John McCain and Joe Lieberman have written a very good editorial on Iraq policy, in which they point out that thanks to the implementation of the surge and the counterinsurgency strategy–again, let us note that the President-elect and Vice President-elect opposed both of these policies and have not yet admitted error–there is an opportunity for bipartisan consensus to be created at long last when it comes to Iraq. Both invite the incoming Obama Administration to do what it can to foster this consensus.
To my mind, it would be tremendously helpful to follow the McCain-Lieberman recommendations and continue to have Ryan Crocker serve as Ambassador in Iraq, to rely on the judgments of Generals Petraeus and Odierno when it comes to formulating troop withdrawal plans and to stop pushing for artificial withdrawal dates and funding cutoffs through Congress.
We shall see whether the incoming Administration takes up the McCain-Lieberman offer. If it does, it shall have sufficient cover to pursue an effective Iraq policy–something the Bush Administration has not had and something that will help further American interests in the Middle East as well as setting Iraq firmly on the path towards normalcy. Of course, it is entirely possible that the incoming Administration will opt instead to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. In which case, I hope that the President-elect is prepared to see his poll numbers drop.
Precipitously.
Moe Lane
Neil Stevens
Steve Maley
Daniel Horowitz
Jake Walker
No, no, no, no, NO!
tsquare (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 10:52AM EST (link)When will we learn people?
First… this is the guy through his ‘can’t we all get along’ bipartisanship that just took us for a ride to defeat. If McCain won’t shut up we should at the very least quit listening.
Second… stop trying to pull “The One’s” chestnuts out of the fire.
Last… putting the country first does not work. Putting the lives of millions at home and overseas does not work. Has 8 years of Bush taught us nothing!?!
Our ‘enemy’ is the left and to them we should give no help, no aid, nothing than the back of our hand.
Let them mess everything up… let millions die b/c of it. Let Iran dominate the Middle East, let tens of thousands die here because of the insanity that is Obama and the left.
Then, when the nation sees what we see, when they finally know what we know… then we can come back to power, and once again fix the horrible mistakes of the left.
They are our chestnuts too
Joliphant (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 10:58AM EST (link)When it comes to foreign policy whatever can be done to keep the anointed one from destroying our position in the world has to be done.
Let him say all the stupid things he wants to at home just maneuver it so the actual foreign policies are good for the country
“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Good Lord, tsquare, you sound just like a Dem at his worst!
janis (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 11:06AM EST (link)Their party is the one that looks to make political gain off the deaths of our troops-remember? Their party is the one that wanted the economy and foreign policy to produce nothing but abject failure in order to gain power. That wish brought us a multitude of trouble that cost us lives overseas, that cost us trouble with our allies, that did nothing but alienate American from American here at home.
How can you possibly want us to behave the same way? I understand fighting for what is right and sticking it to the other side at every possible opportunity, but not if it gets my fellow citizens killed, not if it costs thousands or millions of lives overseas. No amount of power is worth that.
I Sound Just Like The Democrats?
tsquare (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 1:44PM EST (link)GOOD! That’s what I was shooting for.
Which party is in power? Which party got there by saying screw the country we’ve got to do what’s best for us?
Know what we got for all of Bush’s efforts to ‘set a new tone?’ Vilified, and thrown out. Before this our go along to get along got us 40 years out of power in the House.
Name one issue that is effecting things right now that we are not blamed for even if we are/were on the right side. Think Fannie/Freddie.
Let the Democrats rot in the rotten, putrid, swill of their own failed policies. Vote no on everything. Build on their failures… point by point failure by failure. Attack!
With every ruined industry Attack!
With every dead innocent Attack!
With every failed negotiation Attack!
With every failed interrogation Attack!
With the inevitable successful attach on the US?
Attack! Attack! Attack!
Look, I get your point, but I still stand by what I said.
janis (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 3:41PM EST (link)I will not wish death and destruction upon the heads of innocents in order to gain or regain political power.
