Analysis: Is 'Perfect Storm' Brewing for Bush? (PNAC panicking)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=584&ncid=584&e=2&u=/nm/20030824/pl_nm/security_bush_dc

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the 2004 election nears, President Bush could face an international "perfect storm" -- more attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan, an overextended deployment of U.S. troops eager to come home and blackening clouds over the Middle East, North Korea and Iran.

The confluence of world events will test Bush's foreign policy leadership even as he must concentrate on the U.S. economy and other domestic issues that could determine whether he wins a second term...

More compelling to the White House, perhaps, may be the stance of William Kristol and Robert Kagan, neo-conservatives who helped create the intellectual climate that propelled Bush's decision to overthrow Saddam Hussein.

In The Weekly Standard, which Kristol edits, they warned that the future of U.S. world leadership and security is at stake in Iraq but Bush has "failed to commit resources to the rebuilding of Iraq commensurate with these very high stakes."

There are too few U.S. troops and too little money committed to Iraq and another $60 billion and two army divisions are needed, they said.

"This is the time to bite the bullet and pay the price. Next spring, if disaster looms, it will be harder. And it may be too late," they wrote.

Wasn't it the neo-cons such as Perle and Wolfowitz who were telling the world that the Iraqis would greet US troops with flowers and parades?

Is there a falling-out among the reptiles here?

The fact that Kristol is attacking Bush is huge IMHO.

the Iraqis would greet US troops with flowers and parades

We have to remember that Wolfie's stance was:

In his statement of September 16, 1998, Wolfowitz ridiculed Clinton’s policies toward Iraq and said, “Administration officials continue to claim, as Assistant Secretary Martin Indyk did in testimony to the Senate last week, that the only alternative to maintaining the unity of the UN Security Council is to send U.S. forces to Baghdad. This is wrong.”

Wolfowitz then articulated how, with patience and diplomacy, a critical mass could be reached by supporting dissidents in their eventual overthrow of the Ba’athist regime. “he key lies not in marching U.S. soldiers to Baghdad, but in helping the Iraqi people to liberate themselves from Saddam,” he said.

He detailed the patient commitment that such a policy would require however, such an action would deliver much stronger international support than American militarism. He said, “Our friends in the Gulf, who fear Saddam but who also fear ineffective American action against him, would see that this is a very different American policy, one that can rid them of the danger that Saddam poses. And Saddam's supporters in the Security Council–in particular France and Russia–would suddenly see a different prospect before them. Instead of lucrative oil production contracts with the Saddam Hussein regime, they would now have to calculate the economic and commercial opportunities that would come from ingratiating themselves with the future government of Iraq.”

http://www.republicons.org/view_article.asp?RP_ARTICLE_ID=717

mmm hmmm. Verrrrry interesting, no? I love the self-righteous crap about France and Russia......like the BFEE and PNACers have never profitted from doing business with their pal Saddam. Oy!!

Julie

isn't what Wolfie is saying there essentially what the Iraqi Liberation Act put into law a couple of months later?

doesn't that smell like PNAC/BFEE handy-work?

Does to me....

Julie

http://www.inc.org.uk/English/news/98/oth980916a.htm

The full transcript of PAUL WOLFOWITZ, STATEMENT TO HOUSE NAT'L SECURITY COMMITTEE is at this site (Iraqi National Congress)--along with some other good stuff.

thanks!

Major hypocrisy and huge disconnect between now and 5 years ago.

For Kristol to be criticizing is a bad, bad sign.

Also, bye-bye military vote - you aint't getting them this time *.

in the form of taxpayer funded 'rebuilding', and Kristol will go back to promoting bush.

it's all about making that dollar, and when it's about making that dollar for your rich friends, the Republicans win.

>>>>In The Weekly Standard, which Kristol edits, they warned that the future of U.S. world leadership and security is at stake in Iraq but Bush has "failed to commit resources to the rebuilding of Iraq commensurate with these very high stakes."

Great, now form a circular firing squad and fire. Bush* was a moron for going along with your stupid plan, but we'll never forget - it *was* YOUR stupid plan, Kristol, Perle, et al.

