Oh, yeah. The news item below about an "Iraq Timetable" describes a possibly good way to build automobiles: using "milestones." Or testing medicines. Or investing in new enterprises. But in the context of Iraq it describes the desperation of total non-comprehension. "Well, we won't exactly say we're going to pick up our bats and balls and go home if you don't play by our rules, but maybe we will." Oh, yeah, that's a great road to clearing up the mess we made in Iraq. Does anyone hear about the "Roadplan" for peace between the Palestinians and Israelis any more? That was full of milestones and confidence building and hints of "sanctions." What an inheritance to pass on to future generations, a smoldering civil war in Iraq with PERMANENT, I SAY PERMANENT U.S. involvement there. (No the Democrats even if they have the presidency and both houses of congress won't have the will to get us out.) Unless....they do what we did in Vietnam and say, Okay, we lost, whoever the winner is, take over. Except...how much oil does Vietnam have? I think PERMANENT is the appropriate word. Which means for the future of America no increase of health care benefits, starving social security, and non-competitive education in our schools. Scary? This isn't a Haloween joke. Look how long it took England and France to finally admit that the colonialism had drained their economies and got out.
Well, read the following and understand the impotence of our leaders.
New York Times October 22, 2006
U.S. to Hand Iraq a New Timetable on Security Role
Details of the blueprint, which is to be presented to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki before the end of the year and would be carried out over the next year and beyond, are still being devised. But the officials said that for the first time Iraq was likely to be asked to agree to a schedule of specific milestones, like disarming sectarian militias, and to a broad set of other political, economic and military benchmarks intended to stabilize the country.
Although the plan would not threaten Mr. Maliki with a withdrawal of American troops, several officials said the Bush administration would consider changes in military strategy and other penalties if Iraq balked at adopting it or failed to meet critical benchmarks within it.
A senior Pentagon official involved in drafting the blueprint said Iraqi officials were being consulted as the plan evolved and would be invited to sign off on the milestones before the end of the year. But he added, “If the Iraqis fail to come back to us on this, we would have to conduct a reassessment” of the American strategy in Iraq.
You can find the entire article, at least for a couple of days if you click here.
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