Iraq Today

I always hesitate to point you toward two posts from the same blog, but it’s a holiday weekend and these are simply excellent posts.  The general topic, in my headline, is what’s happening in Iraq.  And the way it’s being reported and analyzed.

A shift in ‘tone’?

Quick quiz — when was this Hillary Clinton quote about Iraq first uttered: “The fundamental point here is that the purpose of the surge was to create space for political reconciliation and that has not happened, and there is no indication that it is going to happen, or that the Iraqis will meet the political [...]

Goalpost on the move in Iraq: ‘Reconciliation’ is out; ‘accommodation’ is in

For all its dissembling, the White House has actually been fairly clear about the purpose of Bush’s “surge” policy — more U.S. troops would offer Iraqi political leaders some “breathing room” to achieve reconciliation. From there, sectarian conflicts would ease, and some semblance of stability would emerge. It all sounds very nice, except the policy hasn’t [...]