The Speech and the Media

Just a quick review of the Speech by the Media Elite:

Washington Post, interesting and fair, a good read.

The New York Times, as you would expect, lot of hot air but no real answers that can be used to solve the problem.

The Times, UK paper of Record. The Paper states the following, ' Mr Bush’s domestic foes, notably Nancy Pelosi, the new Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives (who has a minimal record in foreign policy) and the increasingly surreal Edward Kennedy, would simply abandon Iraq and be done with it. '


Views would read the Post and the London Times, or the surreal, and what a good term the New York Times if you want flawed thinking.

The Speech and the Verdict

Courtesy of the White House

11/1/07

Views has supported the War since the start, sometimes he thinks he, President George W. Bush and Tony Blair are the only ones left that support the War. Views is a hawk, a tough SOB in many respects, a neo - Conservative and proud of it, a Reagan/ Thatcher supporter to his last breath, so what is his verdict. This is it, one last try, this has to work for the sake of the West and Iraq, if this fails then we have to use an old British ploy, create three different ethnic countries out of Iraq and let them kill each other as long as they are not killing us. This is not an option Views wants, the creation of India and Pakistan and the deaths it caused still makes Views wish we had found another way. So here is the nuts and bolts of the Speech:

1. 20,000 more troops in to Iraq.
2. 16,000 troops in Baghdad.
3. 4,000 troops in to a Iraqi Province to deal with the Terrorists, their heartland.
4. More Iraqi troops supported by the above troops and the gloves come off.
5. The Iraqi government has to understand the UK and the USA will not stay forever. By November they will be in charge of all Iraqi areas.
6. Keep the Borders secure, stop Iran and Syria sending in aid to cause problems.
7. Economic Development, build while developing security.

One last push, one last chance, lets hope this works, Views is fast coming to end of his tether, we either win or we get out, it is that simple.

The Speech and the Media Elite

CNN reports that the President will state that the USA will not stay forever in Iraq.

Speech, Parts released by the White House, via CNN ( Adobe Reader Required ) One last throw of the dice, and the results could be with us for years.

Slate on the lack of action by the Democrats when it comes to Iraq. In essence since Vietnam they have gone so left they cant afford to be seen in the same company as Ted Kennedy, well not those those that want to run for President, and as of NOW that is half the Democratic Senate at the moment

The Washington Post on the Surge and the Costs at home and in Iraq. Very intersting, the article looks at what needs to be done in Iraq and the political backing needed at home. If you only read one link, read this link.

Speech, Aspects of the Speech on RCP

New York Times on the Speech. The Tone of the article " But the plan described by White House officials today, and by other administration officials in recent days, may fall short of what many experts inside and outside the government believe may be necessary. " If you read by Blog you now my views of NYT.

The White House
An interesting Review of Iraq by the National Security Council.

The New Policy for Iraq

The White House has released the outline for the President's Speech Tonight: Six Aspects of Policy:


1. Let the Iraqis lead;
2. Help Iraqis protect the population;
3. Isolate extremists;
4. Create space for political progress;
5. Diversify political and economic efforts; and
6. Situate the strategy in a regional approach.

On a quick read, its aspect 6 that shows how much more influence the State Department has under Condi, more of a push for regional talks, but with who is the question?

The Speech Preview

Well folks the President must come up with a corker of a Speech tomorrow, Iraq will define his two years left in the White House. On reading the American Press there seems almost an aghast that he will risk more troops and more money on a War most of the Foreign Policy elite thought was a mistake in the first place and have seen their concerns develop in to reality. Those that have supported the War and still want the USA and UK to win in Iraq are fast becoming a minority in both the United States and the UK. But failure is not an option, as stated many times before, Iraq is not Vietnam, a failure in Iraq and the region would have after effects for not just years but could last the Century. The Political and Media Elite hate Bush 43 so much that it blinds them to the real world. They think if you are nice to those that want to harm you all the world will thank you, Richard Nixon had his flaws but he was tough in the Foreign Policy field, Reagan has a simple view when it came the Soviet Union, " We Win, they lose " and he was right, the Political and Media elite if they had their way would have allowed the Berlin Wall to still stand, Freedom comes with a cost. Thus we come to today, the Bush White House has to make sure that they win in Iraq, thus Views argues that the President should send at least twenty thousand men to Iraq, more if possible, secure the Capital, break up the armed groups, secure the border, develop the economic structure of Iraq, the same policy that was followed after WW2. On the covert side, get the CIA and Special Military in to Iran and cause havoc, make Iran have the same fate as Iraq, hitting military, research establishments. If Iran gives peace to Iraq they can have peace, if they want HAVOC to let lose the dogs of war, hit their nuclear establishments before Israel gets in to the act, this is the turning point, the West either wins or loses there is no middle ground, that was lost on 9/11.

Iraq versus Vietnam

Views is waiting for the President to give his speech on 10 January from the Oval Office, comment all about the place, is a surge short or long term policy and will the Congress causes problems for the President, till then Views has been reading some interesting articles on Iraq.

The UK Guardian. In essence want the Congress to act on Iraq, same views as the New York Times.

RCP on the relationship between the Parties as the year goes ahead in the context of Iraq.

The speech is the turning point, it will be like 1968 and the speech by LBJ when he removed himself from the race in the drive for peace. The plan failed and Vietnam and the Democrats lost in the election of 1968. Bush 43, if he wins in Iraq, the the Republicans should win in 2008, if not then the Democrats will take the White House and keep Congress. The stakes and rewards are high.

New York Times and The Real World

The New York Times has lost the plot, the West is at WAR, WAR, 9/11. 7/7. This is not Watergate or Vietnam, this is worse, 9/11, three thousand dead, over 50 killed in the UK, last time we suffered something like that was in WW2. NYT get in to real World, our world of the 9 to 5 guy, security first, your liberal agenda never.