the tag line “the war to advance Iranian hegemony.” Nice job bushie, et. al.
He doesn’t seem like he believes what he’s saying
And wasn’t he the one who lost 15,000 guns?
except for the love of their lives, mcbarbecueking
wtf is “in our national interest” - and why does that (whatever it is) trump all other values?
Um… because Cheney needed a few Billion in the afterlife …
he is scum,now talking about sacrifice of the soldiers…its to cry about
So a quick recap.
Although violence is up, it’s down.
Although our mission is to protect civilians, we are currently attacking them.
Although the Iraqi security forces are doing great things, we still can’t defend anything
Although we are withdrawing troops, we are leaving more troops there then before.
He’s Betraying US now!
Yes, but military is not required to to report anything embarrassing, so you’ll never get the stuff that they don’t want you to see. Unlike Enron, where that young female Fortune mag reporter just made it her job to go thru all the footnotes.
You must have come late to the show dear. The good St. McCain opened for the General and told us all that we are succeeding! This is a happy day! If only those meddling Iranians weren’t messing things up, Iraq would look like this by now!
that is the funniest thing ive read in a long time…sadlyyes
Go Hugh Go !
Actually, it was 190,000.
i thought the very same thing at the very same moment….sigh
Crocker cannot read as fast as Betrayus.
How many Friedman units?
NPR has these hearings. They just took a break to misinform us about the surge and the Sons of Iraq. Way to go guys I was wondering who would carry the general’s water.
Morning Christy.
What a nice puppy picture. Felicity is a wool rug to snuggle to…
Why did Crooker mention McCain in his opening???
OH GOD who is this other Emp Pallitine look alike…SCARY OLD CREEPY GOP MEN
Thanks. I thought I was off by a factor of ten, but was too lazy to look it up.
He looks like he expects to be struck by lightening at any moment.
his involuntary actions are tells…..
Bethany McLean.
Good lord — thank heavens for coffee this morning. Crocker’s diplo-speak is seriously snooze-worthy.
they should not be able to read scripts imo
I missed that bit. What did he say?
One smart cookie, she. I wonder what she’s done lately. Thisk I’ll go google to see if I can find out.
Crooker: The Iraqi Flag flies all over the Nation for the first time … and they only cost us $3 Billion apiece …
But of course that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
wow…..the scary creepy old men of washington are evil incarnate
I can’t take this. I’m takin’ the kids out for breakfast.
Peace.
his current 2nd in command was in charge at Fallujah - and of course ol Willy Pete Odierno is now up for a 4th star
Crocker pointing to progress with certain key laws. Although he says implementation may be a problem, this is progress, i.e. the Iraqi government still hasn’t done anything.
He mentionned Senator McVain in his words of salutations.
I wrote this downstairs, it will be on topic throught the petreaus hearing
the democrats cede too much when they do not point out this is not an American war, we went in because if data created by the administration for a war they’ve wanted for an administration
they cannot allow that this is an american war, it is not, it’s a cheney bush war
yes, enjoy life…….
“Good lord — thank heavens for coffee this morning.”
hee! thank heavens for coffee EVERY morning!
although I’m seriously tempted to spike it with something…:)
this guy is just 100 % bulllllllllllllkaky
I’m just watching to see if these Senators have grown some backbone …
These are opening statements — same as what the Senators just gave. This gives them an opportunity to lay out their point by point ahead of time, so Senators get an opportunity to see what direction their spin is going to take — they usually get a copy a day or so ahead so staffs can prepare for questioning. I find them useful in terms of parsing, actually — because staffers can get them up quickly after the hearings for a closer read — and for comparisons on how they differ substantially from answers giving under more intense questioning.
Arianna Huffington:
Crocker trying to spin Basra as a success. What an idiot, or liar.
My magic word is “success”
YES,YES,YES…all based on LIES!!!!
Mornin Redd- VERY cute pup.
I’ve got Betty Crocker’s husband on the tube tellin me that Iraqis a great place to live, work, and play- thanks to our wise and omniscient president….
Is it April Fool’s day?
