Iraq Study Group A Complete Failure - NEWS RELEASE

Move America Forward ^ | 10/06/2006 | Melanie Morgan

[Impeach98]

NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT:  Robert Dixon - Phone: (916) 441-6197 or Email: robert@moveamericaforward.org
December 6 2006

IRAQ STUDY GROUP
A COMPLETE FAILURE

Report Makes Few Constructive Proposals

Advocates Cooperation with Sponsors of Terrorism: Iran & Syria

The Chairman of the nation’s largest grassroots pro-troop organization, Move America Forward, has issued the following statement after reviewing the Iraq Study Group’s report.  A complete analysis will soon be posted on the organization’s website (www.MoveAmericaForward.org).

________________________________________

STATEMENT BY MELANIE MORGAN, CHAIR, MOVE AMERICA FORWARD:

“The Iraq Study Group has failed.  With great hubris and pomposity, the Iraq Study Group released a report they wrote after having spent limited time in Iraq, and offering few if any new proposals to win the war in Iraq. 

“The principals of the group never once stepped foot in the one region in Iraq where things are actually going well: in the northern region of Iraqi Kurdistan.  It is slipshod work to search for a path to success when you ignore those who have already found a formula for such success.

“We take issue with the Report for the absurd suggestion that the two biggest state supporters of terrorism, Iran and Syria, will be helpful allies. Suggesting that they can be our friends carries the heavy stench of appeasement. It is more reminiscent of Neville Chamberlain’s capitulation to Hitler than Ronald Reagan’s resolute stand against Communism during the Cold War.

“To claim that ‘Every country has an interest in avoiding a chaotic Iraq, including all of Iraq’s neighbors’ ignores the sordid conduct of both Iran and Syria, who have been materially involved in promoting Iraqi violence.

“Their insistence of resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict completely ignores the fact that Hezbollah and Hamas do not even recognize the right of Israel to exist. 

“Negotiating with Syria, Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas displays the ignorance of the Iraq Study Group’s report.  Do the Iraq Study Group members have any sympathy for the forces of democracy in their struggles with those who use terrorism and bloodshed to advance their radical agendas?

“When all the shouting is done with the Baker-Hamilton Report, their bottom line is largely a vindication for the policies of President George W. Bush in his efforts to destroy Islamic fascism. Ground zero of that war is Iraq, and victory in Iraq is the only alternative.

“We agree with the Report, as the last Rumsfeld memo acknowledges, that changes in tactics are required. We expect the Bush Administration to make those changes in due course. Our long-time stated goal is to get American troops out of active combat and more into an advisory role to the Iraqi military.

“We are defeating terrorism in Iraq.  The civil unrest that currently exists in Iraq is largely an Iraqi problem that we must remain committed to helping them resolve, so that we can have a peaceful and democratic Iraq as a beachhead for freedom in the Middle East.

“Islamic fascism must be confronted like Reagan confronted communism, with honesty and forthright acknowledgement of the evil. The commission members should be able to see recent history for what it is and stop hiding behind their obsession with ‘practical politics’ such as their urging for collaboration with Iran and Syria.

“Standing up to evil is the right thing to do, but the Iraq Study Group instead offers us policy wonk analysis, with few constructive suggestions.  While their intentions were noble, their report represents a great waste of time and effort that will do little to help America win the war against terrorism.”

NOTE:  Move America Forward has issued the “Gold Star Family Iraq Survey Group Report” which outlines observations and recommendations to win the war in Iraq.  The report can be viewed at www.MoveAmericaForward.org

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[Impeach98]

Iraq Study Group Ripped - PING!

[traditional1]

[Impeach98]

Iraq Study Group called "A Complete Failure" - PING!!

[RightWhale]

Well then. Who is surprised?

[Arizona Carolyn]

I agree with Melanie. What a shamnisty of a report.

[Impeach98]

PING - Thought you should see this.

