Discover the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.
Petraeus’ September Report Will Be Written By The White House
thinkprogress.org — "Despite Bush ’s repeated statements that the report will reflect evaluations by Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, administration officials said it would actually be written by the White House, with inputs from officials throughout the government."
4Crimson- 751 diggs
- digg it
- JCSaint, on 10/10/2007, -4/+16I should have known....
- anewname, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8There will be no revolution.
- Albionshores, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2There will, there is, but it's going to get a lot worse before things get better.
- anewname, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8There will be no revolution.
- Kewlduderules, on 10/10/2007, -5/+35Don't you all know, we have progress in Iraq?! If the white house says it is true then it is true even though they lied about everything else.
Expect a lot of good results even though everything else shows a complete catastrophy in Iraq. I am sure the white house will turn things around in about a month.
They are known to work miracles- hey look at alberto gonzalez. He was somehow doing something illegal and now he is not. Fascinating!!!
Expect really good things from the report. Oh and if there are still a lot of GI's being killed in Iraq (even more than we have now), remember it's a work in progress. Petreus believes we can secure Iraq in 10 years!!!
Change is just around the corner (just take a look at the stock market)!!!- Infantrydude, on 10/10/2007, -12/+9Having actually been there I can say yes there is progress. Not as fast as we would like. We are dealing with people whom at a very fundamental level think differently about things than we do. If some one killed you grandfather 30 years before you were born most Americans would not try to kill the murder's relatives in revenge, but to not do that is dishonorable in Iraq. Corruption is rampant and not considered a bad thing. Caste (for lack of a better word) means more than ability. If you are from a powerful (lots of men and weapons) clan but can not read you are more likely to get the government job than the literate peasant that can not afford to bribe the HR man. It took almost 2 years to convince the Iraqis that the reasons cars were blowing up was suicide bombers and not missiles fired from helicopters. Iraq sucks it is way too hot, the sand gets everywhere, camels stink, and goat meat is chewy, but I would rather help rebuild Iraq and shoot bad guys there than in the US.
- LibrarianEtarip, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14Buried for "we fight them there so we don't have to fight them here" reasoning
- Jomwilli, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4"but I would rather help rebuild Iraq and shoot bad guys there than in the US."
As if we're "pinning them down" over there? Like, what we're doing over there is ACTUALLY going to keep them from coming over here. Give me a break, as an 11bravo myself as well(never deployed), I really hope you don't believe all of what they tell you. This war is a mess, unfortunately we're not helping over there still to this day. Baghdad doesn't even have water and electricity full time yet, how's that progress going?- Infantrydude, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Baghdad NEVER had water and electricity full time. Saddam's palaces did but not Sadr City or other neighborhoods. The infrastructure was never there. No plumbing (water and sewer) was laid down in entire blocks of Baghdad, nor was there electrical wiring not to mention power generation. And the Iraqis expected us to wave a wand and fix everything. You would hear "You went to the moon the US can do anything", but how do you install plumbing to a house that has already been built? Where do you put generators to provide electricity and who will man them and maintain them? Where do you string the power lines and how do you calculate the power used by a customer? And how do you do that while every group with a grudge or agenda is shooting at you and each other? First we had to convince the Iraqis that they had to be involved and they could not have everything all at once, and when that happened then progress started. With the extra troops we can insure that electrical lines are not cut down, that people get clean water, and so on but it took a long time to reach that point. Not just the bad guy issue but to force the Iraqis to help solve the problem.
- TheSavant, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Are you kidding? My grandparents added plumbing to a home that was not designed with running water in mind. Thousands of buildings around the world have had plumbing added. You can find people to maintain them. Who do you think does that work on American bases in Iraq? Iraqis. They would love to maintain their own generators. How do you calculate the power used by a customer? A meter.
But, then, you get into some tougher questions.
Maybe we just say ***** it and move on. Any government that takes vacation while their country is at war should not be taken seriously. Am I talking about Iraq's government or our's?
Both, maybe.
- bigturns, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5this 'fight them over there so we don't fight them over here' *****, is just that - *****! I was raised to be a proud American (which included 5 years in the corps kicking sand). I say, if the fools want to 'fight us here' then BRING IT! The entire concept is *****.
- my8bird, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Dugg you in spite of the "fight them there" comment. I have had several friends come back from the fight with similar comments. We are doing some good but the bad is far out weighing the good. What we should be looking at is how to stabilize regions and get regional authorities working. That way we when we move on from a region it will stay stable.
