Kristol: Bush ‘Was Furious’ Over NYT Report Of 2008 Withdrawal

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/27/bush-furious-nyt-report/

Kristol: Bush ‘Was Furious’ Over NYT Report Of 2008 Withdrawal

The New York Times reported this weekend that the Bush administration is developing “concepts for reducing American combat forces in Iraq by as much as half next year, according to senior administration officials in the midst of the internal debate.” The White House immediately tried to tamp down the story.

If there was ever any lingering doubt about whether the White House might finally be considering a redeployment, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol put those hopes to bed this morning on Fox News. He revealed that Bush is “furious” over the NYT report and that the White House is aggressively pushing back on the story over the Memorial Day weekend. Kristol said:

The president apparently was furious about the New York Times article Saturday. One senior White House official went out of his way to call me Saturday and left me a voicemail saying that. So, since they don’t normally do that on Saturdays, I think maybe it’s even true.

Watch it at link~

The NYT report is just the latest example in a recurring pattern of media reports that have given false hope of an imminent drawdown. As Glenn Greenwald notes, “For four straight years, the same set of war supporters have constantly and repetitiously given the same exact false assurances about Iraq — virtually verbatim — in order to protect themselves politically.” And the press bites at the story every time.

Digg It!

Transcript:

KRISTOL: I think the leak to the New York Times Saturday was a leak by one faction in the administration.

WALLACE: Why don’t you explain what the leak was.

KRISTOL: That the president is going to move towards a withdrawal at maybe the end of 2007.

WALLACE: That was one of the contingencies discussed.

KRISTOL: Which the New York Times said has not been discussed with General Petraeus and General Odierno, who are running the war. It’s irresponsible for people in the State Department, the Defense Department or the White House to be leaking this stuff which they have no idea whether it’s practical. The president apparently was furious about the New York Times article Saturday. One senior White House official went out of his way to call me Saturday and left me a voicemail saying that. So, since they don’t normally do that on Saturdays, I think maybe it’s even true. They certainly want the impression to be the president was furious.

Look, there’s a fight in the administration about how much they need to look as if they sort of are laying the predicate for getting out — ultimately, everyone wants to withdraw troops and plans to. Petraeus and Odierno assume that if they can sustain the surge through the beginning of 2008, at that point, maybe there will be enough Iraqi forces that we can begin to drawdown. The idea that you help yourself now by talking about drawing down, that was the mistake that the President and Secretary Rumsfeld made for the first three years. It’s the last thing they want to do now. The task for the next three months is for the president to get control over his own administration in terms of the message, let Petraeus and Odierno fight the war. Make the case for why we can’t afford to lose and why we can win and stop this internal leaking and signalling which they may — some of the people may think helps them politically, but i think it hurts.

[Warren Stupidity]

1. Kristol is a cabal operative.

This is standard bullshit. They are not withdrawing shit. It is all part of setting up the next Friedman Unit, the one that will be framed in September when the next Escalation Funding bill gets passed by the War Party.

[Frank Cannon]

5. More political theater from the David Hasselhoff of such

As if Bush really has plans to pull troops out of Iraq at any time during our lifetimes. Like this goon's entire pResidency, this is all a sad act, now painfully obvious to anyone with a room-temperature IQ or above.

[wordpix]

2. maybe this is what Dems were talking about: "the beginning of the end"?

:shrug:

Dems caved over latest war funding bill but maybe some voted for funding b/c * agreed to get out of Iraq in '08? :eyes:

[Robbien]

3. No, the article is just political theater

both the NYT article and Kristol's supposed "leak" of a WH conversation.

[disndat]

7. before the '08 elections

but only temporarily, if the Repugs win.

[BeyondThePale]

4. Why do the talking heads still want to interview this idiot?

Kristol has a proven track record of:
a) being a neocon
b) being wrong at just about every fucking turn

[WCGreen]

8. He is part of the panel, the noise machine by being the editor of the

Weekly Standard or what ever right wing pseudo intellectual outfit he is propped up at now...

[TwilightGardener]

6. All a farce? Just like the 11 House Repubs confronting Chimpster?

Make it look to the American people like Bush and the Repubs are at least CONSIDERING an exit strategy, all the while putting more troops in?

[Lerkfish]

9. absolutely. There is NEVER AN INTENTION TO LEAVE. we are there permanently

that was always the plan

[acmavm]

10. Yep. All a farce.

What else have they got except to lie? The majority of Americans want this to end.

The oil companies and the oil families want it to go on forever. In order to do that, they need to make it look like they are considering the desires of the voters.

Has this bunch EVER been straight about anything? EVER?

This is just so KKKarl, a phony 'leak' about considering withdrawal. The best advice you'll ever get is don't believe anything until you see them coming home.

[TwilightGardener]

12. Rove is smart enough to not allow any REAL leaks, just ones that fool us. Jesus, even

the GOPer Senators on the Intelligence Committee (our own Repub Senator an exception, thank God) were fighting to keep pre-war intelligence reports from being declassified and disseminated--this is still very much a tightly-run ship, on all levels. I view EVERYTHING they do with a jaundiced eye.

[hlthe2b]

11. BS: Kristol is the one upset

He's the ass trying to counter a story that I feel certain the administration planted (regardless of whether the gist of the story is true or not) to try to counter the rising concern and anger among REPUGs on the Hill and among their base.

The administration is playing both sides, but I don't doubt for a minute that Kristol is mad. Kristol, after all, is, like Cheney, an unrepentant and 100% committed (insane) Neocon.