Condi's Iraq surprise (Iraq study group)

[NVMojo]

Nov. 17, 2006 | WASHINGTON -- In late 2005, three Washington insiders with foreign policy expertise were summoned to a meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice -- a little-known event that may end up changing the course of the war in Iraq. The three men were working to help Rep. Frank Wolf, who wanted to create an independent panel to overhaul the Bush administration's strategy in Iraq, after a recent trip there left the Virginia Republican worried that the war was headed from bad to worse.

The three men, to their surprise, were asked to attend a meeting on Nov. 29, 2005, with Rice, who had been among the core defenders of the Bush administration's war in Iraq. At the end of that meeting, Rice agreed to the idea for the panel and pledged to take the case directly to President Bush. At Rice's urging, Bush embraced what would become the Iraq Study Group, co-chaired by former Secretary of State James Baker.

"It was remarkable that Condi Rice took the lead," said David Abshire, president of the Center for the Study of the Presidency in Washington, and one of four people in the November meeting, including Rice. The Iraq Study Group, he said, "happened with her going to the president."

It has been widely speculated that George H.W. Bush, the president's father, turned to his trusted former advisor Baker to help orchestrate the Iraq Study Group to clean up the Iraq mess. But the little-known story of how the panel came into being began not with Baker, but with a congressman's effort to call it like he saw it in Iraq -- and with Rice's maneuvering to sidestep an entrenched Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. It set in motion the unlikely scenario now playing out in Washington in which an independent panel is about to counsel a White House not typically known as receptive to outside advice on the war.

more...

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/11/17/iraq_study_group/?source=newsletter

[BrotherBuzz]

1. I need more evidence that Rice was the person who initiated the ISG...

and until I see or hear more, I will assume this story is nothing but a ploy to prop up Condi to make her appear to be the person in charge and on top of things, and people behind the curtain that choose to remain anonymous made the decision. Something smells because this is not the Condi I have read about.

On edit: Could George Schultz put the buzz in her ear?

[IndianaGreen]

2. I agree with your analysis that this is revisionist history

Everything about Condi's public record shows that she is rigid in her thinking and she is as incompetent as Rumsfeld.

[gratuitous]

8. Color me unconvinced, too

Dr. Rice taking any initiative at all would be an enormous play against her entire career as a political bobblehead.

[goclark]

3. The "Study Group" of Tired Old Men

has decided that Condi will replace Cheney IMO.

Setting her up as the good guy when they are cut from the same cloth - all of them are losers.

[lutefisk]

4. Rice replaces Cheney, then Baker replaces Rice

Baker or one of Poppy's other men would be an obvious choice. With only two years to go, age isn't really much of a factor. I don't think Junior is going to be the "decider" any longer.

Putting Rice in Dick's spot is really the Right Wing's best move at this point- it opens up several possible scenarios for 2008. With Rice as VP, it would get really interesting if Junior is forced to step down before his term is up...

[goclark]

6. What that happen! I had not thought that

far into their weird world of hate.

That is exactly what they will do ~ better than buying a lottery ticket this week.

[NVMojo]

5. yep, I think you are on to something ...

[goclark]

11. It's the same ship, they are rearranging the deck chairs nt

[leftofthedial]

7. Rice "took the lead" ????

:wtf:



:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


:rofl:




:rofl:


:rofl:


:puke:

[54anickel]

9. "Bush embraced what would become the Iraq Study Group"....

Bwahahahaha! :spray: :rofl:

So why did he recently order up another study group to beat the Poppy's Iraq Study Group outta the gate with a report? Looks like they are trying to put an end to the speculation that Poppy's back in town.

[HaggardsMethDealer]

10. Yeah right....

Poppy is running the show, and everyone knows it.

[radfringe]

12. how many study groups do we need to know that

Iraq is f**ked up?

sound like bush wants a study group to come back with the answers he wants, and he'll keep organizing studdy groups until they do