From this:
Rumsfeld to Iraq: "Clean Up My Debacle", by Armando:
Mr. Rumsfeld also called on the Iraqi government to assume greater responsibility over time for the 15,000 detainees now in American custody in Iraq; to allocate enough money in future Iraqi budgets to field security forces that are capable of replacing many of the 22,000 foreign allied forces that plan to leave Iraq by year's end; and to improve cooperation between the Iraqi defense and interior ministries to enhance the combat readiness of Iraq's 170,000 military and paramilitary police forces.
So let me get this straight... Rumsfeld himself has popped up in Iraq, and he is essentially announcing terms for withdrawal. He is not out playing grand marshall at the Pepsi 400, he's in Iraq with a different audience...
Of course, they're singing a different song here at home. After all, it wasn't all that long ago that the word on the street was that scheduling troop withdrawals "would throw a lifeline to terrorists"
link. Rumsfeld refused to set a timeline, yet we have:
- "I do believe that if the political process continues to go positively, if the developments with the [Iraqi] security forces continue to go as it is going, I do believe we will still be able to make fairly substantial reductions after these elections - in the spring and summer of next year." says General George Casey, the US Commander in Iraq.
- Prime Minister Tony Blair confirms "that Britain wants to hand over military control in Iraq to local authorities as soon as they are ready to assume responsibility for security."
- The leaked British Ministry of Defense memo, which outlines the withdrawal of British Troops as well as stating that "the U.S. was looking to cut back its own troop levels to 66,000, down from the 135,000 there now"
- The British Ministry of Defense admitting that "while some planning took place to deal with the likely disaffection following the invasion of Iraq, an insurgency on the scale that subsequently followed was not foreseen."
- America does not want confrontation. So I call upon other parties like the Iraqi army, and the Iraqi police, to exercise self-restraint with Iraqi people and not be provoked into confrontation with them or the occupying forces as this isn't in the interest of Iraq" says Muqtada al-Sadr "I also call on the Iraqi people to exercise restraint and not get enmeshed in the plans of the West or plans of the occupation that wants to provoke them."
Wow, even al'Sadr has something to say.
And, of course, Rummy is over there in Iraq announcing the terms of withdrawal.
The wheels have been set in motion for a skedaddle. Yet, here at home, official word up to now has been like, um, we can't set a schedule for a withdrawal, it'll only embolden our enemies! Yeah, that's it! And while I understand that the coalition forces have all sorts of plans for Iraq, the one that was leaked was about withdrawal. That was on purpose, these guys know all about leaks.
The decision has been made to leave... I think this is the money quote: "We do not want to be surprised by a withdrawal that is not in connection with our Iraqi timing". That's the Iraqi prime minister, Ibrahim Jaafari. To me, it sounds like Rumsfeld has just told Jafaari that we're gonna be leaving, and Jafaari is saying to the world for us not to leave too fast.
And you know what? I support it... I'll go with whatever option it takes to get us out of there at this point. I really don't think that I want to wait until the Bush Adminstration trains Iraqis... does anyone really believe they're going to get that one right? Jesus, that will take forever. I think the mess when we leave is inevitable whether we go now or in five years. The Iraqis are going to have to work it out one way or another... we have to find a way to support them without our military presence.
And you know what else? I am going to do what I can to make sure that every grain of this mess is owned by the Bush Administration. The damage that has been done on so many levels... there will be no prancing about on the deck of the Lincoln this time.
So if Rumsfeld, essentially says to Iraq: "Clean Up My Debacle", then that's fine with me. It gets us out. But when everyone is else is talking about the timetable for withdrawal, while the Bush Administration has so recently refused to set one... it means that we are not leaving on our terms, missions not accomplished.
The Bush Adminstration has been defeated.