Allies of Bush's Father Ask Baker to Push for Iraq Change

[sabra]

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/061016/16baker.htm

Allies of Bush's Father Ask Baker to Push for Iraq Change

Some friends and advisers to ex-President George H. W. Bush are urging former Secretary of State James Baker to be as forceful as possible in recommending a new course of action in Iraq for George W. Bush.

Baker was one of the closest confidants to the elder Bush, and he is now cochairing a citizens' commission studying the war in Iraq and ways to improve the situation there. Many members of the former president's foreign-policy and national-security team are privately troubled by the current president's policies in Iraq and criticize what they consider a series of mistakes in occupying the country, including lack of sufficient U.S. troops and failure to stem sectarian violence.

But so far the incumbent president hasn't budged from his approach of holding the line. Baker and his panel aren't expected to make recommendations until after the November 7 election, but Washington insiders who are close to the Bush family say they have rising hopes that Baker will come up with a plan to "save" the younger Bush's Iraq strategy. But there is another school of thought among the ex-president's advisers that Baker will have only minimal impact because the current president is so deeply committed to his current approach in Iraq.

According to this "realist" faction, Baker in the end won't allow the panel to recommend a big shift in course if he believes the White House will reject it or if he thinks it will embarrass the administration.

[Vincardog]

1. NOTHING will embarrass the administration. They will only be

embarrassed when they are locked in their cells for eternity.

[mikeytherat]

2. Gotta love this:

"According to this "realist" faction, Baker in the end won't allow the panel to recommend a big shift in course if he believes the White House will reject it or if he thinks it will embarrass the administration."

"To Hell with doing 'The Right Thing!' If it might embarrass King George, we will not recommend it, even if it is the right thing to do."

Asshats, the lot of 'em.

mikey_the_rat

[Drum]

3. Expected, but astounding all the same.

"Baker was one of the closest confidants to the elder Bush..."

"...and he is now cochairing a citizens' commission..."

"...Baker in the end won't allow the panel to recommend a big shift in course if he believes..."

WTF?

Citizens commission my arse!

[global1]

4. Daddy * Bailing Out Sonny Boy Yet Again......nt

[bdamomma]

5. deeply committed to his current approach in Iraq

I would love to see bush deeply committed to a jail cell.

[kurth]

6. Fuck James Baker. REMEMBER 2000.

November 17, 2000

JAMES BAKER, OBSERVER FOR BUSH CAMPAIGN: Ladies and gentlemen, I have just spoken with Governor Bush and Secretary Cheney. They are understandably pleased with Judge Lewis' opinion. The rule of law has prevailed.

The court applied the rule of law objectively and fairly, upholding, as the judge's opinion states, the, quote, "reasoned judgment," close quote, of the secretary of state and the state election commission's certification of results on November 15.

We now look forward to the prompt counting and reporting of the limited number of uncounted overseas absentee ballots, so that the process of achieving a final result to the election in Florida is not subject to further delays.

Thank you very much.

[bluedeminredstate]

8. Absolutely.

"The votes have been counted, and counted and counted again..."

In fact, there were counties that didn't even do the MANDATORY recount required by state law AND the ones that did rerun the ballots through the scanner only did it one time. Very few counties actually hand counted the votes, but Baker made it sound like ballots were being handled wantonly and carelessly by thousands of election official-idiots. Idiots too dumb and feeble to count ballots even though Florida has recounted MANY races. What he did was un-American and I will never forget his part.

:mad:

[lumpy]

16. Apparently Baker and a lot of other Republicans

have been stymied by th actions of the Carl Rove faction and Dubya's stubborn streak that was the result of the failures he has experienced in his undertakings. It is noticeable that people who have experienced low self esteem or defeat will become viciously stubborm and narssicistic when they gain a power position.

[central scrutinizer]

7. anybody still have a link to the paper outlining the reasons

they did not invade and occupy Iraq after Gulf War I written by Poppy and Baker in the mid 1990's? Eerily prescient - all of the stuff they predicted has come to pass: civil war, etc.

[KansDem]

9. Now, what was that about Hillary having too much influence on Bill...

...that the GOP bitched and moaned about? They whined and cried about Hillary "WHO WASN'T EVEN AN ELECTED OFFICIAL" Clinton having too much input into various Clinton Administration policies, including national health security, if I recall correctly...

So now James "Steal-an-Election" Baker will go through George H W Bush to influence King George the Torturer's plans (or lack thereof) for Iraq in hopes of pulling his ass out of the fire...?

[Nolo_Contendre]

10. I thought Heinrich Himmler was dead? n/t

[tanyev]

11. This should bring on another Li'l Boots temper tantrum.

"I'M THE DECIDER!!!!! I DON'T WANT TO GO TO BED YET!!!! WAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!"

[rodeodance]

12. This will really tick of Jr.

[pkz]

13. aren't Bush Sr.'s allies

Cheney, Rummy, Rice, Pearle, Wolfowitz?

[maseman]

14. Sean Insannity

Calls himself a Reagan Republican all the time. How will he respond to this? Go against Baker or 43?

[MarinCoUSA]

15. It's the Repuke '08 presidential protection dodge.

Link the meme to every utterance of this Baker plan.
Like Michale Savage + fascist pig.

This is ultimately about the repuke's desperate attempt to keep the presidency in '08.

[Demeter]

17. Unless Poppy Is Willing To Physically Eliminate The Decider

I doubt this commission will have any impact.