Bush Administration spokesperson General Petraeus and his sidekick Ryan Crocker CrockObull are headed back to Washington again today with those gorgeous graphs to fool Congress give Congress an update on the 6 month no 1 year no, ah hell, the never ending surge. They will, of course, say everything is going fantastic with the surge and they only need another Freidman Unit 6 months just to make sure.
That brings me back to the title of this post. What ever happened to the 18 benchmarks? You know, the ones our glorious pathetic leader Bush told us about in his State of the Union address on January 23, 2007 justifying his surge “New Way Forward” in Iraq.

America will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it has announced.

Lest we forget, here are the benchmarks…
1. Perform constitutional review.
2. Enact de-Ba’athification reform.
3. Implement oil legislation.
4. Form semi-autonomous regions.
5. Hold provincial elections.
6. Address amnesty.
7. Disarm militias.
8. Establish support for Baghdad Security Plan.
9. Provide military support in Baghdad.
10. Empower Iraqi Security Forces.
11. Ensure impartial law enforcement.
12. Establish support for Baghdad Security Plan by Maliki government.
13. Reduce sectarian violence.
14. Establish neighborhood security in Baghdad.
15. Increase independent Iraqi Security Forces.
16. Ensure minority rights in Iraqi legislature.
17. Distribute Iraqi resources equitably.
18. Keep Iraqi Security Forces free from partisan interference.
Fifteen months later we are no closer to meeting these benchmarks than the day the “SURGE” started three Friedman Units ago. Well then, what was the purpose of the surge you ask? Bush/Cheney/McCain have changed the goal post so many times it is hard to remember. Which is exactly what they are hoping for.
The ORIGINAL excuse purpose of the surge was to provide the “breathing space” for political reconciliation to occur. Yet three Friedman Units 18 months later, political progress has been scant, and what progress has been made is not durable. The Iraqis have not made the difficult political compromises necessary for national reconciliation, and an indefinite U.S. presence in the region will not inspire them to do so. Despite the best efforts of our military men and women in creating a temporary lull in violence, substantial advancement toward a sustainable and independent Iraq has not been made.
The only success has been that slight but temporary decrease in violence in Iraq. But even that has less to do with the SURGE and more to do with the temporary cease fire called by Moktada al-Sadr and the Mahdi Army AND the briefcases full of money we give to the various militias each month so they don’t attack us.
This is progress? We are no better off now then we were in 2005. The real questions Petraeus needs to answer..
1. Have the results of the SURGE been worth the lives of the 1000 Americans who died during this time?
2. Have the results of the SURGE been worth the 120 Billion dollars it has cost?
3. Have the results of the SURGE been worth the crippling of our military infrastructure?
4. Is the Iraq government any closer to meeting the benchmarks NOW than 2 years ago?
THE ANSWER TO ALL 4 QUESTIONS IS NO
But do you really think Bush, Cheney, McCain and Petraeus give a damn?

In the past few months, conservatives such as Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) have been quick to declare victory in Iraq. In November, McCain said that “we’ve succeeded militarily.” A day later, Lieberman declared that “we are winning” because “we have made progress” in “one of the most remarkable turnarounds in modern military history.”
Gen. David Petraeus, however, appeared on NBC this morning and rebutted the declarations of mission accomplished and said that he’ll need at least another Friedman Unit before he can make a judgment:

We think we won’t know that we’ve reached a turning point until we’re six months past it. We have repeatedly said that there ARE no lights at the end of the tunnel that we’re seeing. We’re certainly not dancing in the end zone or anything like that.

These six months appear to be never-ending, and are used by the right wing to constantly beg more time for the war.

