Enter Chuck Hagel

[Adrian II]

Read this carefully. It is a new Iraq phase-out plan allegedly based on bipartisan consensus in the Congress. U.S. troops should be replaced by Egyptian, Jordanian and Saudi troops. Upon reading the piece I had trouble suppressing a fit of satanic laughter. Does Hagel really think that the newly-elected Shiite government in Baghdad will accept those troops on its territory?

An emerging bipartisan consensus on Iraq is designed to remove the conduct of the war from the nothing-short-of-total-victory hawks in the administration and place an exit strategy under the control of the Senate. So spoke Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., at a special meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington on Tuesday.

Hagel also said much thought was being given to building a new coalition of like-minded Arab nations that would place Iraq in a wider regional fabric. This, in turn, would allow U.S. forces to begin phasing out of their combat role before coming home. "The time has come for creative diplomatic thinking," Hagel said, "with a view to reaching out to build new coalitions."

Only the Congress can approve declarations of war, Hagel reminded his audience, "and Congress should now assume its responsibilities in the process of restoring peace" to Iraq.

Hagel did not mention the Arab countries he has in mind to assist as peacekeepers as the U.S. withdraws. But they are believed to be Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Their government officials have frequently remarked privately the United States invaded Iraq "only to turn it over to Iran." They are, of course, referring to the influx of Iranian agents that blanketed Shiite Iraq in the wake of the U.S. invasion and to the interim government's close relations with Tehran. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi, who hopes to become prime minister after the Dec. 15 elections, has taken the lead in the rapprochement with Iraq's eastern neighbor.

The resolutions crafted on the floor of the Senate are a stinging rebuke to President Bush's "stay the course" strategy. "We have made every bad decision we could possibly make," said Hagel. "The problem now," said the senator from Nebraska, a Vietnam War hero whose presidential ambitions are well known, "is how to get out without further destabilizing the Middle East."

[Xiahou]

Sounds like a (idiotic) plan to me!

[Adrian II]

Sounds like a (idiotic) plan to me!

Aww, you're just saying that because Hagel is a Democrat. Naughty naughty!

Hey Xiahou, I wrote a lengthy answer to your post about the Findlaw article in the military tribunal thread. Take a look at my BS, will ya?

[Xiahou]

Chuck Hagel, R-Neb.

The 'R' means Republican.

[Watchman]

What can I say ? Sheer genius.

[Kralizec]

What a dumbass.

[Red Harvest]

Actually, it makes some sense. If you have non-Shiite troops maintaining order in the Sunni areas, and keeping a lid on the Shiite control. Then you have a potentially workable balance. It is in the neighbors' best interests to insert some peace keeping forces.

The Bush admininstration seriously miscalculated in the way it carried out the de-Baathification. The transition didn't work. The Sunni's instead have actively fought the transition--an even bigger blunder on their part.

Fracturing of the country has been the most likely outcome since Saddam's rise to power. When you have one group that is a minority of the population ruling over two other groups in different zones (with an iron fist), then holding it together after the fall of the dictator is incredibly challenging. The course was set by Saddam's invasion of Kuwait. Those that want to blame this on the U.S. are ignoring the obvious larger dynamic--one that was not created by us.

The root problem fo the U.S. now is in what to do since the Administration doesn't have a plan that is actually working. Forcing the Iraqi's to start taking responsibility for their own security seems the best course to me. Not just saying it, but forcing it upon them. I hate the idea of deadlines, but they are better than the apparent alternative of drifting deeper into this.

[Kralizec]

I don't expect the Iraqi government to accept troops from those countries, and if they did, I don't expect the Shiite population to just swallow their decision.

[Redleg]

Aww, you're just saying that because Hagel is a Democrat. Naughty naughty!

The 'R' means Republican.

Someone has just been Pwnd

[Adrian II]

Someone has just been Pwnd

Define 'been'.

[Louis VI the Fat]

R-Neb

Neb = Nebraska? Or is it a generic term?
Just curious.

[Xiahou]

Neb = Nebraska? Or is it a generic term?
Just curious.

Nebraska- correct. When talking about our elected officials, our news agencies usually refer to their party and what state they represent.