Republican presidential contender makes news, announces he doesn’t hate Mexicans.
Murtha on the ISG report …
“On November 7th, 2006 the American public sent a message on Iraq and as the new Democratic majority, we must respond with decisive action. Staying in Iraq is not an option politically, militarily or fiscally. The American people understand this. Today there is near consensus that there is no U.S. military solution and we must disengage our military from Iraq. The ISG recommended that we begin a withdrawal of U.S. troops by early 2008, depending on conditions on the ground. This is no different than the current policy. We must do what is best for America and insist on a responsible plan for redeployment. Iraq is plagued by a growing civil war and only the Iraqis can solve it.”
Prager seven years late in stopping the fall of the American republic. Muslim ambassador sworn in on Koran back in ’99.
Iraq Study Group: if not enough federal employees volunteer to go to Iraq, force them to.
TPM Reader TD gives it to the president straight …
Reading your post on the North Korea about face, and the string of statements from various policy makers on the ISG reportâboth situations which unarguably constitute unmitigated international disastersâit is quite clear that Bushâs status as the worst president in US history is already cemented. I saw a comment from an of-course unnamed administration official a few days ago that theyâre not worried about the presidentâs legacy, give it 50 years or some such, but truly, is any of this going to look better in 50 years?
With the shifting priorities and knowledge of the future it’s never truly possible to know how our descendents will judge us or our time. But, as past history as shown, some presidents just blow. And people can see it no matter how much time goes by. There’s no renaissance of Harding studies. And he didn’t even really break anything or have any epochal catastrophes on his watch.
Tony Snow today on the U.S.’s chronic lack of Arabic speakers, a problem highlighted by the ISG: “You don’t snap your fingers and have the Arabic speakers you need overnight.”
I’m shocked, shocked, I tell you …
From Jonathan Landay at McClatchy …
The Bush administration routinely has underreported the level of violence in Iraq in order to disguise its policy failings, the Iraq Study Group report said Wednesday.
…
On page 94 of its report, the Iraq Study Group found that there had been “significant under-reporting of the violence in Iraq.” The reason, the group said, was because the tracking system was designed in a way that minimized the deaths of Iraqis.
“The standard for recording attacks acts a filter to keep events out of reports and databases,” the report said. “A murder of an Iraqi is not necessarily counted as an attack. If we cannot determine the source of a sectarian attack, that assault does not make it into the database. A roadside bomb or a rocket or mortar attack that doesn’t hurt U.S. personnel doesn’t count.”
How much time do we put into determining the ‘sectarian source’ behind the death of every individual Iraqi?
Santorum goes down swinging …
After Gates was confirmed, Santorum — who lost his seat in the November election amid a wave of unhappiness about the Iraq war — took to the Senate floor.
He delivered a nearly hourlong speech, warning of the dangers of not confronting “Islamic fascism” and its budding alliances with anti-American countries such as Venezuela, North Korea and Cuba.
“We are sleepwalking through the storm,” Santorum said. “How do those who deny this evil propose to save us from these people? By negotiating through the U.N. or directly with Iran? By firing Don Rumsfeld, (and) now getting rid of John Bolton? That’s going to solve the problem?”
He said he felt Gates is not “up to the task.”
Santorum was one of two no votes against Gates’ nomination this evening.
The push has already begun — Sens. Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Pat Leahy (D-VT) reintroduce legislation to restore legal rights to the prisoners at Guantanamo and elsewhere. That and other news of the day in today’s Daily Muck.
McCain hires a campaign manager:The strategist behind the infamous, racially-charged “bimbo” ad attacking Dem Senate candidate Harold Ford, Jr.