TOM FRIEDMAN: It might be over in a week, it might be over in a month, it might be over in six months, but what’s the rush? Can we let this play out, please? [NPR, 6/3/04]

DICK CHENEY: I think they’re in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency. [Larry King Live, 5/30/05]

JOE LIEBERMAN (I-CT): By the end of this year, we will begin to draw down significant numbers of American troops. [Washington Post, 7/7/06]

JOHN McCAIN (R-AZ): If you talk to most military experts, we’re in a critical and crucial time. We’re either going to lose this thing or win this thing within the next several months. [Meet The Press, 11/12/06]

ZALMAY KHALILZAD: Iraq Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki "has a window of a couple months. … If the perception is that this unity government is not able to deal with this issue, then a big opportunity would have been lost. [Washington Post, 9/30/06]

Gen. DAVID PETRAEUS: The top American commander in Iraq, has recommended that decisions on the contentious issue of reducing the main body of the American troops in Iraq be put off for six months, American officials said Sunday." –"Delay Decision on Cuts, General Says," [The New York Times, Sept. 10, 2007]

With timelines like these, U.S. troops might actually be stuck in Iraq for a million years.
Story Here
[tags]Iraq, War, Surge, Petraeus, Friedman Unit [/tags]

Today Senate Republicans showed once again that they don’t give a damn about the lives and families of our soldiers. By a vote of 56-44 the Senators that support our troops were unable to get the 60 votes needed to clear a GOP filibuster.
The roll call confirms that the only change in voting was that John Warner decided to vote against it this time, a change that was offset by Dem Tim Johnson’s return into the Senate. Also, GOP Senators David Vitter and Sam Brownback, who were no-shows last time, showed up to vote no this time. Not a single Republican moved from the No to the Yes column.

Harry Reid responds to the defeat of the Webb measure:

“In blocking this bipartisan bill, Republicans have once again demonstrated that they are more committed to protecting the President than protecting our troops. They have shown they will allow President Bush’s flawed war strategy to continue to strain our military rather than allow the availability of troops to dictate our operations. And they believe it is in our national security interest to push our brave troops and their families beyond their breaking point.

“Democrats disagree. We care deeply about rebuilding our badly overextended military and ensuring our troops have the time to properly train, prepare for and recover from battle. And Democrats remain committed to repaying in some small measure the sacrifices our brave troops are making every day.”

Adding further insult to our men and women overseas, Republican National Committee Chairman and Florida Senator Mel Martinez got on the House floor today and had the audacity to say:

“I think we would demean their service if we were to say to them that there had to be a parity between the time in service out of the country and the time at home.”

Is it demeaning the troops to let them have as much time at home with their families as away dying for Bush’s mistakes and failed policies, in the middle of a civil war?
Is it demeaning the troops to save their families from falling apart from a high divorce rate?
Is it demeaning the troops to let them be with their children, be a part of their lives and be there to watch them grow?
Is it demeaning the troops to try and reduce the RECORD number of suicides?
I don’t think so!
Senator Mel Martinez is a chickenhawk coward.
What is demeaning to the troops and the American people are the Republicans who constantly put politics and that traitor, Alice in BushWonderland, ahead of this country and the will of the people.
[tags]Iraq,War,Surge,Impeach Bush[/tags]

Senator Jim Webb made an exclusive video to explain why Congress must support the troops and pass the “Webb Amendment,” on Wednesday. He asks us to call our elected officials and tell them to support this very simple, but important measure. It received 56 votes last time it was introduced, but was filibustered by the Rubber Stamp Republicans which included McConnell and Warner.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Please call and ask these senators to support Jim Webb’s pro-troop amendment:

Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
DC: 202-224-6665
Anchorage: 907-271-3735

George Voinovich (R-Ohio)
DC: (202) 224-3353
Cleveland: (216) 522-7095

Elizabeth Dole (R-North Carolina)
DC: 202-224-6342
Raleigh: 866-420-6083

John Warner (R-Virginia)
DC: (202) 224-2023
Roanoke: (540) 857-2676

Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) DC: 202-224-2541
Louisville: 502-82-6304

Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania)
DC: 202-224-4254
Harrisburg: (717) 782-3951

[tags]Iraq, Patraeus, Surge, Videos, War[/tags]