Another thing we should stop giving the power to the elite Iraqi's. We are perpetuating the cycle infantrydude eluded to.- texpundit, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3"What we should be looking at is how to stabilize regions and get regional authorities working."
WE can't stabilize anything FOR them. It gets to a certain point where THEY have to want the region stabilized and work towards that goal.
What ***** me off is that WE were the ones who destabilized the region in the first place. - joe7845, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Can someone name some specifics regarding the "good" that is being done, with references?
- texpundit, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3"What we should be looking at is how to stabilize regions and get regional authorities working."
- minox, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2It's not just the White House, presumably, who believes there is progress in Iraq. The New York Times also believes there is progress.
- chicofaraby, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3The NY Times also said there were WMD in Iraq. Just like BushCo.
The NY Times is simply another propaganda outlet for the right wing. - Tzombo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0The NYT has become a joke. It is the NYT that played the biggest part in peddling the propaganda on Iraq and that is now peddling the propaganda on Iran (and still on Iraq). I would rather believe Fox 'News' than the NYT at this point.
Yesterday there was a HUGE attack in the north, biggest attack on a single target since the whole mess began, over 200 dead.
Also yesterday: a helicopter downed with 5 dead and 5 soldiers died elsewhere, another bombing on a bridge (which collapsed with 10 dead) and a deputy minister was kidnapped. Yeah, things are improving...
- chicofaraby, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3The NY Times also said there were WMD in Iraq. Just like BushCo.
- Infantrydude, on 10/10/2007, -12/+9Having actually been there I can say yes there is progress. Not as fast as we would like. We are dealing with people whom at a very fundamental level think differently about things than we do. If some one killed you grandfather 30 years before you were born most Americans would not try to kill the murder's relatives in revenge, but to not do that is dishonorable in Iraq. Corruption is rampant and not considered a bad thing. Caste (for lack of a better word) means more than ability. If you are from a powerful (lots of men and weapons) clan but can not read you are more likely to get the government job than the literate peasant that can not afford to bribe the HR man. It took almost 2 years to convince the Iraqis that the reasons cars were blowing up was suicide bombers and not missiles fired from helicopters. Iraq sucks it is way too hot, the sand gets everywhere, camels stink, and goat meat is chewy, but I would rather help rebuild Iraq and shoot bad guys there than in the US.
- queso74, on 10/10/2007, -6/+23RIP: Democracy in America
- TheTruth1, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2We don't live in a democracy. We never did. Thank god.
"A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine."
Thomas Jefferson.- hiphoc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Having a directly elected senate is technically a democracy. Why do you think people in gov't refer to it as a democracy. You think Clinton and all these politicians are idiots. No its an inside joke. Look at congress, the states have no suffrage. Hence the term mob rule. The federal government is a mob, and when I say mob, I mean mafia.
- TheTruth1, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0The senate was not always popular vote. It used to be via appointment, which is how it should've stayed.
And by definition, we're still a represenative republic. In a democracy, everybody votes on every issue.
- TheTruth1, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0The senate was not always popular vote. It used to be via appointment, which is how it should've stayed.
- hiphoc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Having a directly elected senate is technically a democracy. Why do you think people in gov't refer to it as a democracy. You think Clinton and all these politicians are idiots. No its an inside joke. Look at congress, the states have no suffrage. Hence the term mob rule. The federal government is a mob, and when I say mob, I mean mafia.
- TheTruth1, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2We don't live in a democracy. We never did. Thank god.
- totorototoro, on 10/10/2007, -5/+20Karl Rove's last task before leaving the White House? :p
- TubaTechno, on 10/10/2007, -11/+1Considering the report is due in September....and Rove's last day is in Aug....probably not. But good thinking *****!
- totorototoro, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Wow, great logic there, einstein. :p
If the report is due in September, and Rove's last day is end of August, then yeah, that would work out timewise, right? Are you really this stupid?
- totorototoro, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Wow, great logic there, einstein. :p
- nihilite, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6No. It is NOT rove's last task before leaving the white house.
He wrote this report a long time ago. And you have already READ this report. It reads "We are winning this crusade, but we must continue to fight the evil-doers before they come rape your wife and insult your favorite NASCAR driver. Keep paying the taxes and funding the war - we're winning. Your freedom is emboldening the enemy; let us tap your phones. War is peace. Freedom is slavery."
