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The Baker Commission - Looking Forward in Anger
HughHewitt on townhall.com ^ | Thursday, November 30, 2006 | Dean Barnett

Posted on 11/30/2006 7:48:45 AM PST by Tirian

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An important excerpt: "But 9/11 signaled the start of a long war with implacable foes. And the losses of 9/11, while shocking, were nothing compared to the losses suffered in London during the blitz let alone those suffered contemporaneously in Dresden, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The larger point is that 9/11 showed the maximum of what maniacs can accomplish with guile, a little money and an impoverished regime providing them safe haven. Compared to what maniacs will be able to accomplish with hundreds of billions of petro-dollars while running regimes flush with cash and having a limitless desire for martyrdom and murder, 9/11’s damage comes into a different, sharper focus."

1 posted on 11/30/2006 7:48:47 AM PST by Tirian
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To: Tirian

Lest anyone forget: Jim Baker was instrumental in convincing the first President Bush to break his word and raise taxes.


2 posted on 11/30/2006 7:54:52 AM PST by EternalHope (Boycott everything French forever. Including their vassal nations.)
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To: Tirian

But don't forget, he's Realistic. That's the important thing. /sarc.


3 posted on 11/30/2006 7:54:54 AM PST by Dr. Frank fan
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To: EternalHope

I wouldn't trust Jim Baker with a 10-cent stamp.


4 posted on 11/30/2006 7:58:15 AM PST by RexBeach ("In war there is no substitute for victory." Douglas MacArthur)
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To: Dr. Frank fan

Bush should take this report from Baker and Hamilton, smile at them, and then before everyone throw it in the trash.


5 posted on 11/30/2006 7:58:22 AM PST by Patrick1
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To: Tirian

The Iraq commission has ZERO expertise in running a war or the aftermath.

They are a bunch of diplomates, who think that the answer to everything is to talk the enemy to death -- except this does NOT work with terrorists.

Here is the list of the members:

http://www.usip.org/isg/members.html

"It is led by co-chairs James A. Baker, III, the nation’s 61st Secretary of State and Honorary Chairman of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, and Lee H. Hamilton, former Congressman and Director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

The other members of the study group include: Lawrence S. Eagleburger, Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Edwin Meese III , Sandra Day O'Connor, Leon E. Panetta, William J. Perry, Charles S. Robb, and Alan K. Simpson. "



Look at their detailed credentials at the link above. Even the respected ones only have experience in diplomacy, some have no experience even in foreign policy, such as Sandra Day O'Connor.

The only ex Sec Def is Perry, who was SecDef under Clinton -- not an illustrious recommendation.

Why isn't the Bush Administration -- not to mention the MSM -- point out the total lack of experience of the panel in the matters at hand, the Iraq war, about which they are making recommendations.

This is like asking a bunch of medical malpractice lawyers, instead of doctors, a second opinion about whether or not to have surgery. They may be highly successful lawyers, but giving a second opinion on surgery is NOT their field by long shot.

One of the articles mentioned that they had Kerry and McCain testify in front of the panel -- great experts! (/sarcasm)


6 posted on 11/30/2006 8:00:16 AM PST by IntelliQuark
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To: EternalHope

Jim Baker was involved in that and, as Secretary of State, in the decision not to oust Saddam in 1991. He was rejected as a candidate for President in 1996, why would we let him make our policy now?


7 posted on 11/30/2006 8:04:38 AM PST by mak5
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To: Tirian
We've lost sense of perspective and now we're going to bury our heads in the sand and hope Al Qaeda doesn't detonate a nuclear bomb in New York City. Such is the elite wisdom of our age. As full of folly and filled with sheer hubris as the misguided thinking of the 1930s. The voices crying loudly now for "peace in our time" will help to trigger the war to end all wars.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus

8 posted on 11/30/2006 8:06:25 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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Comment #9 Removed by Moderator

Comment #10 Removed by Moderator

To: goldstategop

What I see for the future of this country......First, we will, if the Democrats have their way, pull out of Iraq. We won't loose the war, we will loose our strength politically around the world. Second, muslims will take over the region and they will attack us again. Third, once we are attacked again, possibly with nukes, this country will be embroiled in a world war that will be so big, it will set Iraq, Iran, Syria and other countries back 1000 years.


11 posted on 11/30/2006 8:21:22 AM PST by Ron2
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To: Tirian

Don't forget that Sandra Day O'Connor is on the Commission. The test will be whether the war is an "undue burden."


12 posted on 11/30/2006 8:35:04 AM PST by Malesherbes
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To: Patrick1

Bush should take this report from Baker and Hamilton, smile at them, and then before everyone throw it in the trash.""

I agree if that is what these "statemen" are recommending.

I thought a lot more of Jim Baker until this last couple of months. He has feet of clay, IMO.


13 posted on 11/30/2006 8:36:01 AM PST by ridesthemiles
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To: EternalHope

Was Baker instrumental in letting the Republican Guard take most of their equipment back to Iraq? Did he sway Bush 1 to leave Hussein free to kill the Kurds when they revolted?

Just wondering the depth of his worthlessness.


14 posted on 11/30/2006 8:39:30 AM PST by zek157
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To: IntelliQuark

Vernon Jordan? Charles Robb?

The only person on that panel who truly understands the problem and the consequences is Eagleburger, whom I've heard speaking as forcefully about the Islamists as anyone on FR or Jihadwatch. He does get it.


15 posted on 11/30/2006 8:41:14 AM PST by angkor
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To: Tirian

The Baker Report should come with a Chamberlain umbrella.


16 posted on 11/30/2006 8:41:36 AM PST by The Great RJ ("Mir we bleiwen wat mir sin" or "We want to remain what we are." ..Luxembourg motto)
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To: mak5

"Jim Baker was involved in that and, as Secretary of State, in the decision not to oust Saddam in 1991."

Baker and Scowcroft, another "realist", who's thankfully not on this panel.


17 posted on 11/30/2006 8:42:47 AM PST by angkor
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To: arbooz

Good morning.
?.....""detonate a nuclear bomb in New York City"...

"And the downside of this is?....."

Brilliant statement there, arbooz.

Michael Frazier


18 posted on 11/30/2006 8:45:57 AM PST by brazzaville (no surrender no retreat, well, maybe retreat's ok)
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To: arbooz

Ping!


19 posted on 11/30/2006 8:48:39 AM PST by Plains Drifter (America First, Last, and Always!!!)
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To: IntelliQuark

Come on

This report is really an admission that the Commission doesn't know what to do but they had to come out with something to CTA . They couldn't say "We don't know what the hell we are doing "

Leave Iraq but NO TIME TABLE --Big deal

Talks with IRAN --Talking is OK as long as you don't stop shooting . It is the phoney talks where you allow the bad guys to re-arm while you stop shooting or limit the shooting that are problems

A Big Nothing ( except it will give the MSM some ammo to ballyhoo on the nightly shows )


20 posted on 11/30/2006 8:51:59 AM PST by uncbob
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