Sucker play
It's not exactly escalation, at least by historical standards, but it doesn't seem to be causing great joy at the Pentagon either. From the BBC:
About the only question left, besides the regrettable and obvious one about how many people will die, is whether the D.C. press corps stops acting like lap dogs (attack poodles, in James Wolcott's memorable parlance.)
This is serious. Not only are we not making plans to get out, we are making plans to get in deeper, but the American people don't know what for. Well, deep down they know, and the answer is because this President is a failure who insists on sticking with his mistakes, no matter the toll.
The neo-cons lied about the reasons for war, they welcomed a climate in which anyone who questioned the way in which we went to war was smeared, and the Beltway pundits and reporters largely encouraged it. So if Papa Bush and James Baker are smart enough to see the handwriting on the wall, you have to wonder if there is some small chance that networks like CNN will, too.
On the other hand, this is a press corps that has been circling a hospital like vultures, hoping that their guys get back in power. They've been trained, like a love-starved puppy, to gratefully accept whatever attention they receive from their owners. So the big questions about um, what the heck is going on will go largely ignored, as we debate meaningless pop culture drivel and compare wardrobes.
US President George W Bush is likely to boost troop levels in Iraq next year, an administration official has said.And further down in the article:
Up to 25,000 more troops could be deployed to try to help end the violence, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The comments come a day after prominent Republican John McCain called for up to 30,000 more troops to be sent to Iraq.
Mr Bush had been due to announce a new strategy on Iraq next week, but has delayed his speech until January.
Military commanders, however, have been expressing scepticism that extra troops on their own will have much effect, our correspondent says.For the record, George W. Bush is going to go against the advice of the so-called Wise Old Men (and woman) who were sent to salvage what they could from this train wreck of a presidency.
They say that stability in Iraq can now only be had by political means.
About the only question left, besides the regrettable and obvious one about how many people will die, is whether the D.C. press corps stops acting like lap dogs (attack poodles, in James Wolcott's memorable parlance.)
This is serious. Not only are we not making plans to get out, we are making plans to get in deeper, but the American people don't know what for. Well, deep down they know, and the answer is because this President is a failure who insists on sticking with his mistakes, no matter the toll.
The neo-cons lied about the reasons for war, they welcomed a climate in which anyone who questioned the way in which we went to war was smeared, and the Beltway pundits and reporters largely encouraged it. So if Papa Bush and James Baker are smart enough to see the handwriting on the wall, you have to wonder if there is some small chance that networks like CNN will, too.
On the other hand, this is a press corps that has been circling a hospital like vultures, hoping that their guys get back in power. They've been trained, like a love-starved puppy, to gratefully accept whatever attention they receive from their owners. So the big questions about um, what the heck is going on will go largely ignored, as we debate meaningless pop culture drivel and compare wardrobes.