I promise you that i have just summed up the report.
- TubaTechno, on 10/10/2007, -11/+1Considering the report is due in September....and Rove's last day is in Aug....probably not. But good thinking *****!
- MarkDykeman, on 10/10/2007, -8/+10I'm shocked, absolutely shocked! :D
Maybe it's more accurate to say that the report will be heavily EDITED by the White House...- erekose, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7Yes, some small edits like:
"We are not winning in Iraq"
Magically becomes:
"We are winning in Iraq"
Who is going to miss those three little letters anyway?
Only liberal academics would get upset over such a thing.
;^)
- erekose, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7Yes, some small edits like:
- jamesallen74, on 10/10/2007, -5/+28Interesting how yesterdays 4 car bombings killed 30 people according to our government, 175 people according to Iraq.
I am not one to trust Iraq's numbers, but anymore? I would trust Iraq's numbers over our government's numbers anyday.- Dillinger71, on 10/10/2007, -1/+630? The bbc is reporting at least 200...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6947886.stm - toxicshok, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3The bottom line is that you don't know who you can trust anymore. Everyone seems to have some sort of political agenda. What happened to a time when you could trust the news?
- GabrielS, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Here's a thought. You could never trust the news. Some people just wanted something interesting to watch.
- joe7845, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I prefer to look at how the numbers are estimated. Iraq's number is from morgue body counts. The US number is a guesstimate. Evidently, Iraq's number is probably the right one.
- Dillinger71, on 10/10/2007, -1/+630? The bbc is reporting at least 200...
- nofrak1, on 10/10/2007, -12/+15http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pullback15aug15,0,4840766.story?page=2&coll=la-home-center is the actual story. Note that Petraeus is expected to announce a pullback, and that the substance will come from the General, while it is merely the wording that will come from the White House. Of course, thinkprogress has a very shaky relationship with facts.
- TheEditor1, on 10/10/2007, -9/+4"Of course, thinkprogress has a very shaky relationship with facts."
As evidenced by all the items on their site. The people that submit this ***** and those that game/digg it for the left have the same problem. To bad digg is in the slow throws of death, it used to be a good site until the moonbats and Paulbots decided to game it every day.
thinkprogress has nothing but left-wing moonbat money to fund itself. It has journalist integrity and not a single, recognized, accredited journalist to its name. Just a bunch of paid bloggers. - TubaTechno, on 10/10/2007, -5/+5Patraeus, who was unanimously confirmed by congress, is expected to present his recommendations directly to congress. Yet, for some reason the Democrats won't listen to the same person they voted for. Interesting.
I'm really getting sick and tired of this ThinkProgress *****. Most diggers would agree that FoxNews is blatent in it's right-wing bias yet for some reason claims it's "fair and balanced". Yet you hypocritically continue to digest and regurgitate everything this stupid website says, even though they claim to be a project from a "non-partisan" organization.
From their website:
Think Progress is a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
The Center for American Progress Action Fund is a nonpartisan organization.
http://thinkprogress.org/about
"non-partisan" my ass. Yet they are blatant about their obvious left wing agenda and continue to spin the facts into untruths. Digg has become a cesspool of liberal and partisan garbage. I will most likely get buried for stating the truth but it no longer matters.- TheEditor1, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3"continue to digest and regurgitate everything this stupid website says"
They have to do this or lose their secret decoder ring and ***** colored glasses.
- TheEditor1, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3"continue to digest and regurgitate everything this stupid website says"
- TheEditor1, on 10/10/2007, -9/+4"Of course, thinkprogress has a very shaky relationship with facts."
- dallascorbin504, on 10/10/2007, -6/+23once again...They treat the American people like *****. STOP ***** LYING TO US. STOP DICTATING OUR LIVES. STOP BEING OUR PRESIDENT!!!! JUST ***** STOP!
- TheEditor1, on 10/10/2007, -8/+3STOP ACTING LIKE YOU OWN THE PLACE, ASSHOLE!
- shorn, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Oh, we forgot. YOU own the place.
Byte me.- TheEditor1, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1***** off you little snot nosed punk. Don't like my comments, ignore them!
By the way, the 'Byte me' retort was so ***** comical, proves you are nothing close to mature.- chicofaraby, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Pot...Kettle
- TheEditor1, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1***** off you little snot nosed punk. Don't like my comments, ignore them!
