A New Conspiracy?

Hey folks,

Here we go again. There is a new conspiracy brewing. According to the AP -Iraq report may bolster surge policy By PAMELA HESS, Associated Press WriterThu Aug 23, 5:33 PM ET

Intentionally or not, a new assessment of Iraq's political and military prospects landed just in time to bolster President Bush's case that the United States should maintain its troop buildup in the country and stand by its beleaguered government.

“Intentionally or not.” So it may have been?

The consensus report by U.S. spy agencies contained a veiled warning: Any move to shift U.S. troops out of their role directly combating insurgents could squander the modest security gains secured by the troop surge.

"A change of mission ... would place security improvements at risk," the report concluded.

That conclusion, coming unanimously from the nation's 16 intelligence agencies, will likely help the administration and its ground commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, argue for patience from a skeptical Congress and public. Petraeus has overseen a U.S. troop buildup and a more aggressive counterinsurgency effort that Bush announced in January.

“Coming unanimously from the nation's 16 intelligence agencies.” Remember that.

Anthony Cordesman, an Iraq expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said intelligence assessments aren't meant as policy arguments, but the warning in the new National Intelligence Estimate, revealed Thursday, may be seen as just that.

"I don't mean that the timing of the release may not have something to do with a campaign for supporting the president's position," he said.

What? The timing is done to support the President and the Troops? So I guess ALL 16 inelegance agencies are working together to support Bush?

Colin Kahl, a former Pentagon analyst and now an assistant professor of national security studies at Georgetown University, said the intelligence community is aware that the timing of the new report — just nine months after the last intelligence estimate on Iraq — looks political. It was dropped this week into the dead calm of an official Washington in the middle of summer vacation.

"I think those working on the NIE were well aware that it would be politically controversial, but I don't get the sense that this was done in the service of helping Petraeus or the administration," said Kahl. "I get the sense that some within the (intelligence community) thought it was unnecessary, and unprecedented, to do another Iraq NIE so close on the heels of the last one."

Could THIS be the reason? Look at this statement released by Traitor and LWL member Pelosi.

"In today's National Intelligence Estimate, the American people were presented with yet more evidence that the Iraqi government has failed to take the necessary steps to reach political reconciliation. Our military has performed their duties excellently, but the purpose of the escalation in Iraq was to create a secure environment in which political change could occur, and it is clear that the Iraqi leaders have failed to make progress.

"We need a New Direction to bring our troops home from Iraq so that America can refocus its efforts against terrorism worldwide."

Key Quotes From the New NIE on Iraq:

Is This What The Bush Administration Calls Progress?

"It appears to me ... there is some progress being made." - President Bush, August 21, 2007

Today, the National Intelligence Council released an unclassified summary of the most recent National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq. The report paints a grim picture of the political and security situation in Iraqand is at odds with the President's assessment.

-- "[T]he level of overall violence, including attacks on and casualties among civilians, remains high; Iraq's sectarian groups remain unreconciled; AQI [al Qaeda in Iraq] retains the ability to conduct high-profile attacks; and to date, Iraqi political leaders remain unable to govern effectively." (pg. 1)

-- "Broadly accepted political compromises required for sustained security, long-term political progress, and economic development are unlikely to emerge unless there is a fundamental shift in the factors driving Iraqi political and security developments." (pg. 1)

-- "Intra-Shia conflict involving factions competing for power and resources probably will intensify as Iraqis assume control of provincial security... The Sunni Arab community remains politically fragmented, and we see no prospective leaders that might engage in meaningful dialogue and deliver on national agreements... Kurdish leaders remain focused on protecting the autonomy of the Kurdish region and reluctant to compromise on key issues." (pg. 2)

-- "[W]e judge that the ISF [Iraqi Security Forces] have not improved enough to conduct major operations independent of the Coalition on a sustained basis in multiple locations and that the ISF remain reliant on the Coalition for important aspects of logistics and combat support." (pg. 2)

-- "The IC [Intelligence Community] assesses that the Iraqi Government will become more precarious over the next six to 12 months because of criticism by other members of the major Shia coalition (the Unified Iraqi Alliance, UIA), Grand Ayatollah Sistani, and other Sunni and Kurdish parties." (pg. 3)

-- "Population displacement resulting from sectarian violence continues, imposing burdens on provincial governments and some neighboring states and increasing the danger of destabilizing influences spreading across Iraq's borders over the next six to 12 months." (pg. 3)

It was really easy for her to pick out the negatives. Without reading the whole thing, I really do not take this spin on face value. According to the other AP report yesterday, it showed progress being made, positive signs, good news. This AP article is attempting to spin this as a conspiracy to HELP Bush. So? Which is it? Back to AP.

One senior intelligence official said, however, that the timing was intentional — designed to inform decisions to be made about Iraq strategy this summer and fall. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue more candidly.

Of course.

Kahl said the report itself amounts to an "honest, somewhat grim, 'damned if we do, damned if we don't' assessment."

The warning against any change in Iraq tactics comes as Capitol Hill and the White House are showing fresh interest in the 2006 bipartisan Iraq Study Group report. That report recommended, among other things, that U.S. forces pull back from the front lines and focus on providing logistical support and training to Iraqi forces, along with conducting targeted counterterror operations.

Yes and Bush has always said he was open to this, as long as we won militarily. We are winning.

In June, a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation to adopt the Iraq Study Group's 79 recommendations, with the goal to begin withdrawing combat troops not needed for force protection as early as March 2008. And on Thursday, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., called for starting troop withdrawals by Christmas.

Bush, who politely dismissed much of the Iraq Study Group's report last year, told an audience in Michigan on April 20 that he liked some of its ideas.

"Embedding troops and training troops makes sense for me. I like the idea of having our troops on the over-horizon presence, to be able to help bail out extreme situations. I really want to make sure that our special ops stays on the hunt for al-Qaida in Iraq," he said.

Pentagon officials say it will put severe strains on the military to sustain the additional 30,000 surge troops in Iraq beyond April 2008.

They are looking for ways to continue surge missions — protecting the population while pursuing al-Qaida and militia extremists — while transferring more day-to-day responsibility for operations to Iraqi forces. A senior military official in Iraq said Thursday that process is already under way.

"It has never been an either-or proposition," said a second top military officer. "We have to both protect the population and develop the Iraqi security forces. It's a matter of how."

Which is what they have been saying all along. It is the Press and people like Pelosi that have twisted it. But that is not working out so well. More and more American are starting to get tire of the games that Pelosi, Reid and others beholden to the Looneys out there. The moron.org {Moveon.org} types out there. More on that in part two.

Get ready folks, this is FAR from over. Be right back.
Peter