Senator Joe Biden has
always been a favorite
of mine. The Delaware
Democrat is one of our
most knowledgeable voices
in foreign affairs.
And he speaks plain
English, not John Kerryish
Senate-speak.
Part of Biden’s
‘solution’
to our Iraq problem
is his plea to President
Bush to ‘level
with the American people’.
The president, he says,
should go on primetime
national television
and tell us the truth
about what’s going
on in Iraq, what it
means, what’s required
of our citizens, and
what is the administration’s
‘strategy for success’.
He adds that he doesn’t
expect any mea culpas
from Mr. Bush. And he
believes the United
States could still win
in Iraq, "but only
if the White House corrects
course, rather than
just promising to 'stay
the course'."
But this week’s
news brings us yet more
sad reminders of the
virtual impossibility
that any such ‘leveling’
is likely to happen
anytime soon.
In my view, the choicest
reminder was the appearance
of Defense Secretary
Rumsfeld and his top
generals before the
Senate Armed Services
Committee. This was
Capitol Kabuki at its
very best. And if the
subject weren’t
so dead serious, it
would be great fodder
for Jon Stewart.
To provide a bit of
context for this hearing,
it should be noted that
it came three days after
Vice President Cheney
told us the Iraqi insurgency
was “in its last
throes”, two days
after Senate Assistant
Democratic Leader Dick
Durban took the senate
floor to apologize for
invoking the ‘Nazi,
Stalin, Pol Pot’
analogy to describe
the Bush Administration,
a day after Bush’s
‘architect’,
Karl Rove, accused liberals
of searching for therapists
to help us understand
the 9/11 hijackers,
and on the same day
as a leaked CIA report
warned that Iraq is
turning into an even
more effective training
ground for terrorists
than
Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Enter the dramatis
personae, each with
his prepared statement
at the ready. First,
Rumsfeld and the Generals,
each poised to reassure
us that we are making
progress in Iraq despite
all the challenges;
then the Committee Democrats,
wanting desperately
to ask tough, probing
questions but somewhat
constrained by political
correctness lest there
might be the slightest
hint of denigrating
‘our men and women
in uniform’; then
their Republican colleagues,
mostly panting to salute
Rummie, the brass, our
troops and the Commander-In-Chief
for their magnificent
leadership.
Was there ever a more
predictable piece of
Kabuki Theater on Capitol
Hill?
In the end, what did
we learn from sitting
through these painful
four hours?
We learned that none
of the generals were
prepared to take on
the Vice President,
despite what they gingerly
acknowledged was overwhelming
evidence from other
generals that Mr. Cheney
simply got it wrong.
The top U.S. regional
commander said the insurgency
was undiminished, and
ever more foreign fighters
were entering the country.
We learned that Senator
Robert Byrd, the Methuselah
of the Senate, was tired
of being lectured and
sneered at by Mr. Rumsfeld.
“I can’t answer
a (voter’s) question
with a sneer.”
We learned that the
Defense Secretary does
not believe the U.S.
is losing the war in
Iraq, and that he rejects
demands that the Bush
administration set a
timetable for the withdrawal
of our 140,000 US troops.
Troop reductions would
"throw a lifeline
to terrorists, who in
recent months have suffered
significant losses and
casualties, been denied
havens and suffered
weakened popular support."
We learned that Pentagon
commanders are worried
about the growing sophistication
of the bombs and other
devices used against
U.S. troops.
We learned that the
Defense Secretary doesn’t
think he should resign
for what Senator Ted
Kennedy charged was
a series of "gross
errors and mistakes"
that had made Iraq an
"intractable quagmire”.
Can quagmires be intractable?
We learned that the
Pentagon crew visibly
cringes at the use of
the dreaded "Q
word", so redolent
of Vietnam.
And we learned that
the generals are surprised
at how many American
commanders and soldiers
are asking whether the
military was losing
support at home for
their missions overseas.
"They worry we
don't have the staying
power to see the mission
through."
Having imparted all
this hot-off-the-press
information, the Rummie’s
Rascals then took their
show on the road and
gave virtually the same
performance before the
House Armed Services
Committee.
The Commander-in-Chief
will reported take to
the tube some time next
week to explain Iraq
to the people. I have
no idea what he’ll
say, but I suspect we
just sat through a pretty
good preview.
We’d learn more
at the movies!
Please click on the
link below.
THE WORLD ACCORDING
TO BILL FISHER