- shorn, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Oh, we forgot. YOU own the place.
- keyboardduder, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3 Did anyone here know that if theres another terrorist attack on the US, bush can take complete control of the country and declare martial law?
Did you know that if you are even suspected of being a "terrorist" they can lock you up and you can never be heard from again? NO TRIAL, NO QUESTIONS, NO RIGHTS.
Did you know that people who are wrongfully accused of being terrorists are outsourced overseas so they can be tortured?
Did you know that instead of giving the US military sufficient gear and backup, the Bush administration employs a secret militia/mercenary group known as BLACKWATER that is paid more, is supplied better, and who has more knowledge-per-soldier than US marines? And Guess what? Theres more Blackwater in Iraq then there are marines!
Did you also know that Bush is making laws which make him more powerful all the time? Every day we are reminded that freedom isn't free, that it comes with sacrifices, but those sacrifices shouldn't be our rights. Now the government can spy on anything we do without any problem. No warrant, nothing.
It is now officially illegal to protest the Iraq war. What the hell is that? If I wear a "pull out of Iraq" shirt, the government can freeze my assets and arrest me.
The Bill of rights is being raped by this power-hungry administration and its has to stop. The whole country cant get this kind of info from the regular news because they work for the government too.
Big business and the government now work side by side, ***** on the people who support them. After all, the troops in iraq need food, entertainment, shelter, all kinds of things you cna get from many American companies! Profits must be pretty good for a few companies. (by a few i mean a lot) Halliburton's stock has tripled in value.
Big oil has gotten tax cuts, has gotten oil drilling deals in Iraq, millions upon millions of dollars IN CASH has gone missing from convoys in the middle east, Hundreds of thousands of guns have been lost in Iraq, and now are being used to shoot the brave soldiers who are trying to protect freedom.
Bush has fired, exposed and slighted people who have tried to get in his way and he pardons all of his buddies who are going to be in trouble with the law.
Bush has brought the country into the worst national debt in history. He has borrowed 1.5 TRILLION DOLLARS from other nations, including china and from private banks, and guess who has to pay for it?
The stand-by citizens of the USA right?
WRONG.
On September 11th, 2007, a GENERAL STRIKE IS ANNOUNCED, TAKE OFF WORK, DON'T DO TO SCHOOL, GO TO THE STREETS, GO TO YOUR LOCAL REP. OR CONGRESSMAN AND MAKE YOURSELF BE HEARD.
And what am I doing? I'm going to Washington-*****-DC to show that spineless congress and that bastard president who can and who cant protest about Iraq! China can almost bankrupt this country with one decision. The US dollar could fail, and the country will be in a new, great depression. We need to put a stop to the spending and the ***** now.- p0s3r, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Whatever you do when you go to Washington to protest, DO NOT WEAR YOUR "PULL OUT OF IRAQ" T-SHIRT! YOU COULD BE SHIPPED OVERSEAS AND TORTURED!
- nihilite, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I am going to put that on a goddamn t-shirt. (all except the general strike thing... that's just silly)
and as a side-note if Blackwater has an IPO, i am buying stock. bush has made us so many enemies, we're really going to need them.
- TheEditor1, on 10/10/2007, -8/+3STOP ACTING LIKE YOU OWN THE PLACE, ASSHOLE!
- johnj21, on 10/10/2007, -5/+7Which administration official was it again that said this?
- GabrielS, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2It's "administration officials" which narrows it down to about 10 million people. If it was people that work in the White House it would say "White House sources/officials".
I'll guess the State Department is talking to the press. Whomever it is, they're trying to get out in front of the curve. - TubaTechno, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3"Some would say...."
- GabrielS, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2It's "administration officials" which narrows it down to about 10 million people. If it was people that work in the White House it would say "White House sources/officials".
- Leach, on 10/10/2007, -7/+10Lets just stop dealing with him. He shown time and again he has nothing but contempt for the American people and the rule of law. Impeach.
- nshah, on 10/10/2007, -6/+19So let me get this straight. We are all waiting for a White House written report that will comment on whether the White House's plan is working?
- imgstacke, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Yup, that's how it goes. And then they will point to it and say, See, its working, Stay the Course. Or some other *****. The Iraq War is not to be won, but sustained for as long as possible, just like Vietnam.
