Last week, someone leaked an advance draft of a GAO report showing that under Bush’s “surge” policy, Iraq had successfully completed just three of the 18 benchmarks established by the White House and bipartisan majorities in Congress. Today, the GAO officially unveiled said report, and wouldn’t you know it, the results are practically identical. [The] […]
When it comes to the Bush administration’s national security policies, former Assistant Attorney General Jack Goldsmith has always been an important figure, but with the publication of his new book, we’re able to get some new insights into what he saw, and what the Bush gang was up to. In this case, that means more […]
I’ve been neglectful in writing about the scam to split California’s electoral votes based on congressional districts. In a nutshell, GOP activists in the Golden State have hatched a plan to help steal a presidential election by pushing an innocuous-sounding ballot initiative. If it passes, presidential candidates will win one electoral vote for each of […]
It’s obviously incredibly early in the election season — assuming we’re even in an election season — and November 2008 is far enough away that the political pendulum can swing back and forth a couple of times between now and Election Day. But I can’t help but notice an emerging theme. Take Bob Novak’s latest […]
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: * Over the weekend, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards pledged not to campaign in Florida, Michigan, or any other states trying to leapfrog the 2008 primary calendar. The NYT reported, “The […]
About once a week, U.S. politicians, generals, and troops visit the Dora market in Iraq. The bustling commerce, in a relatively safe area, is proof that the surge is beginning to have an effect. After all, if there were no progress, a stroll through the market would be impossible. There’s only one problem: it’s a […]
A week from today, Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker will tell members of Congress how things are going in Iraq, making this week particularly important, at least as far as public relations goes. Of course, we need not wait for congressional testimony to know that the president’s “surge” policy has failed. It’s effectively beyond refutation. […]
One of the holiday weekend’s more notable revelations came by way of Robert Draper’s new book, “Dead Certain,” which is based on multiple conversations with the president and his team. Specifically, Draper spoke to Bush about the disastrous 2003 decision to disband the Iraqi Army, generally considered one of the administration’s more catastrophic errors. Bush […]
The NYT headline sounds like vaguely encouraging news: “Bush, in Iraq, Says Troop Reduction Is Possible.” Of course, given the circumstances, it’s not nearly as important a breakthrough as the headline suggests. President Bush made a surprise eight-hour visit to Iraq on Monday, emphasizing security gains, sectarian reconciliation and the possibility of a troop withdrawal, […]
For several years now, one of the more deadly parts of the civil war in Iraq has been the forced displacement of Iraqi civilians. It’s been a form of ethnic cleansing on a vast-but-slow scale — much of Iraq has been made incrementally segregated along Sunni-Shiite lines. What war supporters have argued would happen if […]