TPM: Don't be fooled...

[babylonsister]

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/013883.php

Don't be fooled by the subdued tone and subtle nuance of David Sanger's front page article in this morning's New York Times on the "New Way Forward" in Iraq. It is a milestone in the Bush Administration's public spin of the war, marking the first official acknowledgment that the surge and all the attendant fuss were nothing more than an elaborate stop-gap intended to buy time so that the colossal failure of the President's foreign policy can be pawned off on the next president:

The Bush administration will not try to assess whether the troop increase in Iraq is producing signs of political progress or greater security until September, and many of Mr. Bush’s top advisers now anticipate that any gains by then will be limited, according to senior administration officials.

In interviews over the past week, the officials made clear that the White House is gradually scaling back its expectations for the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. The timelines they are now discussing suggest that the White House may maintain the increased numbers of American troops in Iraq well into next year.

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[rodeodance]

1. 'when iraq troops stand up-we stand down" is an empty Bush hollow mantra now

[krkaufman]

6. That was thrown-out when they announced that they were no longer ...

... training the Iraqi troops, in the last week or so. Bush *has* changed course now. He's no longer driving towards the cliff... he's over the edge, but still won't admit it.

[ginnyinWI]

2. what an irresponsible little coward he is.

Makes a mess of it, won't take responsibility. Never has had to take responsibility in his whole life.

The astounding part of it is that he believes he will be vindicated by history one day.

[babylonsister]

4. That's a pipe dream imo; history will not be viewing him kindly,

I think he knows that, and I also think he doesn't give a rat's ass, about much of anything. It's evident in everything he does; his moral compass broke a long time ago.

[ginnyinWI]

8. yeah I remember him saying once

"who cares? we'll all be dead then", which doesn't square with his supposed legacy building stuff that I think Brian Williams was talking about not long ago.

"Doesn't give a rat's ass" is a perfect way to express it--says it all!

[robinlynne]

3. and the dems better hear this. They need to "step up"! And make sure they end this war.

[burythehatchet]

5. CNN and the NYT are the most loyal bushies.

[krkaufman]

7. This "plan" -- evil plan, if you will -- only stands a chance of deluding the public ...

... if the situation on the ground doesn't grow noticeably worse. To keep civilian casualties in Baghdad down, the military will be sacrificing US troops and civilians outside of Baghdad. The surge will obviously have failed by September, and Bush won't be able to hide it.

Gotta agree with Michael Ware... the only way a surge would work is if you're surging across the entire country (link) -- and that ain't gonna happen. So we're left with Bush's sadistic, bloody game of Whack-a-Mole, at the expense of thousands of lives.

[SpiralHawk]

9. Flip flopping republicons

no integrity, no honor, no truth = republicons.

[illinoisprogressive]

10. I've never listened to or believed anything from the administration.