Petraeus Hearing

Iraqi economy underperforming! 25 billion needed to help! But then they'll have electricity - by 2016!

 

You have only two choices, America. Bad. Or worse. You must choose - right now! Choose, America! Choose!

 

Shun the "rush to failure!"

Choose!

 

Dracula is asking Petraeus questions now.

 

The irony?

Petraeus - only icewater in those veins

 

If I were a congressmen, I wouldn't believe a thing he's saying, either. The Army has had a serious credibility problem throughout this whole fiasco, starting with that West Virginia POW, Pat Tillman and lord knows whatever else.

60 percent of the country now favors a hard deadline for the evacuation of US troops, no matter the consequences to Iraq (today's USA Today, hardly a bastion of liberalism). That number will only grow as the casualties continue, and the 2008 elections draw nearer.

Congress sucks. But they can read the polls. This game is over. It's 1971-72 era Vietnam all over again. It's just a matter of when we leave, how many more US soldiers have to needlessly die or be maimed/wounded, and how long before the North Vietnamese/Iraquis start attacking us on our soil.

Wait, that last part didn't ever happen, did it.

 

Watching the starstruck coverage, I am reminded of all those people who were "convinced" by Colin Powell. I also need a great deal of whiskey.

 

Government as kabuki.

And we're sending you two bottles of whiskey. One's really incredibly bad. The other is much worse.

They will be your only choices.

Choose!

 

Even though I expected a positive report from Petraeus, I guess I'm naive, but I didn't expect the high "rah-rah" factor.

Crocker, on the other hand, is way more believable. You can tell he's put a lot of thought into his honest opinion, not a lot of thought into how he can make things sound the rosiest.

 

We're never leaving Iraq.

Never.

 

Yeah, except a month ago, Crocker said the surge was designed to buy the Iraqi government time to establish a viable political infrastructure.
Today he said this,
""We have given Iraqis the time and space to reflect on what sort of country they want."
Oh.
Basically, I think they're reflecting on what sort of RPG they should buy.

 

Looking at the cast of today's grand guignol, how viable is our political infrastructure?