- dallascorbin504, on 10/10/2007, -5/+7anybody want to wager on just how positive the report will be?
"you're doin a heck of a job Brownie..." - TeamWookie, on 10/10/2007, -5/+11The only reason Petraeus supports this administrations views because this administrations only hires people that agree with them.
- NotAChickenHawk, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Anyone here think that Bush feels his powers as commander-in-chief don't superceede Congress's power to elicit sworn testimony from Patreus? Anyone here think that Bush is above ordering Patreus to imbelish the truth or to lie outright?
Besides, Patreus has seen the careers of his predecessors repeatedly ended by Bush and Co. the moment they say anything that even slightly conflicts with the party line. I'm sure Patreus is not stupid, he'll say what he feels has to be said and unless he's one of those rare folks that would truley put his country first and himself second, what he's gonna feel has to be said is whatever's gonna protect his own skin. - TubaTechno, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3You realize he was hired through the approval of the Senate, right? That means Bush can't just appoint someone ***** and get away with it. Looking at the general's UNANIMOUS confirmation, who had the majority in the Senate in January '07?
- NotAChickenHawk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Well, actually, Bush has used the *recess appointment* clause of the Constitution to get away with appointing several "*****" during the course of his Presidency, but that is neither here nor there. If Patreus feels he can give a negative report and keep his job, he's nuts.
- NotAChickenHawk, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Anyone here think that Bush feels his powers as commander-in-chief don't superceede Congress's power to elicit sworn testimony from Patreus? Anyone here think that Bush is above ordering Patreus to imbelish the truth or to lie outright?
- mjl5629, on 10/10/2007, -4/+10Petraeus should ask Powell how that worked out for him.
- TheEditor1, on 10/10/2007, -16/+6Buried for being thinksocialism blog spam
- diggbot7, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2buried for being TheEditor
- NotAChickenHawk, on 10/10/2007, -5/+7Once again, I am remind of the boxer and his trainer. After every round of the championship bout, the fighter returns to his corner where the trainer gives him a pep talk "You're doing great out there!", "You're killing 'em!" ", etc. etc. etc. Finally, at the end of one round, the trainer says "He hasn't laid a finger on ya!", at which point the boxer leans over to the trainer and replies "Then the referee must be Mohamed Ali, because someone's beatin the crap out of me!".
This is exactly the same situation we have today. Bush will keep telling the people, the army, the congress and anyone else who'll listen that things are great. One day, the people, the army, and the congress are going to have to say "No, Mr. President, the reality is that we're accomplishing nothing and loosing lives and limbs left and right". But until they stand up to the President and tell him that, until they stand up to him and throw in the towel for him because he's too prideful, stubborn, arrogant or protective of what's left of his legacy, he'll keep right on spinning things as he pleases and sending our troops back out there round after round.- SenorCardgage74, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1How in the hell are you getting dugg down?
- Piedramente, on 10/10/2007, -8/+5blog spam ******
- Tzombo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Whinespam
- RavagesOfTime, on 10/10/2007, -6/+13I love how we've gotten to the point where nobody will read anything because of the site it comes from. No wonder the country's gone so ***** nuts. If Arianna Huffington says 2+2=4, it's dirty commie LIBERAL *****. Lousy Liberal Liberals. Grrr....Liberals.
- TubaTechno, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Well....if someone has a history of lying and they tell you something that you have not already seen to be true.....
- imgstacke, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Like the Bush Administration?
- TubaTechno, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Well....if someone has a history of lying and they tell you something that you have not already seen to be true.....
- synthpop, on 10/10/2007, -5/+6does it really matter who writes it? the White House's BS powers are so crafty they actually took the report that said no WMDs found in Iraq and spun it into WMDs have been found in Iraq. regardless of what the report says, the surge has already been spun into a success.
- Piedramente, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2I want some of what he is having, please.
- Tzombo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0You had more than enough already
- stormshadow777, on 10/10/2007, -6/+6This is garbage. Why are all liberal facts based off of speculation? Maybe thats why you keep losing, and you lose even when you win. Nice Democrat controled congress. Why don't you focus on cleaning up the ***** in your yard first, before pointing out ours.
- LordSlashstab55, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5it doesn't matter which party line you're on, they're both going to hell
- LucidOne, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Because the stench of rotting corpses coming from your yard is making the rest of us deathly sick! How many more innocent people have to die for you and your boy king George to be satisfied?
