Baker's Panel Rules Out Iraq Victory according to the New York Sun. Leaked policy papers suggest the panel is considering either stabilizing Baghdad while working toward political accommodation with insurgents, or a strategy of redeploying troops out of Iraq. The latter plan sounds not unlike what John Murtha and others have been advocating for some time now, and what polls show the public favors.
The most interesting thing was a comment by a member of the panel about a distinction Baker has been drawing between promoting democracy and advocating "representative government":
"Baker wants to believe that Sunni dictators in Sunni majority states are representative," the group member, who requested anonymity, said.
This is our new plan, apparently. We've abandoned the possibility of promoting democracy, and instead we'll ensure that our dictators are of the right religious sect.
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Interesting. I just attended a talk with David Gergen the other evening and he said almost exactly the same thing - even citing Baker as the one the one the administration would turn to for help (after the elections of course). Gergen said Rummy would be asked to resign, the US would send another 100,000 troups to stabilize Iraq then ask for help from neighboring Arab countries. Iraq won't have a democracy as the best the US could hope for is some kind of stable government with more representation by the Sunnis.
A dictator? A Sunni one? I guess they will also want him to be secular. And no good friend of the main terrorist groups in the Middle East. Sounds amazingly similar to what was in place in Iraq before the invasion. Of course, they would like the dictator to be a good friend of the US, which Saddam wasn't anymore.
All this damage to lives, pockets, moral and legality, and the best way out they find (being optimistic) is to restore Iraq to the 80s? Perhaps if they show Saddam the pictures with ol' good chum Rumsfeld he may even get friendly again and do the job; they have him at hand!
Jeez, don't you guys watch the news? "Mission Accomplished" back in 2003?