Is spinning hard part of the "new plan" in Iraq?
The US forces appear to be spinning hard. I guess the idea is to create the impression of success to change the momentum.
(WaPo) The plan is to start with the easy neighborhoods to show success: "The battle for Baghdad will start in mixed Sunni-Shiite neighborhoods chosen by military strategists as being the least likely to offer stiff resistance, raising the odds of early success, according to military planners and officials familiar with the thinking of the incoming Iraq commander, Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus."
(AFP) 600 "Sadr fighters" arrested. (Only 56,400 to go.)
In a teleconference to the Green Zone because Baquba isn't safe for reporters, the local US and Iraqi commanders say that Baquba is stabilized, and any other statements are "rumors."
(AP) The residents call "stable" Baquba a "ghost city."
(The mayor of Baquba was kidnapped on the same day. (WaPo) "After seizing Mayor Khalid al-Sanjari, one of the armed men grabbed a loudspeaker from a police car and taunted the chief of police." The Iraqi press is saying "Before leaving the building, the gunmen placed explosives in the municipal hall and demolished it.")
(LATimes) Mosul is promoted by the US military as an example of stability and Iraqi troops taking charge. (Yet he and others blanch at the possibility of American troops leaving the region..... "It is not a good idea for them to leave right now," said Mosul's police chief, Gen. Mohammed Wathiq.)
(Reuters) Mosul is plagued by violence, too.
I understand the strategy here, we have to change Iraqi minds, but I wonder how effective that effort will be when the Iraqis see the counterevidence every damn day. (Or is it just aimed at us?)
Semi-related: Is Petraeus a spotlight seeker?
(WaPo) The plan is to start with the easy neighborhoods to show success: "The battle for Baghdad will start in mixed Sunni-Shiite neighborhoods chosen by military strategists as being the least likely to offer stiff resistance, raising the odds of early success, according to military planners and officials familiar with the thinking of the incoming Iraq commander, Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus."
(AFP) 600 "Sadr fighters" arrested. (Only 56,400 to go.)
In a teleconference to the Green Zone because Baquba isn't safe for reporters, the local US and Iraqi commanders say that Baquba is stabilized, and any other statements are "rumors."
(AP) The residents call "stable" Baquba a "ghost city."
(The mayor of Baquba was kidnapped on the same day. (WaPo) "After seizing Mayor Khalid al-Sanjari, one of the armed men grabbed a loudspeaker from a police car and taunted the chief of police." The Iraqi press is saying "Before leaving the building, the gunmen placed explosives in the municipal hall and demolished it.")
(LATimes) Mosul is promoted by the US military as an example of stability and Iraqi troops taking charge. (Yet he and others blanch at the possibility of American troops leaving the region..... "It is not a good idea for them to leave right now," said Mosul's police chief, Gen. Mohammed Wathiq.)
(Reuters) Mosul is plagued by violence, too.
I understand the strategy here, we have to change Iraqi minds, but I wonder how effective that effort will be when the Iraqis see the counterevidence every damn day. (Or is it just aimed at us?)
Semi-related: Is Petraeus a spotlight seeker?
posted by mikevotes at
7:28 AM
2 Comments:
Speaking of spinning...
Over at the Libby trial, Dick Cheney is being implicated as the instigator, if not puppet-master, of all Libby's press interactions vis-a-vis the Plame name dropping. Is it possible plan "C" (or D, or...) will be to spin the Iraq War debacle as Cheney's baby as Bush works to scrub his legacy? I mean, it would seem to be a slam dunk -- to use and unfortunate colloquialism -- given the public record and his low public esteem.
By
-epm, at 2:23 PM
I just finally sat down and got to it.
Well, if Cheney does have to go, they will try to tie Iraq on him, just like they tried to tie it on Rumsfeld.
The problem I see with this as a plan C, is who has the pull to advise Bush to dump Cheney? Who within the administration has the balls to take Cheney on in the political infighting, especially since Cheney's influence seems to be up again judging by the Iraq/Iran policy.
That's a big and career ending fight if you lose, and nothing goes on in that White House that Cheney doesn't know about. The only two I might see are Laura or Rove.
Remember, they kept Libby until the day he was indicted. They kept Rove despite it all.
(And, believe it or not, Cheney's disapproval number is now actually about 6-8 points better than Bush's.)
Mike
By
mikevotes, at 3:28 PM
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