And has it occurred to you at all that if you let things get bad enough, there may be no possibility of coming back to anything resembling a time of peace and plenty? That we might, if lucky, just be able to keep the lights on?
I never suggested anymore “NewTone”, and will be happy if I never hear that phrase again, much less see the concept applied. But there’s a lot of ground between “NewTone” and “Mad Max.” I’m for tripping the Dems up every single time that we can, and calling them on their lies.
Only problem is that I’m not your enemy here, John McCain is.
to me
gekster (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 8:43PM EST (link)God First,
Country second, (in this case the USA)
Party third.
And unlike what the left Dems said after Bush got elected, I have to say that I did not vote for him, but he is my President. I wish the best for him.
I hope he keeps us safe and warm, to put it simple.
He may not be of my party, but reread above.
Thats how our system works, or so I thought.
And it is unfathomable to me that you would wish harm on any one.
And at Christmas time too.
They say Republicans are for the rich, Democrats are for the poor.
If they need more voters,
then they have to make more of who they are for.
We are there in the various Tea Party groups, leaderless, but not rudderless.
We steer always toward the Constitutional principles this nation was founded upon.
Erick Brockway
Ok folks, 2012 is here. Get involved
Could John McCain just SHUT UP and go home?
JadedByPolitics (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 10:56AM EST (link)Seriously this one man has done more with his bi-partisanship to destroy the GOP and than a million others…..at RetNav says in his tag the only reason to reach across the aisle should be to SMACK the otherside!
Unified Patriots – How-To:
Activists Taking Action
We need to reach across the aisle more.
Diogenes314 (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 11:11AM EST (link)Where’s Preston Brooks when you need him?
You want McCain to go home???
mbecker908 (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 11:46AM EST (link)He is home. He represents the interests of the Inside the Beltway crowd. They don’t want him to shut up.
You got me there mbecker!
JadedByPolitics (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 11:53AM EST (link)nt
Unified Patriots – How-To:
Activists Taking Action
This is for real
Amy Miller (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 11:29AM EST (link)At the risk of being flayed, I say we aim for a perfect balance between the “olive branch” and what tsquare is talking about. It’s foolish to believe that we’ll be able to get anything accomplished by pulling faces and moaning and calling for four years of destruction. Crapping all over the new administration merely for the sake of crapping all over it is stupid! Sorry!
No, not sorry. And this is coming from the girl who had the idea that the majority of the left should be rocketed into the sun. The way I see it, we have two choices. On the one hand, we could “let them mess everything up” and forsake every good thing that could possibly come out of the next four years. This sort of behavior is analogous to quitting the band because you didn’t get the big solo–it’s childish.
On the other hand, we could BELT UP and do our best. By saying this, I’m not advocating compromising everything and handing out abortion coupons for Christmas. I am, however, encouraging everyone to avoid drama for drama’s sake. Guess who applied for a position in the Obama administration! AMY MILLER DID! Not because I’m throwing in the towel, but because I think I might be able to do some good there.
Which, if I am successful, will be a helluva lot more productive than sitting on my butt, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“I’m a conservative, I’m a textualist, I’m an originalist, but I’m not a nut.”
~Scalia, J.
Good luck, Amy, and I mean that sincerely.
janis (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 11:37AM EST (link)It would be great to know that the O administration had some true conservatives on the inside. From the piece I saw on TV the other night, you are one of over 300,000 who is applying for some 3000 positions.
And we won’t tell anyone from the incoming Administration that you are one of us!
You're in good company.
Diogenes314 (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 11:54AM EST (link)Gingrich recently got a lot of flack for suggesting we should wait until the Obama administration actually does something before opposing him and not trying to create a linkage between him and the Blago scandal until evidence of it is demonstrated Prepare to work with them when they are acting in the nation’s interest, oppose them when they are acting like Democrats.
