Posted on 11/18/2007 1:55:33 AM PST by tlb
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With an intensifying White House race drawing attention to his legacy, President George W. Bush could leave office without the baggage of complete failure in Iraq some analysts say.
American success at quelling sectarian and insurgent violence has raised hopes that the relatively calmer conditions of the past few months in Iraq might last into early 2009, when the next U.S. president takes over.
"The overall prediction has to be that George Bush will escape this without an obviously visible abject failure. It may become that again over time. But right now, it looks like Bush will escape by the skin of his teeth," said Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution.
O'Hanlon, who drew attention last July when he expressed optimism about the U.S. mission in Iraq in a New York Times column, estimates the odds of a major deterioration during Bush's remaining 14 months in office at less than 50 percent.
Bush's so-called surge strategy, which placed an extra 30,000 troops in Iraq this year to stabilize Baghdad and its environs, has contributed to a steep decline in violence the past two months, statistics released in recent weeks show.
"It'll still be a lot of people getting killed," he said. "But the trajectory we're on is for muddling along into some type of gradually improving semi-stability."
O'Hanlon is not alone in expectations for Bush to achieve a grim victory by avoiding the worst of Iraq legacies.
"The Bush administration has managed to basically gain enough time to come to the end of the administration without any serious deterioration in Iraq," said Joost Hiltermann, a long-time critic of Bush policy in Iraq at the Brussels-based International Crisis Group.
"He's bought himself enough time to sit out his presidency: applause. Bush won in that sense," Hiltermann added.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Sadly what NEVER EVER gets told is who it was that slashed and trashed the military capability in the first place.
I would love to hear Hillry Clinton asked if she would do again to the military, when she becomes president, as she did during the 90’s.
"He's bought himself enough time to sit out his presidency: applause. Bush won in that sense," Hiltermann added.
If Mr. Hiltermann needs a direction for his sour grapes, he can aim it at his forefathers for the last 60 years for sticking with a name that so easily reads as "Hitlermann".....
LOL!
Tell that person that never in the history of the world has an invading army attacked and occupied a hostile country with a population of nearly 30 million and a standing army of over 1 million men for 4 years with less than 4,000 dead invading solders.
Never has happened before.
Not even close.
No one, and I do mean no one would have said it was possible. Yet it has happened. And now it is called “failure”. A reality check is in order.
Boy there is some serious "Journalism" for you. Talk to nothing but Bush haters and Leftist think take clowns. Don't actually get a serious viewpoint on Iraq.
There was fear in his eyes for his son, and so I did not push the subject. He believes the mission was the right thing to do, but has been fed so much of this McCain leftist hate Bush/Rummy bunk there was NO reaching him.
We’re going to be seeing more of this kind of wandering pontifications. If you recall it took the dems several years to build a plausible theory on the fall of the soviet union that didn’t give Reagan any credit. It’ll take them a year or so to get their story straight, and when they do, it’ll be a doozey.
Nothing better to quell his fear than the truth.
We can guess at this juncture what the story will be, though. It will start with, “In her brilliant foresight, President Hillary while she was still First Lady put in motion the events that would lead to ...”
two thousand years from now people will find it harder to remember Greek history. untold millions of children in the Good Old USA don’t even know the name of the Vice President
I totally agree. The base of his fear for his son was the belief that Bush caused and is responsible for not taking care of the military. Basically the continued theme Bush did not care, Bush is stupid, alll the propaganda rolled into a state of paralyzing fear. I have not learned what I know in a span of a conversation and rather than upset him more than he was decided to just let it go. Said a silent prayer that he be given Comfort and Truth.
What I am surprised about is how far wide and deep the hatred of all things Bush really is. I really believe that is why Hillry keeps running against President Bush.... she plans to reap the rewards of the endless hate of Bush right into the White House.
Choke on it fellas. Choke on it!
The grandson of a friend joined the Army almost a year ago and should be in Kuwait now. I told my friend that I understood the stress she was under, even though she supported his decision to join - but that it appeared to me that he had joined at exactly the right time.The danger seems to be on the downtrend - and yet if anyone were to even think of denigrating his service as being a 'cakewalk' he would be able to point out that he signed up at the time the prospects for success in Iraq were looking the bleakest.
My Prediction.
The media will remain quiet on all military victories.
That way, President Hillary can take credit for victories she never earned.
This war was horribly mismanaged. /sarc
Indeed. Sometimes I think if WW2 happened now instead of 70 years ago, we'd all be speaking German shortly.
“No one, and I do mean no one would have said it was possible. Yet it has happened. And now it is called “failure”. A reality check is in order.”
Say it loud and often.
Reality check for sure!
I’ve talked to Joost Hilterman and he has no business being mentioned as a qualified analyst of anything other than his own hatred of Bush and the U.S.. One of the biggest hacks I’ve talked to in the media.
749 Allied servicemen were killed in one night. That's the same KIA we suffer in an entire year in Iraq (19% of our losses have been non-hostile).
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