Media Searches Out Iraq Conflict In Fall Elections

Since they can't properly cover the civil war in Baghdad (too far, too expensive, too dangerous, too partisan), the media, always looking for a good conflict story, has been floating trial balloons on their fall narrative. It's still summer, pre-Labor Day, and the editors need something simple they can grasp, so they can explain the news to their publishers. The public, way ahead of the press and the publishers, need no such narrative as they have already created their own (failure of 2000-2006 governance). But conflict sells.

Today's offering from the WaPo is the purported split in Democrats over the Iraq War. But the real issue,as reported accurately (oh, those headline writers!), is this:

The large number of Democrats opposed to a strict timeline for ending the military operations runs contrary to the assertion by President Bush and top Republicans that Democrats want to "cut and run" amid mounting casualties and signs of civil war. At the same time, the decision by many Democrats to refrain from advocating a specific plan for withdrawal complicates their leaders' efforts to convince voters that they offer a clear new direction for the increasingly unpopular war.

Chris Murphy (the CT-5 Democratic challenger) had a wonderful quote when pressed to solve Iraq in a 30 second sound byte:

"It is like dropping a raw egg and asking me what my plans are for putting it back together," said Chris Murphy, the Democrat challenging Rep. Nancy L. Johnson (R-Conn.). Murphy favors bringing home National Guard and reserve units, or about 25,000 of the 138,000 U.S. troops stationed in Iraq, beginning next year, and leaving it to Bush's military commanders to determine the rest of the exit strategy.

Republicans (and their editorial allies in the press) are desperate to change the subject from Administration failures at every opportunity. If Democrats are united about presenting an alternative to the disaster known as "stay the course", it must indicate division, right?

So here's the deal, editors. Let's make it simple for you.

1. Stay the course is a failure that has led to civil war. Democrats are united in wanting a course correction.

2. There's no easy way for the egg to be put back, but never forget it was the fumble-prone President who dropped it.

3. Clean-up is messy, but necessary. Get the kids out of the kitchen who made the mess, and put the grownups back in charge, or the mess will never get cleaned up.

4. There are several plans being discussed, from Feingold's to Murtha's to the position statement by Dem leadership to the idea floated last week by Byman and Pollack (who at least acknowledge civil war).  The public does not demand a finished product by November. They do demand serious work and effort on the task. That includes oversight, which this Congress has never implemented. And it includes accountability (Pollack forgot to include himself, by the way, although Rumsfeld's head seems to be first in line these days).

5. How we got there is vitally important to cover. It's not old news because it will affect how we deal with Iran. Unless we understand fully the mistakes made in Iraq, we will make them again.

Now how hard was that?

crossposted at The Daily Kos

Comments

[Threads]

Shayes is backing out of Iraq. Sarah Chayes has a new book out that she claims to work closely with the Taliban(anybody can do this?): More rumors she is a CIA operations officer that got alot of money form AID(CIA) at Mercy Corps.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060826.BKVIRT26/TPStory/National

She'll be back in the states on September 11 selling her new book.

US consular agent arrested for taking Tanzanite(Al Quaeda) as bribes from Tanzania; maybe Larry's trip to Tanzania foiled the terrorist and he picked up this while travelling suring the terrorist scare in London?

Elections on the way and Congressmen are following Ned and using the war to get elected.

[Kagro X]

Dropped it? The president "dropped" the egg?

No, he promised to use it to bake a magical birthday cake that would grant wishes, then triumphantly spiked the egg in a spasm of overheated excitement at the prospect of a scrumpdillyicious slice of yum-yum cake.

Now, not only are we supposed to put the egg back together, but Republicans angrily demand to know why we're denying America its cake.

[DemFromCT]

Drop the egg in Bush's lap, and ask Republicans to make a meal out of it.

[DemFromCT]

This is good:

WHAT'S BREWING

No one should be surprised: Republicans starting to feel queasy about the President's direction on Iraq and starting to endorse Democratic-ish plans for withdrawal timeslines. Rep. Chris Shays will offer specifics next month. Per WSJ's Washington Wire, Dems may push for a no confidence vote on Rumsfeld in September, too. There's a good chance that Democrats will enter -- and exit -- September more united on Iraq than ever before. That would be good for Republicans IF -- IF -- public opinion were on their side and their own conferences weren't on the verge of fracturing. It's hard to exploit contrasts if, in the districts that you must hold, your challengers are skittish about drawing those contrasts.

[emptypockets]

Iraq is such a mess that if we don't stay in Iraq it may, um, become a mess:

Mr. Lieberman is speaking more forcefully and in starker detail about why he believes the United States must remain militarily engaged in Iraq. And he is painting a dire picture of what will happen if American forces are withdrawn too quickly: civil war in Iraq, skyrocketing oil prices, an emboldened Iran and expanding Islamic terrorism.

I think we've already got most of that, Senator. He looks at a broken egg and sees... the danger that the egg may break? And who says he's got his head on backwards?

Unfortunately the cost of this war has been a lot dearer than eggs:

Frank Rich: "Last week’s belated presidential admission that Iraq had nothing to do with the attacks on America that inspired Patrick McCaffrey’s service was implicitly an admission that he and many like him died in Iraq for nothing as well."

[Mimikatz]

As DH said in an e-mail, it is a little disingenuous for reporters to ask Dem challengers whether they advocate leaving "now" when "now" is several months before they would take office if they won. It is Bush who laid and then smashed the egg.

