Comments (9)

Cay Borduin wrote on September 10, 2007 3:02 PM:

The Bushies have done it again. They've taken a meaningful way to evaluate progress in Iraq and turned it into an empty word "benchmarks." Like, what the heck do "benchmarks" have to do with Iraq anyway?

They are gifted at stripping ideas of their connection to reality.

Fred M. wrote on September 10, 2007 3:07 PM:

What a bunch of meaningless babbling! This guy acts like he has a finger on the pulse of Iraqi society, yet I doubt he ever leaves the Green Zone!

He should take a look at the latest poll of Iraqi citizens ... they certainly don't seem to share his optimistic view of the situation in their country!

Fred M. wrote on September 10, 2007 3:10 PM:

It should also be pointed out that the recent poll of Iraqi citizens only reflects the attitude of those who have remained in their country. There are hundreds of thousands of other Iraqis who weren't included in the poll ... they have already voted with their feet and have fled the country.

Hoplite wrote on September 10, 2007 3:11 PM:

Re: Crocker's seeds of reconciliation

The Shia politicians now holding the reins in power in Iraq are now sowing the seeds of reconciliation despite having been ruthlessly persecuted by the Baathists for over two decades?

ROTFLAMOL!!!

FU Crocker you lying SOB?

I want a pound of what Crocker smokes that hippy!!!!

See why there is and will be no reconciliation:

Iraq: The Way to Go
By Peter W. Galbraith
NYRB, Volume 54, Number 13 · August 16, 2007

Abdul Aziz al-Hakim leads the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC, previously known as SCIRI), which is Iraq's leading Shiite party and a critical component of Prime Minister al-Maliki's coalition.

He is the sole survivor of eight brothers. During Saddam's rule Baathists executed six of them.

On August 29, 2003, a suicide bomber, possibly linked to the Baathists, blew up his last surviving brother, and predecessor as SCIRI leader, at the shrine of Ali in Najaf.

Moqtada al-Sadr, Hakim's main rival, comes from Iraq's other prominent Shiite religious family.

Saddam's Baath regime murdered his father and two brothers in 1999.

Earlier, in April 1980, the regime had arrested Moqtada's father-in-law and the father-in-law's sister—the Grand Ayatollah Baqir al-Sadr and Bint al-Huda.

While the ayatollah watched, the Baath security men raped and killed his sister.

They then set fire to the ayatollah's beard before driving nails into his head.

De-Baathification is an intensely personal issue for Iraq's two most powerful Shiite political leaders, as it is to hundreds of thousands of their followers who suffered similar atrocities.

Anonymous wrote on September 10, 2007 3:47 PM:

Crocker: Hopeful Signs "Not Measurable in Benchmarks"

for chrissakes. Shorter Crocker: "I got nothin'."

Dennis wrote on September 10, 2007 4:04 PM:

Regarding the "progress report" today by Gen. Petraeus; just another general playing politics with the lives of American soldiers, just like some generals we had in Vietnam.

You don't have to be a blind conservative not to see it, just an ignorant one to deny it.

Joshua wrote on September 10, 2007 4:51 PM:

This is truly stunning. When every single benchmark, or tool, or whatever the Bush Administration has tried to use to justify this war falls to the wayside they just throw it away. WMD, Elections, Saddam's capture, Saddam's trial, Saddam's execution, handover of power, Uday and Qusay's deaths, Zarqawi's death, and now benchmarks. Every single time the incident was supposed to prove freedom was on the march. Every single time it has proven nothing. Except they just ignore it and move on to the next one. And the media and people in power happily let them do it.

At one point, I think it was Crocker even said, "we started the surge to lower sectarian violence in Baghdad and to support movements like what has happened in Anbar". How convenient! Exactly the two things the surge has debateably contributed to! What about the reasons mentioned before, you know, the surge began? The benchmarks?

Irrelevant!

It really, truly, 100%, totally is a "Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia" thing. In every single way, it is EXACTLY that. The people in power, they are eating it up, just like good Party members are supposed to. What a disgrace.

TheraP wrote on September 10, 2007 5:21 PM:

This must be how it was in other empires when they began to fall. Some could see the shell game, but were powerless to do anything. And just sat around finally and mocked every lie and nutty explanation. Because that's where we are. We've gone beyond all the stages of grief, beyond anger, beyond bargaining, beyond despair, and we've arrived at the acceptance of irony, which is all that is left us.

Sc: "right"

johnnydoughey wrote on September 10, 2007 7:34 PM:

"Posted by: TheraP
Date: September 10, 2007 5:21 PM"

I somewhat agree with TheraP above. Human nature finds the child listening and learning to rely upon his/her parents (authority figures) almost as gods. Studies also show that, even as adults, most of us keep this behavior and expands it to include other adult authority figures.

This is why so many folks, who were otherwise pretty good people, followed Hitler... simply because he was the authority and told them to. Several studies have shown this to be true and this is one reason each generation has to relearn the ability to question those in authority. It is also why nations can continuue to find enough youth willing to enlist to die for... well... because they are told to.

Just because we happen to have lived a democracy makes this human nature fact no less true. About 80% of our population will so whatever the authority above them tells them... without question. The rest of us will hollar and scream and give facts and debate and write understandable essays and explain in simple terms and.. and.. and in the end, will look around and not understand how so many intelligent people could possibly give up a democracy.

The answer, though severe is simple... because they were told to. IMHO