If things are going so great in Iraq, why do General David Petraeus and Iraqi Ambassador Ryan Crocker need to retreat to Fox News to play a game of journalistic softball for an “exclusive” interview tonight? I mean, with such great news, why not share it with the rest of the news consuming public that who doesn’t watch a biased cable entertainment channel that pretends it’s a real news organization?

It’s becoming clearer by the day that despite administration attempts to paint him as the latest savior of their Iraq policy, he’s really just nothing more than a public relations shill for the Bush White House who’s only interest is in keeping this war going as long as possible while pushing American troops literally to the breaking point.

For Americans who suspected that the big “September Progress Report” was nothing more than a political song and dance, their suspicions are now confirmed, and the Bush White House isn’t even interested in pretending that it’s not anymore.

I’m sure the conservative base will love Rudy saying that illegal immigration isn’t a crime:

Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani said illegal immigration is not a crime, prompting rival Mitt Romney to accuse him of not taking the problem seriously…

“It’s not a crime,” Giuliani said Friday.
AP

Any conservatives care to comment on his position? Personally, I think we can effectively mark this as the day Rudy lost any chance of winning over the conservative base and winning the Republican nomination for President.

They may have been willing to overlook his pro-choice, pro-gay, pro gun law stances, and his checkered personal history, but illegal immigration not being a crime? That’s crossing the line!

Losing 4000+ jobs can only mean one thing: it must be time for tax cuts for the rich!

Like so many other promises made to the American people about the pace of “progress” being made in Iraq, we once again learn it was just a delay tactic that was as quickly abandoned by the administration as it was conceived. When the President told us two years ago that “steady progress” was being made in training Iraq security forces, we were told was an attempt to buy “just a little more time”, and that “real soon now” we’d be able to start withdrawing our troops as Iraqi’s took over.

And like so many times before, we now come to find out that we were deceived:

Iraq’s army, despite measurable progress, will be unable to take over internal security from U.S. forces in the next 12 to 18 months and “cannot yet meaningfully contribute to denying terrorists safe haven,” according to a report on the Iraqi security forces published today.

The report, prepared by a commission of retired senior U.S. military officers, describes the 25,000-member Iraqi national police force and the Interior Ministry, which controls it, as riddled with sectarianism and corruption. The ministry, it says, is “dysfunctional” and is “a ministry in name only.” The commission recommended that the national police force be disbanded. – Washington Post

Because the last time we disbanded the Iraqi army, that worked out so well. Seriously, are the 22 year old Heritage Foundation interns still running the show over 5 years later?!

When is the last time you heard, “When they stand up, we’ll stand down”? Exactly.

Another gem from the link above, dated November 2005:

A senior defense official has told CNN that a plan to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq early next year has been submitted to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld by Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

Sound familiar?

Seriously, what is this now? The fourth, fifth time that the “next three to four months will be crucial” promise has been made?

The No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq said Tuesday that the next three to four months will be crucial in determining whether the United States can start to withdraw troops from Iraq without sacrificing security gains since the troop buildup began early this year….

“I think the next three to four months are critical,” Odierno told reporters. “I think that if we can continue to do what we are doing, we’ll get to such a level where we think we can do it with less troops.” – AP

You many recall that the three to four months over the summer were going to be “the critical time”, before that the spring was going to be the “critical time”, and before that the previous fall before elections was going to be the “critical time”. And then of course, every season previous to that for the last four years.

It’s a simple plan from the Bush administration: War now, war tomorrow and war forever, and he said as much in an interview with the writer of his latest biography, “Dead Certain”. He fully expects the next President to take on his war. And yet the media just can’t stop pushing the administration talking points about how “real progress” is being made, and if only we have another few months, things will get better. Why should the White House press corps ask tough questions about exactly that though? It’s easier just to dust off the last piece you wrote about three to four months ago about the next three to four months being critical, change the date, get a new quote, and you’re off to the Hamptons for the weekend.

I’ve made the gambling addict comparison before to this kind of behavior of continually promising that the next shake of the dice will be the big winner, then the debt can start being paid back, but until then, just spot me another $100!

The problem is our President is gambling with the lives of real people who have real families, and despite what he says, he doesn’t care or understand the consequences of his endless war.

It’s amazing that the State can come up with $20+ million to fund an upgraded freeway interchange that benefits a private shopping mall and it’s investors in one of the wealthiest counties in Wisconsin, yet funding for thousands of low-income seniors, disabled folks who require special public transit needs, or money to repair our ageing existing infrastructure across the state can’t be found.

Priorities.