It seems to me that the crucial point that the Surge isn't working is not getting through to either; the MSM nor the Obama camp! As evidenced by this pathetic appearance on The O'Reilly Factor where he uttered these ridiculous statements...
"I think that the surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated," Obama told O'Reilly in an interview taped Thursday in York, PA. "It's succeeded beyond our wildest dreams."[...]
"Al Qaeda, the Taliban, a whole host of networks that are bent on attacking America who have a distorted ideology who have perverted the faith of Islam and so we have to go after them."
In regards to a nuclear Iran, Obama said it would be "unacceptable for Iran to possess a nuclear weapon; it would be a game changer" and he assured both O'Reilly and the Fox News audience that he "would never take military action off the table."
I fervently hope that it could be chalked up to pandering to Billo, and, saner minds would prevail, but...? It is also infuriating that he would cede that erroneous conclusion to McSame...
Particularly, the egregious (and false!) claims that 15 of the 18 bench marks have been met...
Let me reiterate the facts...
First, here's 9 of the 18 benchmarks that have not been met...
(i) Forming a Constitutional Review Committee and then completing the constitutional review.(formed, no review)
(ii) Enacting and implementing legislation on de-Baathification.(passed, not implemented)
(iii) Enacting and implementing legislation to ensure the equitable distribution of hydrocarbon resources of the people of Iraq without regard to the sect or ethnicity of recipients, and enacting and implementing legislation to ensure that the energy resources of Iraq benefit Sunni Arabs, Shia Arabs, Kurds, and other Iraqi citizens in an equitable manner.
(not passed)
(vi) Enacting and implementing legislation addressing amnesty.
(passed, not implemented)
(vii) Enacting and implementing legislation establishing a strong militia disarmament program to ensure that such security forces are accountable only to the central government and loyal to the Constitution of Iraq.
(passed, implemented only against the Sadrists and Sahwa)
(xi) Ensuring that the Iraqi Security Forces are providing even handed enforcement of the law.
(Are you kidding? Not even close...)
(xiii) Reducing the level of sectarian violence in Iraq and eliminating militia control of local security.
(ditto!)
(xvi) Ensuring that the rights of minority political parties in the Iraqi legislature are protected.
(Another laughable situation)
(xvii) Allocating and spending $10 billion in Iraqi revenues for reconstruction projects, including delivery of essential services, on an equitable basis.
(Services? what services...)
As I'd also noted in that prior post the GAO agreed with much of what I pointed out... Along with the same cast of characters that proposed the "New Way Forward" (Surge)...
Well worth the read...
Advocates of the 2007 surge of U.S. troops into Iraq argued that the infusion would provide the much-needed political space for Iraq’s leaders to produce legislation and accommodation that would lead the nation towards meaningful reconciliation. Yet, throughout the second half of 2007, even as the rate of Iraqi civilian casualties dropped precipitously, little progress, either in the form of national legislation or political compromise, was perceptible. In fact, in the year leading up to February 13, 2008 only one piece of "benchmark" legislation was enacted into law—the Law on Accountability and Justice (De-Ba’athification), which though hoped would reform the current De-Ba’athification regime—one of the most divisive institutions in post-Saddam Iraq—instead "essentially preserved the previous De-Ba’athification system," and in any event has so far done little to promote political progress or reconciliation. During this same period, the Constitutional Review Committee, despite multiple extensions, failed to deliver a final set of recommendations to Parliament. The hydrocarbon and revenue sharing laws never even made it to the parliamentary floor. And the Article 140 deadline for a referendum on the status of Kirkuk (and other disputed territories) came and went with neither a referendum nor any meaningful progress towards a political solution. At the beginning of 2008, one could have reasonably wondered whether the surge, despite its successes, would in the end amount to little more than another squandered opportunity—that Iraqi leaders would fail to seize the moment and produce anything of meaning for the Iraqi people.
An article in today's Aswat Aliraq describes the failure too...
The United Nations Secretary General's representative in Iraq, Stafan de Mistura, on Saturday met the Shiite cleric Sheikh Mohammed al-Yaqobi in Najaf, and discussed with him the issue of the provincial elections bill, according to a release issued by al-Yaqobi's office.
"De Mistura wanted to consult Sheikh al-Yaqobi regarding the provincial election bill," said the release that was received by Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).
"I don't believe in partial solutions for this or that problem," the release quoted al-Qaqobi.
"We want a comprehensive solution for the entire miserable situation that the country is experiencing," he said.
"The dispute that Parliament witnessed concerning the provincial elections act mirror how deep the crack is between the blocks in power and the blocks excluded from the decision making process, to the extent of elimination," he added.
"The provincial elections bill is not the only crisis in the political process," he noted.
"Political powers should join a transparent meeting to have a discussion to resolve those problems," he explained.
"Successful political process requires partnership, but unfortunately facts on the ground do not show such intentions by the parties in power," he proceeded.
So, how could any rational individual possibly conclude that... "It's succeeded beyond our wildest dreams."?!!!
Is there any way humanly possible to push back hard on that delusional viewpoint? Hmmm...?