A "big, big leak" from the New York Sun:
commission formed to assess the Iraq war and recommend a new course has ruled out the prospect of victory for America, according to draft policy options shared with The New York Sun by commission officials.Read the full article here.
Currently, the 10-member commission — headed by a secretary of state for President George H.W. Bush, James Baker — is considering two option papers, "Stability First" and "Redeploy and Contain," both of which rule out any prospect of making Iraq a stable democracy in the near term.
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Instead, the commission is headed toward presenting President Bush with two clear policy choices that contradict his rhetoric of establishing democracy in Iraq. The more palatable of the two choices for the White House, "Stability First," argues that the military should focus on stabilizing Baghdad while the American Embassy should work toward political accommodation with insurgents. The goal of nurturing a democracy in Iraq is dropped.
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The "Redeploy and Contain" option calls for the phased withdrawal of American soldiers from Iraq, though the working groups have yet to say when and where those troops will go. The document, read over the telephone to the Sun, says America should "make clear to allies and others that U.S. redeployment does not reduce determination to attack terrorists wherever they are." It also says America's top priority should be minimizing American casualties in Iraq.
So it becomes a question of whether Bush & Co. still dream of getting their hands on Iraq's oil, or whether they are prepared to give up the gig. Remember, the whole concept of "exporting Democracy to Iraq" was only a convenient lie that followed the failure to find either WMDs or terrorist links in Saddam's Iraq. The real goal always was, and remains, control of the oil. Not just the oil in Iraq, but also (via huge US Military Bases in Iraq) oil resources across the Middle East.