"covering your own ass"?

Kristol was one of the leading voices pushing for this ill-advised war, and now he blames Bush for not handling it right? Don't make me laugh.

Time to bite the bullet and pay the price?? No, FUCK YOU. It's the time for you treasonous PNAC bastards and the goddamned oil companies to put YOUR asses and YOUR money on the line, and stop this theft from the American people (and the Iraqi people for that matter)

Let Kristol and Wolfe lead the charge.

I won't hold my breath.

would cost way more'n $60 billion. That only comes out to a million and a half per Neo-Con.

You expect them to fight for such a pittance?

By God, it'd cost at least ten million just to feed one of 'em at a prayer breakfast.

Time to raise that bottom tax bracket to 20%! Also time to eliminate the EPA and cut funding to Social Security and Medicare to save money!

And, of course, time to reinstate the draft!

Rove... and therefore Bush and Republicans.
I am sure that according to them Americans (lower income) must shoulder the cost of making American "great".

Kistrol the man with the plastic face and the

mouth that shit would not melt in. A self centered

very perfect little man, one with all the answers

to questions he does not understand.

Someday he will (Understand).

180

they don't wish to share". It was lost in the middle of the "let's fix Iraq with more troops" nonsense, but it's further proof a split in the hawk community. I see at least four hawk factions:

1.) The ones who believe we need to control the Middle East to fight terrorism. (The irony of our presence causing the terrorism seems lost with these folks).

2.) The ones that are simply out for the oil and reconstruction revenues. (There are the true looters)

3.) The ones who would do just about anything to help Likud's vision of Israeli security. (I suspect Lieberman is in this camp, which is why I oppose him.)

4.) The ones who view controlling the ME oil as a strategic asset in a long term game of global hegemony. (The old Kissinger Realpolitik gang)

Now, they all could agree on invading Iraq, but what to do after we invade is splitting them up.

"These Bu$h neo-cons won't give an inch to the UN!............
After all, this is their 'game'...and, they want to take home the 'prize'."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=75793&mesg_id=75793

So, when I heard Sen. Biden's comments this morning, I nearly fell out of my chair!

Also, recently, a subject line from one of my DU posts appeared (verbatim) in a televised news crawler a few days after my original posting. Hmmm.

Coincidence or not, I've read that other posters have experienced or seen the same thing...material from DU reaching the "mainstream" press a few days after debuting at DU. (And, certainly, I don't consider myself one of the many scholars or political experts we have on this board, either!)

But, I am convinced reporters, producers, and politicians (and their staff) regularly visit DU. So, in the very least, it's something for all us to keep in mind.

:-)

you are Joe Biden. I knew it all along. :-)

;)

"Enronomics" made it all the way to the cover of Newsweek.

now that is a funny!

Whistle Ass has had plenty of tests and failed them all.

where "Up is Down" and "Failing is Passing". :puke:

AWOL another term, unless a major catastrophe occurs on US soil that dwarfs 9-11.

Perhaps the two part question is (1) will AWOL's handlers go all out and stage another attack on America and (2) will Americans be fooled a second time? :shrug:

FatFace Russert used it today, as did Bob Schieffer while interviewing Wes Clark.

Finally... a new media buzzword that works to our advantage!!

how Bush* and his minions failed them on 9/11, it will be the final element of the Perfect Storm.

Bush's failures on 9/11 are so shameful, they surpass his disgusting AWOL military record.

n/t

Let's see all these PNAC millionaires get together and tell Bush to rescind their tax cut, because rebuilding Iraq and America's reputation in the world is so much more important than buying an election or a new yacht.

No? Well, how about a War Tax which will popularly be called Bush's Big Mistake Tax? How about that? This tax will expire as soon as America pulls out of Iraq.

Nothing so permanent as a temporary tax, is there, PNAC?

mission creep and stagflation. As they say in N.A., insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Or is that stupidity?

