The Baker Iraq Study Group has released their thoughts on the war in Iraq to the sound of much sucking in Washington. The Cole’s Notes (Cliff’s Notes for the Americans) are that the US should move its combat forces out of Iraq responsibly. There should be benchmarks and use of funding to reward good behavior. Golly. It took how many high-priced brains to figure this one out?
To quote James Baker just now, they do not recommend a "Stay the Course" solution. President Jo Jo The Idiot Boy will have to swallow a few hundred thousand sound-bites. I suggest he invite over Tony Snow, the White House fartcatcher to help eat his words. Perhaps a buffet with Rove and Cheney eating their share of Kung Pow Cut and Run.
Baker is recommending a new consensus be built at home and abroad to deal with Iraq, as they can’t pull out and they can’t stay. Since it took nearly nine months for Baker and Company to figure this one out, odds are it will take double that for some kind of consensus to be sifted out nationally, then another nine to get the Coalition of Willing to buy into it.
That’s just over two years, which will put it right in the fat spot of the Presidential Election cycle. President Jo Jo The Idiot Boy won’t be running, of course, but John McCain will be forced to carry that can of manure. So will whoever the Democrats prop up, be it Hillary, Barak Obama or John Edwards. Both parties will be sprayed by this report, the Iraq war and Jo Jo The Idiot Boy’s lack of motion one way or the other to fix Iraq.
The result of the Baker Iraq Study Group is to saddle anyone considering running for the Big Chair with the War in all its aspects. No candidate, from either party, can escape it.
Pro-war? You’re an insane baby-killer raping Iraq for Oil.
Anti-War? You’re a disloyal American and might as well be Osama Bin Laden’s boyfriend.
Diplomacy with other countries in the Middle East? You’re an Anti-Semite and hate Israel if you dare talk to Syria or Iran.
UN diplomacy? You’re Jimmy Carter in a new suit.
Benign Neglect? You’re a war criminal who wants to see the various religious groups slaughter each other and you hate all Islam.
Appeasement? Don’t make me laugh. My gums hurt.
What has really happened is that Daddy Bush has bought and paid for his son’s Get Out Of Iraq ticket, just like he bought and paid for his Get Out Of Viet Nam card. For the next two years expect Bush to become the "Consensus President" trying to obtain "Peace With Honor" while being "obstructed at every turn by partisan politics".
Incidentally, it took Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon about two years to obtain "Peace With Honor" in Viet Nam, so the historical math works in Jo Jo The Idiot Boy’s favor. He won’t have to deal with Iraq any more.
The Decider has no more decisions to make.
RoadDave 