Sunday, September 09, 2007

Frank Rich: As the Iraqis stand down ... - Jazz Bulletin Board

Frank Rich: As the Iraqis stand down ... - Jazz Bulletin Board: "In this new White House narrative, victory has been downsized to a successful antiterrorist alliance between Sunni tribal leaders and the American military in Anbar, a single province containing less than 5 percent of Iraq's population. In truth, the surge had little to do with this development, which was already being trumpeted by Mr. Bush in his January prime-time speech announcing the surge. Even if you believe that it's a good idea to bond with former Saddamists who may have American blood on their hands, the chances of this 'bottom up' model replicating itself are slim. Anbar's population is almost exclusively Sunni. Much of the rest of Iraq is consumed by the Sunni-Shiite and Shiite-Shiite civil wars that are M.I.A. in White House talking points."