When the president addressed the nation last night, in just the second sentence, he told the country that he would “outline” a “new strategy.” That, in and of itself, was misleading — the “strategy” hasn’t changed at all. Putting the particulars aside for a moment, last night was, almost literally, more of the same. As […]
I’m afraid I’ll be away from my computer at 9 (ET), and won’t be able to comment on the president’s national address until morning. But that’s no reason not to have an open thread on the big occasion. We don’t have to wait for Bush for all the details, though. In advance of the speech, […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * The “escalation” vs “surge” rhetorical debate is surprisingly important in helping shape public opinion. ThinkProgress made a fascinating observation today about the results of a recent CBS poll: when Americans were asked if they support an escalation of forces in Iraq, only 18% said yes. Asked if they support […]
The AP has published the details of the “new way forward” in Iraq, and it’s very much in line with everything that’s been leaked over the last couple of weeks. As for the centerpiece of the strategy — the troop escalation — it looks like we’re looking at 21,500 U.S. soldiers. — Bush will commit […]
Long-time readers will probably recall Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, the deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence. For those just joining us, eyebrows were raised around the world when NBC discovered that Bush had asked a man to coordinate our military intelligence in the war on terror who also happened to be an anti-Muslim religious […]
I’ll post the transcript when it’s available, and link to the video if someone posts it, but Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was part of a bizarre interview on MSNBC this afternoon with Tim Russert that might come back to haunt him. The topic, of course, was Iraq. To his credit, Russert was asking the right […]
The cost in human lives will no doubt be great, but we now have a sense of what Bush’s troop escalation plan will cost U.S. taxpayers. President George W. Bush’s plan for Iraq includes a $6.8 billion budget request to pay for a 20,000 troop increase as well as jobs and reconstruction programs aimed at […]
I realize that the Bush White House looked at the Iraq Study Group with some disdain. So-called “elder statesman,” mostly friends of Bush’s dad, weren’t going to come in and tell the president how to wage his war, no siree. Within a few minutes of Bush thanking ISG members for their work, Bush made the […]
For about six years now, it’s looked as if Fox News received its on-air scripts directly from the White House communications staff. Apparently, as of this morning, Fox News is even a little too shrill for the Bush gang. This morning on Fox News, anchor Gretchen Carlson called Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) a “hostile enemy” […]
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * John McCain isn’t the only GOP presidential hopeful backing troop escalation. Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.), who’s been reluctant to comment either way on Bush’s so-called “surge,” told reporters this morning, “In […]