- sazerac, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1 Business as usual
- jtbndy, on 10/10/2007, -5/+5It doesn't matter who the ***** writes it, its going to say like all other ***** reports said ...."The surge needs more time." Or some ***** like that.
- LordSlashstab55, on 10/10/2007, -6/+2His name sounds closely to 'betray us'
- Albionshores, on 10/10/2007, -3/+6Behind the scenes General Pace has been talking with commanders in Iraq and has compiled his own report he says he'll also release in September. Still too early to say whether Pace will turn out to be a White House lackey or something else. He has stood upto to Rumsfeld before when Rumsfeld was trying to justify torture. Pace stepped in and set the record straight for service men; 'Don't do it, if you see it happening you have to stop it.' Pace may well step upto the plate again.
An independent investigation has also been commission by international news outlets, compiled by the Brooking's Institute it has already been released. Its findings are quite damning of the surge.
If the White House tries to sell an extension there is evidence of motions to counter that argument.- TubaTechno, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1If by "extension" you mean keeping the same troop levels but moving them around in Iraq, then is General Patreaus's plan wrong?
- Albionshores, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1On paper General Patreaus' surge has been an unmitigated failure. An extension would be foolish. The tactics are based on intelligence that is misguided and ill-founded and in many cases manufactured.
"Brigadier-General Kevin Bergner told reporters on August 2 - after a 'surge' in Iranian assistance had allegedly taken place - that the rate of training of militia groups in Iran had remained stable for a long time. The transcript of the briefing also shows that Bergner did not claim any recent increase in financial assistance to the Mahdi Army. Odierno's reference to 'sending more weapons in' continued the practice of the US administration to claim that Iranian officials actually ship weapons to Shi'ite militias in Iraq, despite the fact that no evidence of such a role has been found after four years of trying."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IH16Ak04.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456995/html/default.stm- TubaTechno, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1"On paper General Patreaus' surge has been an unmitigated failure." - OK. Where?
The Asia Times mentioned Patraeus once, and the whole article is about how Iran's involvement in the violence in Iraq should be questioned, no matter if they have evidence to suggest that Iran is giving insurgents explosives...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/08/08/us.iran.weapons/index.html
Then you give stats on the number of casualties from preliminary figures?
It really doesn't matter what i say or what facts i bring to the table, it sounds like your mind is pretty much made up.
Anti-war Democrat Dick Durbin returned from Iraq this weekend and acknowledged that the surge troops were "starting to have an impact".
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22239441-31477,00.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/opinion/30pollack.html?ex=1187323200&en=7a8e3cab2457390f&ei=5070 - Albionshores, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1The Asia Times was a source for the Brigaier Bergner quote. That is why I gave the link so you could read it in context. Something you'd know had you read it before dismissing it.
The BBC 'preliminary figures' - well the number of casualties isn't going to go down its only going to get higher than the preliminary figure!!! It is safe to say they know the number of allied casualties and deaths. It's only insurgent leaders that seem to be killed to come back to life later to be killed again. The figures if anything are optimistic!
The occupiers have gone into a war and invaded a country to fight Saddam's Ba'athists. They are now in the process of arming the same Ba'athist tribal leaders to fight Shi'ites. Only a third of Iraqis believe the government to be in control - 16 out of 38 cabinet ministers no longer attend. Meanwhile a US Brigadier stands up and says there is no indication that the official take on Iran is not backed up by intelligence provided by the US intelligence community.
- TubaTechno, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1"On paper General Patreaus' surge has been an unmitigated failure." - OK. Where?
- Albionshores, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1On paper General Patreaus' surge has been an unmitigated failure. An extension would be foolish. The tactics are based on intelligence that is misguided and ill-founded and in many cases manufactured.
- GabrielS, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Links to this "independent" investigation?
Didn't Brookings just send their ME expert O'hanlon to Iraq to check on the surge? He returned and wrote that the surge IS working in some areas and not so well in others.- Albionshores, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1By independent the Brooking's Institute is a private company. It is not a government paper. If you want to see the report to judge for yourself its here, it also tells you who commissioned the report. It actually shows a degradation of the situation in Iraq with only a third believing the Iraq government is in charge of Iraq and shows a majority of Iraqis wanting a US withdrawal.
http://www.brook.edu/
http://www.brookings.edu/fp/saban/iraq/index.pdf- GabrielS, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1What is the is "commission by international news outlets"? Is this all just a reference to this one Brookings report or are you citing two different sources?