[EagleUSA]

I agree with Melanie. What a shamnisty of a report.
-----
Yes, it is a sham and dripping with politics. These clowns, somehow pretending to have some form of credibility in this matter, are anything but that --- credible, experienced, and as knowledgeable as our military commanders in Iraq...anything but that.

A TOTAL SHAM.

[Williams]

Barbara Boxer, on Fox, just stated the study group adopted the Carl Levin approach.

This is what happens when you team gullible repblicans with agenda driven dems.

[kingu]

“The Iraq Study Group has failed. With great hubris and pomposity, the Iraq Study Group released a report they wrote after having spent limited time in Iraq, and offering few if any new proposals to win the war in Iraq.

It would be nice if people stop falling into liberal traps. The war ended twenty days after the invasion started with the cessation of any credible form of government within Iraq. One can not come up with new proposals to accomplish something that occurred years ago. Is there an entity composed of pre-invasion government for us to surrender to? No. Do they still exist to surrender to us? No. The war in Iraq was won on April 9th, 2003. We can't re-win a war already won. We can't lose a war already won. It's over with.

This group has done great things to support our troops in Iraq, I don't discount that. But on this one point, they are very much wrong. Not even the United Nations could muster any farce to cover up the military realities - the Iraqi representative left the UN mission on April 8th, 2003, as he no longer had a nation to represent.

[Shermy]

“We take issue with the Report for the absurd suggestion that the two biggest state supporters of terrorism, Iran and Syria, will be helpful allies. Suggesting that they can be our friends carries the heavy stench of appeasement."

We have little choice. Bush/Rumsfeld decided not to control the borders (sound familiar?). Dealing with Syria is like dealing with a Mafia. Yelling at them to control their border, an embarassing habit the administration has thankfully desisted lately, was a joke.

[Impeach98]

Ridiculous listening to Alan Simpson marvel on Fox News about how great it is that this is a BI-PARTISAN report and that it's remarkable because people from both sides issued the report.

Forget that the report is a joke, and offers no prescription for success.

These people are so consumed with their self-promotion of "how great we all were for being nice to one another" as if that has ANYTHING to do with winning the war on terrorism.

These people don't understand that the mission is to WIN THE WAR. If they aren't interested in figuring that out then what good are they?

[dirtboy]

Just when does it become time for FR to go back to staunch opposition to just about every aspect of the corrupt power structure in DC - from just about all the pinheads in both parties? I cannot recall a larger display of political depravity than what I have seen over the last few weeks.

[Impeach98]

"I cannot recall a larger display of political depravity than what I have seen over the last few weeks."

AMEN!

[lonevoice]

ping for a concise summary of the Baker report

[Impeach98]

I see your point. But Operation Iraqi Freedom is still underway, so I would call that the war effort.

You may think there is no one to surrender to, but you do understand that if given the choice, Cindy Sheehan, and those on Capitol Hill who sympathize with her would happily surrender to Muqtada al Sadr or the current Al Qaeda in Iraq leader if it meant we could pull all U.S. Troops out of Iraq today.

[Diogenesis]

Terrorist Assad: "It was not a failure for us or Iran.
Thank you, Brothers Baker and Hamilton.
We have won."

[tobyhill]

They lost all credibility when one of their recommendations was for the US to give Syria the Golan Heights, it's not ours to give away.

[kingu]

Combat operations to support an ally, yes. Extended operations in the war against terrorism, sure. But the war against Iraq ended in April 2003.

As for what the ditch witch and others might opine, couldn't care less.

[Impeach98]

"As for what the ditch witch and others might opine, couldn't care less."

Yes, but unfortunately the powers that be are much more willing to listen to the likes of her than the likes of Free Republic these days.

:(

[EagleUSA]

These people are so consumed with their self-promotion of "how great we all were for being nice to one another" as if that has ANYTHING to do with winning the war on terrorism.
------
Washington politics have become a major embarassment and tragedy for the American public. John Adams and Jefferson are rolling over in their graves -- and throw Ronnie Raegan in there too --- disgusting situation.

