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2003-05-01 Iraq

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Posted by liberalhawk 2003-05-01 12:15 pm|| || Front Page|| [6 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Almost all my post-Iraq fears distilled into a single post. Brrrr!

Posted by Scooter McGruder 2003-05-01 12:58:35|| 2003-05-01 12:58:35|| Front Page Top

#2 I too am very concerned. Some of the smarter war opponents (eg Josh Marshall) opposed the war in part because they thought Bush lacked either the will or vision to follow through to democracy. Until today I was optimistic that the Wolfowitz faction was winning. Now I dont think so. I hope there is enough innate good sense in the Iraqi people to prevent things getting too bad. If Dubya blows this, he hands a beautiful issue to any hawkish Democrat (Lieberman, Edwards or Gephardt) in 2004.

Posted by liberalhawk 2003-05-01 14:23:20|| 2003-05-01 14:23:20|| Front Page Top

#3 Pakistan? You toppled Saddam to create a second Pakistan?
I start to like Rumsfeld now and that's saying something.
No you don't want a "government rooted in the Muslim religion". Sharia anyone???

Posted by True German Ally 2003-05-01 14:26:47|| 2003-05-01 14:26:47|| Front Page Top

#4 well now TGA, if a EUROPEAN government were to come out in favor of the more democratic forces in Iraq, and were to ally with Wolfowitz in the internal politics of the administration, that would pull the rug out from under Powell's feet on this. Don't expect it to happen though.

Posted by liberalhawk 2003-05-01 14:39:09|| 2003-05-01 14:39:09|| Front Page Top

#5 update from AP

"Zaab Sethna, a senior adviser to Chalabi, said the United States has been sending mixed signals about the new government. But he said America had made clear the former exile and Kurdish groups â which he referred to as the Iraqi opposition leadership â would be the core.

"The United States has said they'd like to see the Iraqi opposition leadership to be expanded as a nucleus for the provisional government. The Iraqi opposition agrees with that," he said.

Asked about reported distrust of Chalabi among some American officials, Sethna said: "The United States is not a monolith. There are different departments of the U.S. government who say different things to different audiences."

Posted by liberalhawk 2003-05-01 14:50:00|| 2003-05-01 14:50:00|| Front Page Top

#6 The only possible positive spin I see on this, and it's hinted at in the otherwise depressing Newsweek article, is that this might mean we're keeping the training wheels on for rather longer instead of dumping the country into local hands and running off.

But I'm not pleased. Wonder if Bush will reaffirm his commitment to a free Iraqi government tonight.

Posted by someone 2003-05-01 15:12:01|| 2003-05-01 15:12:01|| Front Page Top

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