This goes along quite nicely with Scott’s recent post on the ChickenDove party. Here is Nancy Pelosi on CNN today:
Anchor Wolf Blitzer asked: “Are you not worried, though, that all the gains that have been achieved over the past year might be lost?”
“There haven’t been gains, Wolf,” the speaker replied. “The gains have not produced the desired effect, which is the reconciliation of Iraq. This is a failure. This is a failure. The troops have succeeded, God bless them. We owe them the greatest debt of gratitude for their sacrifice, their patriotism, and for their courage and to their families as well.
“But they deserve better than the policy of a war without end, a war that could be 20 years or longer.
Typical simpleminded Nancy.
The political situation is NOT a failure. Its a long way from being deemed a success but nothing happens overnight, and to call a strategy a failure because Iraq does not look like a United States democracy is pure and utter baloney. She knows this but obviously has to cater to her puppetmasters at MoveOn.
If you really want to get a handle on the political process in Iraq read Bill Ardolino’s excellent series, Inside Iraqi Politics. After reading that two part series (with more to come) there is no way you can come away from it without feeling like its a miracle that we have been able to facilitate so many factions working together. Factions which until recently wanted each other dead.
[singlepic=162,580,511,,]
US advisers see enthusiasm for national reconciliation and reconstruction in quarters of the Iraqi executive branch, but the highly variable and often poor ability of the ministries and various committees will determine whether Iraqi citizens perceive the government’s competence or willingness to reconcile all sects of Iraq.
“There’s been a lot of debate about … whether [lack of progress] is sectarian, whether there is true interest in reconciliation or not; our observations over the last six months in close operations on a daily basis with these folks [in the IFCNR] is a lot of it has a lot less to do with sectarianism than just pure inefficiency,” said Steeves. “That does not undermine the fact that as far as the GOI is concerned, that you probably do have sectarian actors at other levels of the government. You have a fragmented and fractured civil society, and there are a few good actors who are attempting to heal those rifts and overcome sectarian divides – not just Sunni-Shia [conflict] – but you’re also talking corruption, pure self-interest, and awareness of what it means to be Iraqi.”
US personnel are assisting Iraqis at most levels, from the prime minister’s office to the ministries to Provincial Reconstruction Teams and public works advisers in the provinces, but most agree that these advisory efforts will need time and persistence to have requisite effect on an inefficient and rapidly changing Iraqi bureaucracy. Assuming maintenance of improved security, 2008 will be a crucial year for Iraq’s executive branch, which must deliver more services and jobs, distribute oil revenue, spend and execute a much greater proportion of the budget than in years past, and effectively integrate local security forces into police and public works employment.
Some US personnel are optimistic that the development of Iraq’s administrative “capacity” will improve many of the conditions related to reconciliation. Most stress Iraqi solutions to Iraq’s problems. And all assert that “the way forward” is contingent on rapidly shifting conditions on the ground, while few are willing to venture firm predictions of success or failure.
“I think a sober assessment comes back to, we cannot dictate the outcome but we can dictate the means,” said Steeves. “And I think the means we are using now are some of the best we can utilize under the circumstances we find ourselves.”
When pressed, Colonel Martin M. Stanton, Chief of Reconciliation and Engagement for Multinational Corps-Iraq, was one of the few to hesitantly give odds of the Iraqi government accomplishing goals quickly enough to maintain recent stability:
“I’d say even,” said Stanton. “It’s all going to come down to reconstruction and employment, because at the end of the day people will put up with a lot if they just have a job and the standard of their living is improving.”
We’re a ways off from calling it a success, but it damn sure is NOT a failure Nancy.
Nancy is indeed somewhat simpleminded but not AS simpleminded as to believe that there has not been any progress due to the surge. The “lack of reconciliation means the surge has failed” is an abstract idea that can’t be completely proven or disproven and is thus used by the Democrats as a deliberate attempt to deny the obvious.
Nan can’t stand the fact that the Iraqi congress has accomplished somewhere in the vicinity of 10,000 times as much as the democrat led congress of the U.S., in the same period of time. Someone should have the guts to call her on her idiotic statements, but then I remember the press is all anti-american liberals so forget the idea of that ever happening.
If punctuated differently, I could agree with Miss Nancy: Pelosi Surge – A Failure.