[TexasCajun]

I wish Big Media and other pundits would stop referring to this as the Iraq War.

The Iraq War was over in a couple weeks after we defeated the Iraqi army.

We are not at war with Iraq now, but rather assisting in the stabilization of its new government.

We should be at war with Iran & Syria for 'invading' Iraq with militants to disrupt the new government.

[Wolfie]

Just when does it become time for FR to go back to staunch opposition to just about every aspect of the corrupt power structure in DC - from just about all the pinheads in both parties?

When they swear Hillary in.

[ErieGeno]

Personally, I would have thought that the Iraq Study Group, being the geniuses that they are, would have concluded that the Iraq war was handily won when Sadamn was pulled from the spyder hole! I would have thought that they would recognize the difference between the winning of the war and the winning of the peace! I thought that they would call for economic sanctions for all UN nations who failed to support us in the peace effort. Stabilizing Iraq is in the interest of all the world, not just the United States!

What a bunch of goofballs this Iraq Study group turned out to be!!!!!

[N. Theknow]

The Bipartisan Surrender Group stands and holds up a piece of paper and say in unison, "We bring you peace in our time."

[etradervic]

These people on the ISG are clueless. What can be expected of a group that has a political hack like Panetta.

The ISG says that Iran and Syria should be part of the "Support Group." LOL

Also, they think that the road to peace in the Middle-East is to sellout Israel until all of the Israelis are living on the head of a pin ("land for peace"). - Pathetic

The 3rd strike is that the UN Security Council should handle the Iranian Nuclear threat. - They SHOULD; but I guess they missed the news that Russia and China are not willing!

[griswold3]

From: http://islam-watch.org/CommunityServer/forums/2329/ShowThread.aspx#2329

There is little doubt in the fact that the experts on terrorism, especially those working on the Islamist violence and insurgency, are of great importance in today's world stricken by the Islamist terrorist activities at all corners of the world. Their opinion and advice greatly influence the policies of the Governments that shape the future of our world. It is important that these experts get the proper understanding of the fundamentals behind the massive Islamist insurgency and violence that plague the world. Else, their expertise is not going to help but instead, may only worsen the future of mankind.



As for the insurgency in Southern Thailand, the government should learn from the experiences in Kashmir, Kosovo and Mindanao etc. that nothing short of achieving an independent Islamist state would cool down the insurgency. History tells us that appeasing the Islamists, which is going on in Thailand, only emboldens them. Thailand should either choose between giving away the Southern Muslim provinces for immediately peace or engage in a decades-long battle like the governments of India and

Philippine in Kashmir and Mindanao, respectively.

[RWGuy]

There is a lot of confusion around definition of terms.

There is the War for the liberation of Iraq and the War Against International Terrorism in Iraq. It is important to keep them separate, even though they are inextricably tied.

War for the Liberation of Iraq. Yes, we won it 20 days after it started. We topped Saddam Hussein who was a threat for supporting terrorism and a capability to ultimately dispense weapons of mass destruction to his terrorist allies.

War Against International Terrorism in Iraq. We have pretty much wiped out the terrorist forces in Iraq. Our key goal now is to keep a government from forming that goes back to harboring and supporting terrorists, like Hussein did and Syria and Iran are doing.

The sectarian violence in Iraq today is all about who runs the country. The Bush Administration, and now the Baker report, are right that we have to transfer this responsibility to settle the domestic violence more quickly to the Iraqis. But, we cannot cut and run or we will be back in the soup with a terrorist sponsoring state, which happens to sit on a ton of oil for fresh cash.

When all is said and done, the Baker report vindicates what Bush has been doing, albeit tactics are constantly being evaluated and changed. The real stupid thing they said is to suggest that the state sponsors of terrorism, Iran and Syria, will be helpful. Utter nonsense.

[Prokopton]

"Just when does it become time for FR to go back to staunch opposition to just about every aspect of the corrupt power structure in DC - from just about all the pinheads in both parties?"