I’ll go with Door #2 …
that’s what i’d like to think too. but sadly, cheney/bush had help from congress - for example, see senator clinton.
hillary looks asleep
thanks,seems like totally spin,i guess if thet can ,they will make the case for infinite war.it is indeed vile to listen to.
And a new drinking game is born!
Ooh, Crocker admitting we don’t have authorization to stay past the end of the year.
awww sweet cuddly baby puppy feet, face, belly, breath. *sigh* When they (puppies/kittens) sleep, they are knocked out– I love it. Thanks we’ll need the continous stream of cute to counter the blech we’ll be hearing.
Crocker trying to separate various groups within the Mahdi Army. There’s the good JAM and there’s the bad JAM. The bad ones are the ones mortaring the Green Zone, etc.
What is scary about all this is that even after 5 years, these guys are clueless or lying about even the most basic political conflicts in Iraq.
making strange comments that are hard to defend,is very hard work
best news ive heard all day
To bad Pat Tillman was murdered because in a political match-up w/Petraeus he would wipe the floor with him. I guess that’s why he had to have that accident.Oh yea, he was pretty sharp too.
Shorter Petraeus and Crocker: Well yes, it is a pig, but it is a very good looking pig.
hahahahahahahahahahaha,the Iraqi economy
Coasting through and waiting for the next President seems to be our best option at this point, given the current President’s tendency to throw tantrums, stamp his feet, call names, and when he finally gets what he wants, fuck it all up anyway. We tried working with him (really, we did) on numerous occasions and it just doesn’t work. We tried working without him, but he just wouldn’t have it, and he’d go off and do what he wanted anyway. We don’t have the votes to throw the man out of office even if we thought it might do some good at this point, thanks to people like Norm Coleman and company, so what else is there?
Lying.
And that pig can fly. Well, it can if we give it a little time. And soon, that pig will fly by itself. You wait and see!!
now you know where our Social Security money is
Economy to grow “significantly” in the next 2 years. Interest rates down in Iraq well we can stop right here. Iraq is a success. I guess we can bring the troops home, right?
there’s just not enough LIPSTICK in the world for this one.
Iraqi economy is going to grow 8% this year, according to forecasts I have heard. Bwahahahahaha.
No, we need some mortgage finance success in Iraq first.
Hey Mr. Crocker…
Somebody wake up McCain, he’s asleep again.
DO YA THINK,these guys all go to Mortons and the Palm,toss down some martinis and laugh their asses off,that they got away with the transfer of Americas treasury?
Crocker is using “will do this”, plans for that, in other words it hasn’t happened yet (did I mention after we have been there 5 years) but if we stay there long enough it will.
Yep.
… every single day …
I thought Baker had taken care of that a couple of years ago.
hahhahahahahaha
since they work for our gubermint,we have to pay that tab too…taint fair!
Crocker talking up neighbors like Turkey and the positive things they’ve done. I think that would be the same Turkey who invaded northern Iraq recently.
Mr.Betty Crocker says that Iraq’s economy is doin MUCH better than OURS…
Does this guy have a website where you can go to buy retirement real estate?
I’d like a 2,500 square foot single story ranch on the golf course.
Whoops, wrong LIPS, General.
motherfukkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkerz
anda subprime mortgage
I am not going to allow for that, data was invented and politicians voted on that invented data
in addition, NOBODY “voted” for the war, they voted to allow the president to invade Iraq AS A LAST RESORT
which he did not
so no matter how much clinton should have known better, she did NOT “vote for the war” and whatever vote she did agree was with data that was invented
this is a bush cheney war, not an American war and that is what the democrats have to start making clear
America cannot “loose” this war, this is abuse by the administration of our armed forces so they can steal…that is how this needs to be framed
Shit
I just got up and this asshole’s puttin me back to sleep…His voice has the same sound as early morning traffic in Manhattan- kind of a dull roar. You can’t really make out individual words….
Odds that Crocker will mention that Iran now has more influence in peacemaking than the U.S. ?
i’m going to switch over to the senate finance hearing on s.970, will watch for betrayus developments here and let you-all know if i hear anything of interest from finance.
well, I’m going to go take an epic shower to scrub this crap off my soiled body.