- Albionshores, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Does nobody read the articles anymore?
From the Brookings website link I provided you. "The Brookings Institution is a private nonprofit organization devoted to independent research and innovative policy solutions."
Companies commission such institutions to conduct research for them. If you want to know who commissioned the 'Brooking Report' or to give its full title "Iraq Index: Tracking Variables of Reconstruction & Security In Post-Saddam Iraq" then you can go into the link and find out.- GabrielS, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1You're not very good at answering questions.
You said, "An independent investigation has also been commission by international news outlets, compiled by the Brooking's Institute it has already been released." This looks like you are mentioning TWO different reports. To the least, you were created the confusion that there were two. Your answers imply that there was only one report and it was compiled by the Brookings Institution. - Albionshores, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Read the link. I am not mentioning two reports.
International reporters commission the independent Brookings Institue to compile a report on the effectiveness of the Iraq strategy and the state of play.
- GabrielS, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1You're not very good at answering questions.
- Albionshores, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1By independent the Brooking's Institute is a private company. It is not a government paper. If you want to see the report to judge for yourself its here, it also tells you who commissioned the report. It actually shows a degradation of the situation in Iraq with only a third believing the Iraq government is in charge of Iraq and shows a majority of Iraqis wanting a US withdrawal.
- TubaTechno, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1If by "extension" you mean keeping the same troop levels but moving them around in Iraq, then is General Patreaus's plan wrong?
- minox, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I ain't sayin' nothin' about nothin' until Petraeus gets back!
- Webbster, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Big tin of whitewash needed over here...
- phatt-matt, on 10/10/2007, -3/+8Why is the left so interested in smearing Petraeus? Why do they want to discredit him and his report before he has a chance to deliver it to Congress? I wonder why? Hmmm...I wonder. Oh yeah. Harry Reid said it best that a loss in Iraq would guarantee the Dems seats in the House and in the Senate.
- TubaTechno, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Funny how they want to smear the same person they confirmed into that position. Do they not trust the generals that they themselves put in charge?
- GabrielS, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3No. They don't. This is why they have opposed the military leadership after they approved of them.
- TubaTechno, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Funny how they want to smear the same person they confirmed into that position. Do they not trust the generals that they themselves put in charge?
- BohicaTwentyTwo, on 10/10/2007, -4/+7Sounds like The Soros propaganda machine is alredy in high gear, trying to pre-emptively spin the news that will come out in September. They are bringing out their greatest weapon, an ad homimem attack on Patraeus by tying him to Bush. Don't listen to the general, please ignore any facts that might denote progress, just know that everything he says is from Bush and BUSH IZ TEH DEBIL!
- chicofaraby, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Did anyone else notice "The Soros propaganda machine" and "BUSH IZ TEH DEBIL!"
Unintended irony is the funniest kind of irony.
- chicofaraby, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Did anyone else notice "The Soros propaganda machine" and "BUSH IZ TEH DEBIL!"
- p0s3r, on 10/10/2007, -4/+9And the spin begins. The Libs know that positive things in Iraq are bad for them, so here come the attacks on the reports credibility. So predictable.
- Tzombo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Hahaha, yeah...
That's almost funny. Because you need a lot of spin to believe that nothing has changed in Iraq.
- Tzombo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Hahaha, yeah...
- p0s3r, on 10/10/2007, -4/+8As the saying goes, "Whats bad for America, is good for the Democrats."
- minox, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8Well, as the majority whip said, if Petraeus came back and said that good progress was being made, that "would be bad for us."
If you spend all your time saying we are losing the war, there comes a tipping point where you become invested in that loss. In fact, the loss becomes not entirely disagreeable to you. - TheTruth1, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5You liberals are all brainwashed. You have been since Kindergarden when the teacher told you to put your belongings in the community bins. From what I've seen over the course of the past few years it's the democrats that are sheep, who are told what to think. I'm proud to say that I'm neither liberal nor conservative, by today's definitions.
- Tzombo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Just a run-of-the-mill idiot then
- Jeez, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1whats ironic about that incident yesterday was just last week white house was trumping its chest on how vehicle borne explosives fell 50 percent July compared to June (which was record high ). I bet now they are gonna spin any high profile attacks as done by AlQ, as the sign that they are desperate...
