Saturday, September 30, 2006
The Chickenhawks and Henry Kissinger
Bob Woodward's "State of Denial" * Foley's Folly
Dr. Kissinger, who never met a brutal dictator he didn't like, reportedly advised President and VP Cheney to remain in Iraq until victory is achieved. Did he define "victory"; did he mention the costs in human terms ? The Washington Post has published excerpts from Bob Woodward's new book State of Denial - Bush At War Part III:"In May, President Bush spoke in Chicago and gave a characteristically upbeat forecast: "Years from now, people will look back on the formation of a unity government in Iraq as a decisive moment in the story of liberty, a moment when freedom gained a firm foothold in the Middle East and the forces of terror began their long retreat.Two days later, the intelligence division of the Joint Chiefs of Staff circulated a secret intelligence assessment to the White House that contradicted the president's forecast."
The Fall of Mark Foley
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- In a column in The Washington Post on Aug. 12, 2005, titled "Lessons for an Exit Strategy," Kissinger wrote, 'Victory over the insurgency is the only meaningful exit strategy.' He delivered the same message directly to Bush, Cheney and Hadley at the White House. "
- Victory had to be the goal, he told all. Don't let it happen again. Don't give an inch, or else the media, the Congress and the American culture of avoiding hardship will walk you back.>He said the eventual outcome in Iraq was more important than Vietnam had been. A radical Islamic or Taliban-style government in Iraq would be a model that could challenge the internal stability of key countries in the Middle East and elsewhere.
- Kissinger told Rice that in Vietnam they didn't have the time, focus, energy or support at home to get the politics in place. That's why it had collapsed like a house of cards. He urged that the Bush administration get the politics right, both in Iraq and on the home front. Partially withdrawing troops had its own dangers. Even entertaining the idea of withdrawing any troops could create momentum for an exit that was less than victory.
The Fall of Mark Foley
The timing couldn't have been worse. Less than forty days before mid-term elections, the resignation of Florida's six-term Republican Representative Mark Foley is bad news for GOP leaders in Congress. What did Majority Leader Boehner and Speaker Hastert know and when did they know it? Details published in the Washington Post indicate that the story has got legs. The 'holier than thou' Republicans are squirming. They deserve it. "The resignation rocked the Capitol, and especially Foley's GOP colleagues, as lawmakers were rushing to adjourn for at least six weeks. "House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) told The Washington Post last night that he had learned this spring of inappropriate "contact" between Foley and a 16-year-old page. Boehner said he then told House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). Boehner later contacted The Post and said he could not remember whether he talked to Hastert. It was not immediately clear what actions Hastert took. His spokesman had said earlier that the speaker did not know of the sexually charged online exchanges between Foley and the boy."