Personally I hope he surprises us all and horrifies his groupies. I’d rather see a successful Democrat who works for the common good than a GOP win in the next election.
Where there is smoke there is fire
Joliphant (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 12:15PM EST (link)And if you don’t think that obama is up to his eyes in Illinois corruption I have a bridge in brooklyn to sell you.
Blsgoievitch help make Obama and did a lot of work positioning him for the election. Just how many scumbags does the anointed one have to be beholden to before we can say “Maybe he isn’t pure as the driven snow and roses don’t explode from his loins”
“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
So what?
Diogenes314 (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 12:23PM EST (link)Any evidence that he is involved in this case? Or that Fitzgerald is asleep at the wheel? By accusing without evidence you run the risk of hitting upon the only instance of corruption he isn’t involved in, and discrediting any attempts to point out future misdeeds.
if only the dems did that for Bush
gekster (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 8:55PM EST (link)‘nt’
They say Republicans are for the rich, Democrats are for the poor.
If they need more voters,
then they have to make more of who they are for.
We are there in the various Tea Party groups, leaderless, but not rudderless.
We steer always toward the Constitutional principles this nation was founded upon.
Erick Brockway
Ok folks, 2012 is here. Get involved
President Obama victorious in Iraq.
mbecker908 (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 11:45AM EST (link)See my diary on this subject here…
I suppose I could disagree more, I’m just not sure how. My agreement, and the opinions/actions of Republicans on this matter won’t matter one whit anyway. John McCain has layed the groundwork to make sure the credit for victory goes to the Dems.
I detest John McCain.
What we are talking about here is securing
septembergurl (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 2:51PM EST (link)our victory in Iraq, won against great odds by our magnificent military. In order to secure this victory, some accomodation has to be made to the incoming administration.
It’s a deal that Obama has made — he won’t insist on the timetable for troop withdrawal in return for sharing in our voctory.
Of course he — and all other Dems except Lieberman — opposed the surge and hence should play no role in reaping rewards for its success. It’s a hard thing to do, but in order to prevent a timetable withdrawal such as Obama campaigned on, it’s worth it to let them share in the victory.
Obama was told by Mullen & Gates that Petraeus & Odierno have a troop withdrawal that’s not the 16 months Obama has promised. What is he going to do? Have a confrontation with Petraeus, who has just won a victory in a war everyone thought was lost? I don’t think so.
The piece by McCain and his wingmen is the necessary framework for this.
Bull s**t.
mbecker908 (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 3:05PM EST (link)Just keep reaching across the aisle. And make sure your blindfold is firmly in place so you don’t see what’s waiting for you.
They don’t call us the StupidParty™ for nothing.
Crap. Neil... Help... Please...
mbecker908 (Diary) Sunday, December 21st at 3:06PM EST (link)I forgot to resize the darn thing to 25% both ways. Can you do it????
Obama will take a seat on the SOFA
JLenardDetroit (Diary) Monday, December 22nd at 7:33PM EST (link)Obama will take a seat on the SOFA (Status Of Forces Agreement) and it will be his excuse to do no more and no less and let Iraq fall apart. That coupled with, the usual, Defense cuts, Appease first but quickly Surrender regardless policies (Afghanistan may be an exception as they’ve used that as the “That’s where the War on Terror really is supposed to be fought” rhetoric has been going on for 5 years) will again weaken the US and open us up for resurgence of AQ and any/every other Terrorist organization around the Globe, but more of concern an attack in the US.
Regards from NoMoTown (the MOTORlessCITY)
“Liberals, looking to do for? America what they’ve done for? Detroit! which is DESTROY IT!”
“I think, therefore I am Conservative”
“Conservative by choice, Republican by necessity”
“You can lead a Liberal to the Truth/Facts, but you cannot make them THINK!”
“Romney [No, not my first choice] does NOT have a MORMON problem. He has a, far too many Americans; these days; are MORONS problem!”
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