This and much more is coming. Insanity will run rampant in the next congress and we will take it in the shorts. Why do we elect our misfits and malcontents.
Just imagine this Congress with Obama or the Water Retaining Sea Cow at the helm….
Holding my nose for McCain……
I’m still waiting on the investigation into why she thought she had the right to officially visit Syria when she first took the Speaker job…
Does any one not remember the benchmark report? Apparently, Pelosi must have botoxed that data out of her small mind.
There has been enormous progress in Iraq. However, the Dems, lead by Pelosi cannot concede that fact – if they want to stay in office. Isn’t then mother of Casey Sheehan attempting to run against Pelosi? Have not the Code Pinkho’s camped outside her house in CA? I believe the organization is also targeting any Dem that is up for election that did not do exactly what CP wanted them to do.
The Dems have effectively cornered themselves with this issue. If I were the GOP I would make this issue front and center EVERY day until November 2008.
So, sit back folks and watch the Dem Surge in Denialpalozza in the coming months.
Anyone know what she’s talking about here?
“The troops have succeeded, God bless them. We owe them the greatest debt of gratitude for their sacrifice, their patriotism, and for their courage and to their families as well.”
I don’t see any debt being paid by Pelosi, an iota of gratitude, or even the mere recognition that their efforts have been good in intention, and successful on historically unparalleled terms. Oh well, you know she doesn’t REALLY want US troops out of Iraq. If they all left…they’d come back to her district in San Fran, and we know how much the uber left loves having Marines around.
Nancy? Nancy who? She and her toothless counterpart in the Senate (Reid) have proven that they both have zero impact on our foreign policy. Neither has been able to exercise influence and in fact, have rolled over on all tests of will to Bush. As it should be…
“There haven’t been gains … (they) have not produced the desired effect, which is the reconciliation of Iraq. This is a failure. This is a failure.”
Ho-hum, another day in the alternate reality for the Dems.
Maybe Pelosi had a mental break down and lost all concept of reality. She no longer knows where she is at, what she is doing or where she is going like Humphrey Bogart’s Lt. Cmdr. Queeg (from the movie The Caine Mutiny).
Greg,
Does that mean she will break out the stress balls on the House Floor? It would be funny to see her have to answer for violating the Foreign Relations Act (Title 18, USC), among other things, while twiddling those marbles.
ChisG, it’s just a matter of time before she either pulls out a Queeg quote about conspiracies or the stress balls.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046816/quotes
I’m curious how Congressional Democrats can still say that the war in Iraq has nothing to do with the war on terror, and then at the same time recognize that violence-sparked and fueled by Al Queda-is dramatically down as a result of counter-insurgency operations that targeted Al Queda in Iraq.
Do they even get the weekly MNF email newsletters? They’re open to the public.
twits
Anchor Wolf Blitzer asked: “Are you not worried, though, that having made no gains during your leadership, the 110th Congress might be lost?”
“There haven’t been gains, Wolf,” the speaker replied. “The gains have not produced the desired effect, which is doing our job. This is a failure. This is a failure.
“But the American people deserve better than the leadership of a Congress which doesn’t fulfill its mandate or oath without end.
There, fixed it to reflect REALITY.
Greg,
She will have a 1am press conference to talk about strawberries…
Bummer, I found out my Queeg humor was already used on the Democrats. This artical replaces strawberries with earmarks and perks.
http://www.newmediajournal.us/staff/kraft/11272006.htm
Looking for more Queeg jokes, there seems to be more current politicans labeled as Queegs than the amount of crew members needed to man a mine sweeping destroyer. Maybe her reelection theme song will be Strawberry Fields Forever.
While Miss Nancy is saying there is no progress, it’s all failure, al-Qaida is saying something quite different.
http://furtheradventuresofindigored.blogspot.com/2008/02/pelosi-is-name-defeat-is-game.html
Sorry Greg…. You need to copyright those thoughts faster and charge royalties.
I remember my parents had a quadraphonic Reel to Reel of an early synthesizer version of Strawberry Fields Forever. Seems the left is still stuck in the 60s and the rest of the world moved on long ago.
Pingback: Flopping Aces » Blog Archive » » News from Iraq: Bill Ardolino and Michael Totten
Pingback: Flopping Aces » Blog Archive » » Bottomline Upfront on Iraq: There is Progress
Pingback: The Baltimore Reporter