If the Dems to take at least one House, they need to capitalize (ironically) on the fact that Bush ignores attempts at oversight and call for quarterly reports to Congress on a series of benchmarks on how we are doing in Iraq, and at least quarterly appearances by Rusmfeld. Same thing for reports on how the Iraq money is being spent. Bush will refuse, via a signing statement. In this way they can set up a record of his refusals to accede to Congress' authority and use the record for impeachment or to run against GOP candidates in 2008.

[Dismayed]

NICE post. How about this? The current administration (notice I'll never call it the Bush administration) enjoyed broad support for dealing terrorism. They took this support and through clever deception led us into a horrifically costly war which has been in a state of deterioration since the day Saddam's statue fell. This administration has had plenty of time to show the leadership needed to correct thier mistakes. Clearly they are either unwilling or incapable, thus a new congress must now step in before all is lost through mismangement and lack of accountabilty .

[Smooth Jazz]

Blah Blah Blah. Staight out of DNC crib sheet. I guess, to you, everybody who dies in Iraq is proof that Iraq is in a "Civil War". I guess the Iraqi PM's reconciliation efforts and his flat out denial on CNN today that Iraq is in a Civil War doesn't appease the left wing nutcases desperate for power. I guess the fact that hundrerds of tribal leaders came together yesterday in a show of unity means nothing. I guess recents reports out of Baghdad that the violence has dropped significantly means nothing. It must be sickening to be in a position to be rooting for a civil war and the defeat of our troops.

Let there be no doubt: Even though Bush hating MSM like NY Times, Reuters, Assoc Press, etc, are doing everything they can to keep good news from Iraq bottled up, the good news and heroic efforts of our troops (and their Iraqi counterparts) in securing Baghdad and elsewhere is starting to get out. They will not stop every bomb from here on out, but I'm proud to be an American and stand with our brave troops and our President.

I realize you are wishing & hoping that we lose in Iraq. I wish you luck but I'll stick with our troops and am very confident that they and the Iraqis will ultimately prevail.

BOL 2 U All.

[Meteor Blades]

Thank you, Kagro X. Spiked the egg is exactly right.

While I'm delighted to see Dems like Murphy talking about dropped eggs because I know this image will appeal to the partisanized moderates needed to boost Democrats into majorities in November, I'm not a believer in Iraq as a "mistake," as I have repeated ad nauseam for quite a long time.

I know that most Americans relate better to the "incompetence" brand of anti-Iraq War/Occupation criticism than the No Blood for Oil critique, so I've got no problem with this as a campaign theme. I just hope that after the election we will hear more about smashed eggs than fumbled eggs. More about Iraq as a concocted war that never needed to be fought than something our leaders took us into thinking they were doing the right thing.

[freepatriot]

ohhhh, we got trolls

that's a sign of a healthy and powerful blog

if the freepi weren't afraid of us, they wouldn't be attacking us

first they ignore us, then they ridicul us (our troll is a little slow) then they fight us, and then we win

our troll is stuck on stage two in a stage three world, but we'll take what we can get, right ???

[DemFromCT]

Smooth Jazz, why do you hate America?

Even Republicans are past the "we don't hear the good news" propaganda. if you don't believe me, take it up with Hagel and Shays.

[Paul Lyon]

``I wish you luck but I'll stick with our troops and am very confident that they and the Iraqis will ultimately prevail.''

And just which Iraqis would that be, Smooth Jazz?

[Smooth Jazz]

I don't care about Shays or Hagel. They have agendas. Troll?? Don't worry, I will not be staying long. Just passing through to see what life is like in this nutroot cocoon. Have fun all; Don't drink too much of that Kookaid. If Ned "Cut, Run with Head between Tail" Lamont is the best you can do, even the Bush Hating NY Times will not be able to help you.

[DemFromCT]

"I don't care about Shays or Hagel. They have agendas."

So do the 60% of America that think the war was a mistake. Iit must be hard to convince yourself you're right when all the facts argue otherwise.

[Kagro X]

Later, Smoothie. If I were you, I wouldn't stick around for the results to come in, either.

Free tip: Vaseline on the temples will aid in the reinsertion.

[Smooth Jazz]

LMAO. It's funny watching you guys jump all over somebody who doesn't toe the line of the nutroot cocoon. What's even funnier: Having Harry "Bug Eye" Reid, Nancy PeLousy & Nut Lamont have a say in our foriegn policy. With those folks in charge, I can see us running from any terrorist who says "boo". At any rate, here's another article you all can pass around the cocoon. It's WP columnist David Ignatious, no fan of the Bush Admin, latest take on Iraq. GL to All. You will need it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/25/AR2006082501237.html

[Dismayed]

It's amazing to me. You can sooo tell who gets all their news from daytime talk radio. Actually, I should say - You can so tell who gets all their 'talking points' from daytime talk radio. So smooth Jazz is the jury still out on CO2 and global warming as well? May I direct you to the latest "Scientific American"? So tired of tired Speed Junky Rush Limblah, blah, blah.

[Dismayed]

And MB. I'm with you on the Iraq war as a 'mistake'. Hope I didn't imply that I think it was a simple 'mistake' earlier. It was pure treachery, and I'm sad to say I bought into it at the time.

[Kagro X]

Glad you're enjoying it, Smoothie. It's a blast for me too. We don't get that many Bush dead-enders so willing to hold themselves up to ridicule, so a little comic relief is most welcome.

[Sara]

Apparently the Baghdad Butcher's Bill for today was nine American Soldiers and about 80 Iraqi Civilians.

Juan Cole has an interesting guest post today with a number of provocative and interesting assumptions, including the notion that Civil War -- or limited Civil War is the best "fall back" position for Bush being inabled to stay in Iraq.