This is something I dont remember any president ever doing and it made me think of that German article about Iran everyone just blew offIt will be an unusual sight on Thursday in the Roosevelt Room of White House, and deliberately so: President Bush will engage in a consultation of sorts with a bipartisan collection of former secretaries of state and defense. Among them will be several who have left little doubt that they think Mr. Bush has dangerously mishandled Iraq, ignored other looming crises, and put critical alliances at risk.
Short of Madeline Albright I think the Secretaries of Defence from the other side of the isle would be the best to explain the Iranian threat and importance, and then send back to the Dems to explain to the partisan politicians
The meeting was called by the White House, which sent out invitations just before Christmas to everyone who once held those jobs. The invitees were told that they were being asked to attend a briefing on Iraq and other issues.
that other issues I think is the kicker the Iraq issue has pretty much been gone over to death the lines are long drawn deep and dark on both sides
It was unclear, one recipient said, "how interested they are in what we are thinking."
probably not very interested I would think more like a briefing and then take this to your leaders kind of stuff without telegraphing our moves by calling in all the Dem leaders who would have to set up before and after press conferences, talking points, and thousand dollar hair cuts first, not to mention who would be considered the top leadership anyway?
In fact, no one inside the White House could recall a meeting quite like this during Mr. Bush's first five years in office.
I personaly dont remember anything like this short a PR gathering funeral ect.. in my lifetime
At moments he has called upon past presidents - notably his father and Bill Clinton - for aid missions to countries hit by the 2004 tsunami, and then to cities and towns hit by Hurricane Katrina. Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III was recruited to lead efforts to get debt relief for Iraq, and Brent Scowcroft, the former national security adviser, headed up a White House panel that reviews foreign intelligence issues, only to be dis-invited after he became a critic of the decision to invade Iraq. But never before has Mr. Bush asked such a broad array of former senior officials to show up together, presumably armed with strong opinions about issues like whether the moment has come to begin an exit from Iraq and what the United States should be doing with North Korea, Iran, Sudan or public diplomacy.
Oh the NYT did remember thier was other major issues on the table involving the WOT
Mr. Bush's guests will be briefed by Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the American commander in Iraq, and Zalmay M. Khalilzad, the American ambassador there.
I must have left it out but Rumsfield is going to be their too
"We invited them so they could hear from General Casey and Ambassador Khalilzad, so that they could hear about the progress we are making on our plan for victory in Iraq, from the military and civilian leaders on the ground," Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, said Tuesday evening, calling the meeting part of Mr. Bush's broader effort for "outreach on the strategy."
I hope that outreach includes a strong drop the partisan BS and put your nations interest first or else message to be dilivered or at least just drop the word "sedition"
"There will be opportunity for them to ask questions and have a discussion," he said.