Either way, Hot Dam.

fasten your seatbelts...it's gonna be a bumpy week.

on our military by keeping their deployment numbers low. He is a despicable tyrant. This plan is backfiring on him, however, though the consequences have hurt our troops more.

Gen. Myers said today on MTP that the troop level was fine. He stated that other people that have said otherwise did not currently understand the situation. He held the company line like the good soldier.

We have all seen this man many times. He's usually very cool under pressure. But today, I saw him struggling. He was sometimes hesitant, and several times he paused to qualify his answer before giving it. My instincts say, he wasn't sure he could hold the company line.

without increasing the draft. See my reply at
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=221634&mesg_id=224134&page=

They even willing to die, endure pain and suffering, to get at the Bush. Since Bush is not there, they do what they can to make Bush look stupid/inept which is not too hard to do. Bush feels the American public will back him up with a re election.

Smart money are looking for the best odds.

It ain't on the Shrub

Private companies are not going to put their people in harm's way.

Logistics is so important. Napoleon said an army travels on its stomach. that mean more than full bellies. It also means everything from toilet paper to replacement tracks for tanks. Ike was probably one reason we were so effective in WWII. He made sure our soldiers were well supplied all the time. From what I have been reading, that is not what is happening in Iraq.

Our troops are not being supported properly. You cannot expect a private company to take the risks needed to keep an army supplied.

Remember Patton said the most effective weapon he had at his disposal was the "duece-and-a-half" or 2-1/2 ton truck which moved supplies to the front to keep his tanks supplied and maintained.

Is he co-habitating with Unca DICK in the Naval Observatory Bunker???

:shrug:

leadership, thats my question. If it doesn't benefit chimp's donors it isn't considered.

on american facilties supply depots, motor pools, barracks, with lots of dead and wounded and this buttmunch* and all of his buddies are crispy critters.

Here's where it is right now:

You have given the news article Analysis: Is 'Perfect Storm' Brewing for Bush? a rating of 5. Its current average rating is 4.14 with 228 vote(s).

:kick:

The Iraqi end objective is different for the PNACers who have an ideological agenda and the BFEE (military-industrial) that has a $$$$$ agenda. Then throw in crazy-arrogant Rummy who is taking this opportunity to reinvent the military in his image and then, of course, we have the Rover whose agenda is to get the Shrub elected. He didn't get him elected in 2000, so I am sure his pride is hurt. Then we have cave-dweller Chaney whose agenda is to make sure Halliburton empties our Treasury.

Then we have a pRez who can barely speak English trying to front for all these thugs. Who is in charge??? Obviously no one person is calling the shots. So the many headed snake is going to start biting itself.

PNAC is pissed because we are messing up their dream for Iraq.
The Money crowd is pissed because they can't get into the ME to start privatizing.

Rove is pissed cause the numbers are getting close to free-fall.

And Chaney.......who knows what the mystery prez is thinking.

:thumbsup:

He will be cast aside like a used kleenex.

Kristol didn't just "say" this without letting them know beforehand.

He pretends that he is criticizing the enthroned one, but he is simply forewarning us that we/they will be sending more. Kristol goes before Rummy, don't ya know! Pretty soon you'll see Ludeen and some of the others (please, oh please don't send us Adelman). It's time to hire soldiers of war and bring our young kids home - let them have a chance to live - let the big gamblers go in there - the macho men - the Arnold men.

We don't want any more sitting duck youngsters dying for the oil rigs.

Here is the $64 mil question - did PNAC including Cheney and Kristol really believe that everyone would fall down in adoration at our democracy trick? Could they have possibly have believed their own brown propoganda?

and Ventura becoming a TV host - why not send them over to pump up some soldiers of war or will all their egos clash?

Why not divert everyone from war, including the terrorists - why not put Arnold, Ventura, the soldiers of war into a stadium and butt heads with the terrorists? Show em who's who.

Some think it's all about drugs ruling.
Others think it's all about Islam ruling.
Others think it's all about oil democracy ruling.

Bushco has declared war on the press, and I hope they get it.
The press have endured the murder of their own by these criminals...and I can't imagine they will simply sit on their hands or back away in fear.

artistry.