I thought we were already doing this.

[dirtboy]

Not yet that I can see.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Prokopton]

"Not yet that I can see."


By "we" I meant me and you. ;)

[Zhangliqun]

“We take issue with the Report for the absurd suggestion that the two biggest state supporters of terrorism, Iran and Syria, will be helpful allies. Suggesting that they can be our friends carries the heavy stench of appeasement."

Like inviting the fox into the chicken coop to help solve the problem of foxes getting into the chicken coop.

[doug from upland]

The main reason that we are having such trouble in Iraq is that those on the left have spent three years emboldening the enemy. If the enemy knew that we were united to defeat them, it would be stable there.

[BARLF]

Thanks for the ping

I still prefer to think President Bush listens to all these has-beens to appease the masses, then continues to make his own decision.

The enemy within this country wants President Bush to fail in the war against terrorist. They want President Bush to fail in every way.

The enemy within is more dangerous to this country than Hussein ever was. We knew our brave troops could and would topple Hussein. They could do the same with all the other petty tyrants in that area. They are nothing compared to our military.

President Bush also knows the enemies within our country.Many are in positions of power.

Why do you think President Bush is the most hated man in the world?

[juliej]

The ISG - making Nevill Chamberlin proud!

[bmwcyle]

Another paycheck for the worthless. We need a Ken Star award for this.

[juliej]

First we had James Baker stating "Blank the Jews - they didn't vote for us" - now we have him saying "blank the whole country".

[agincourt1415]

Iraq study group notes:

The Iraq study group, never studied in Iraq, were never in Iraq.

They think Syria and Iran, can be "Allies", when it is not in their best interest. Syria, Iran, Hezbolla, and Hamas want Iraq destabilized, and Israel gone from the face of the earth.

The rest is purely obvious supposition.

[Terriergal]

Syria's not so bad. Rick Warren said so himself.

(rolling eyes)

[Churchillspirit]

Thanks for the ping.

Very disappointing report.

The Dems. must be delighted.

[Uncle Miltie]

To: Iraq Surrender Group
From: MAF
Subject: F.O.A.D.

Body: See Subject line.

[EDINVA]

prolly never been to Detroit, New Orleans or DC outside the confines of the Federal Preserve, either

[Czar]

Of course it's a failure. How could it be anything else with old liberal retread one worlder's in charge like James Baker and Lee Hamilton. Utterly useless for anything other than trying to disguise appeasement to look like "diplomacy".

Don't trust them.

[potlatch]

Thanks for the ping. I saw Bill Crystal tear it up and call it a 'non report' this morning on Fox News.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From the Counterterrorism Blog:

Iraq Study Group Report Available Here - Advises Iraq Pullout & "Constructive Engagement" With Iran & Syria

**********************************

By Andrew Cochran

The Iraq Study Group Report is out, and here is the full report and a separate file with the Executive Summary. Other ISG files and webpages of interest:

"Iraq Study Group Fact Sheet"
"Iraq Study Group Consultations"
Iraq Study Group Members with bios
"Expert Working Groups and Military Senior Advisor Panel"

UPDATE: N.Z. Bear has converted the ISG report into a series of HTML pages so that bloggers can comment on particular statements or sections of the report and send readers directly to the text in question.

Leaked excerpts included the following:

"If the situation continues to deteriorate, the consequences could be severe. A slide toward chaos could trigger the collapse of Iraq's government and a humanitarian catastrophe. Neighboring countries could intervene. Sunni-Shia clashes could spread. Al-Qaida could win a propaganda victory and expand its base of operations. The global standing of the United States could be diminished. Americans could become more polarized."
------
"Given the ability of Iran and Syria to influence events within Iraq and their interest in avoiding chaos in Iraq, the United States should try to engage them constructively. In seeking to influence the behavior of both countries, the United States has disincentives and incentives available. Iran should stem the flow of arms and training to Iraq, respect Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and use its influence over Iraqi Shia groups to encourage national reconciliation. The issue of Iran's nuclear programs should continue to be dealt with by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany. Syria should control its border with Iraq to stem the flow of funding, insurgents and terrorists in and out of Iraq."
------
"By the first quarter of 2008, subject to unexpected developments in the security situation on the ground, all combat brigades not necessary for force protection could be out of Iraq. At that time, U.S. combat forces in Iraq could be deployed only in units embedded with Iraqi forces, in rapid-reaction and special operations teams and in training, equipping, advising, force protection and search and rescue. Intelligence and support efforts would continue."
------
CT Blog experts have already opined on the possibility of "constructive engagement" with Iran and Syria:

Douglas Farah:
"The Danger of Empowering Terrorist States"

David Schenker has written these pieces on other sites:
Been There, Done That: Engaging Syria Isn't Going to Work
Assad State of Affairs
Syria's Answer

December 6, 2006 11:11 AM 

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

And:

Dec 4, 08:59
The Next War is Already Beginning

**************************************************

As the Bush administration struggles to find a way forward in Iraq, the next major conflict there is already underway by proxy armies determined to impose their own agenda in the ugly situation that is likely to get uglier soon.

The next war being fought is between Iran, through the Shi’ite, Iranian-backed militias and infiltrated Iraqi army, and Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab Sunni world, anxious now to protect fellow Sunni believers who make up the bulk of the internal Iraqi resistence. All of this will make the situation worse for U.S. forces on the ground and further restrict realistic U.S. policy options.

Both groups support terrorist networks that pose direct threats to the United States and the West. Both sides want the United States to be defeated and forced into a long-term retreat in the war on Islamist radicals. There is no good side here.

The London Daily Telegraph says Nawaf Obaid, a senior Saudi government security adviser-is publicly considering providing anti-US Sunni military leaders with funding, logistical support and even arms – as Iran already does for Shia militia in Iraq.

This fear of a Sunni slaughter in the wake of possible reconfiguration of U.S. forces there, was one of the main reasons vice president Cheney flew to Saudi Arabia last week. The problem for the United States is that Saudi Arabia has been unwilling to try to rein in the Sunni forces that are inflicting the most casualties on U.S. troops on the ground.

Yet allowing the Shi’ite militias to run rampant and perhaps eliminate the Sunni threat and its al Qaeda-linked allies, is equally unpalatable. The power center then flows directly to Iran, a nation bent on acquiring nuclear weapons, eliminating Israel and defeating the United States.

Iran is already sensing victory and becoming less and less shy about openly bragging about it.

“The kind of service that the Americans, with all their hatred, have done us — no superpower has ever done anything similar,” Mohsen Rezai, secretary-general of the powerful Expediency Council that advises the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamanei, boasted on state television recently.

“America destroyed all our enemies in the region. It destroyed the Taliban. It destroyed Saddam Hussein… The Americans got so stuck in the soil of Iraq and Afghanistan that if they manage to drag themselves back to Washington in one piece, they should thank God. America presents us with an opportunity rather than a threat — not because it intended to, but because it miscalculated. They made many mistakes.”

So there we have multiple rocks rubbing up against numerous hard spots. Our Sunni supposed allies in the rest of the world backing armed groups that are killing Americans and fighting Iran’s radical Shi’ite regime that would like to be killing Americans.

The chances of ramping up U.S. force levels to have a real and sustainable impact on the conflict are negligable. Immediate withdrawal is not an option. Endless talk about creating a functioning democracy in Iraq is empty. The notion of dialogue with Iran and Syria-when neither has any stake in a secure and stable Iraq friendly to the United States, is a non-starter. And one way or another the bad guys seemed poised to strengthen their positions in the mid to long term.

I doubt the Baker-Hamilton Group can propose a workable solution to this. Perhaps it is time to start looking for the least bad option in this tragic mess.

[evilsmoker]

GOOD ONE PING

[evilsmoker]

GOOD ONE PING

[Impeach98]

Thanks for the PING!!