- pitlord, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6This is totally inaccurate. Petraeus will deliver his report to Capitol Hill, not to the American public. Petraeus' report cannot be read to the public because it contains classified information that we do not want our enemies to know about.
How is this even news?- chiggah, on 10/10/2007, -3/+0and because of the "classified" information, it also allows the report to be edit to whatever the white house wants the public to see, not just the "classifield" stuff, but the overall report.
Do you know that how much this administration has abuse this in the past? If you actually pay attention to political news, How could you not see it?
- chiggah, on 10/10/2007, -3/+0and because of the "classified" information, it also allows the report to be edit to whatever the white house wants the public to see, not just the "classifield" stuff, but the overall report.
- GabrielS, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5It's interesting that the original LA Times piece doesn't have nearly as many diggs as the Think Progress piece.
This is how you frame the news today. Think Progress, naturally, has their own way of framing the issue, and through Digg they can elevate their spin on the story beyond what was actually reported by the news outlet.- chiggah, on 10/10/2007, -2/+0Anyone actually care enough on such matter would obviously research beyond one source. You can claim they story got spin in whatever way you wish, but when you look deeper into the facts, there are some truth in it.
- GabrielS, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3The Think Progress author is Faiz, as in Faiz Shakir, a former official for the Democratic National Committee. Furthermore, he has a JD from Georgetown and he is doing research for Think Progress?
Whatever the case, Think Progress has many of its own ties that provide supporting evidence that spinning a story is a valuable resource to their political allies, politicians opposed to the surge.
- GabrielS, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3The Think Progress author is Faiz, as in Faiz Shakir, a former official for the Democratic National Committee. Furthermore, he has a JD from Georgetown and he is doing research for Think Progress?
- chiggah, on 10/10/2007, -2/+0Anyone actually care enough on such matter would obviously research beyond one source. You can claim they story got spin in whatever way you wish, but when you look deeper into the facts, there are some truth in it.
- Swoyer, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Can't wait to read that pile of *****
- TheSabre, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3No *****, considering that the DOD is in the executive branch and they report to the WH. What's the problem? It's no different than the White House releasing the annual budget, even though the Office of Management and Budget prepares it.
"Despite Bush ’s repeated statements that the report will reflect evaluations by Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, administration officials said it would actually be written by the White House, with inputs from officials throughout the government."
This is completely nonsensical. First, it starts by saying how people were lead to believe that the report would include evaluations from Petraeus and Crocker and then it goes on to say how it will actually have inputs from officials throughout the government instead. Petraeus and Crocker ARE officials throughout the government. If they have input in the report, then the report will reflect their evaluations.
How is this any different than the CEO's office of Mattel writing a news release regarding the recent contamination of toys in their Fisher-Price line? - nastronomical, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Pile of ***** eating liberals will foam at the mouth and say it is not real. lemme see.....who else would write it morons the nytimes, dailykos, rawstory? You are some of the most pathetic creatures alive. The surge is working.....so why dont you leave america.
- an0nymous, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3It is difficult to maintain civil discourse with a ***** such as yourself.
- madman1969, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0There's a great line from the film 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' that sums it up - "Don't ***** down my leg and tell me its raining !"
- sbader, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Sometimes I'm not sure who's worse the conservatives, the liberals, or the guys in the middle who claim neither party and say they are above both but don't do anything either.
- ubica, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1It seems to me the only Surge there is, is the FUD/Propaganda surge.
- aadyss, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1A message to the thinkprogress and rawstory progressives.
If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep,
you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
I won't spend my time wallowing in some perverted perception of misery and disenfranchisement but will give thanks every day for the blessings America gives me each and every day. If the government of the day doesn't do exactly as I want, and none ever has, I will continue to believe good comes out of all in this beautiful and generous land. It always has and I believe it always will. It will take much more than a George Bush or Hillary Clinton to destroy what we have been given, although it could take a small group of the population constantly complaining about what they think is wrong and feeling sorry for themselves on a daily kos day. Perhaps you are missing the food or money, but I doubt it.- chriso59, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Right, so never mind the death of over 650,000 Iraqi civilians because of this conflict we brought upon their country. Have you no compassion?
- MykelBurrage, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0It is change; all yields its place and goes.
- Frostman3D, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Make it stop. What the ***** is going on in this country? Jesus.
© Digg Inc. 2008 —
Content posted by