So how long might it take until the Iraqi government is stable enough to operate on its own? Three to five years, retired Army Gen. John Abizaid (in photo), the former commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, toldAssociated Press. Abizaid, who opposed the surge because he thinks Iraq’s problems can’t be solved militarily, also thinks that none of the candidates hoping to replace President Bush can responsibly call for immediate or complete withdrawal of U.S. forces, given our national security interests in the region.
However, that’s what Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., reportedly will do. In a speech today, Obama plans to say: "The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq’s leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately begin to remove our combat troops. Not in six months or one year — now." Obama wants all our troops out by the end of next year.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Several top GOP senators expressed frustration and doubts to Gen. David Petraeus Tuesday, but to what end? Will they do anything concrete to force a change in course in Iraq?
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., compared U.S. efforts in Iraq to planting crops in a floodplain and said that "our global advantage is being diminished by the weight of our burden in Iraq." Sen. John Warner, R-Va., asked a key question that Petraeus couldn’t answer: Will continuing on this strategy make America safer? And Sen. Chuck Hagel (in photo), R-Neb., asked: "Are we going to continue to invest American blood and treasure at the same rate we are doing now? For what?"
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson said Friday that Osama bin Laden is “more symbolism than anything else” and, later that day, that the terrorist mastermind “ought to be caught and killed.” Then on Monday, Thompson clarified that should bin Laden be captured, “we’ve got due process to go through.” He added: “The same rules ought to apply to him as to everyone at Guantanamo Bay, and there ought to be due process through a special military court or commission.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Chinese officials of late have been trumpeting environmental reforms, but an article in Foreign Affairs argues that behind the green rhetoric, China’s environmental woes continue to pile up: “Water pollution and water scarcity are burdening the economy, rising levels of air pollution are endangering the health of millions of Chinese, and much of the country’s land is rapidly turning into desert.”
The problem is that local officials often ignore environmental mandates from Beijing, preferring instead to pursue growth at all costs.
The failure to address environmental problems could put an end to China’s economic miracle, says the author, resulting in a “great leap backward.” And the rest of the world will pay the price, too.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Obviously, Barack Obama would have been a fool to turn down Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of his presidential campaign, for which she raised $3 million or so at a weekend event. But will her ability to attract 7 million mostly women viewers to her talk show, and her power to turn books and products into best-sellers, translate into votes? It can’t be good news for Hillary Clinton, whose historic candidacy should be a magnet for women voters. “What an endorsement like this does is to get people who might not have paid attention to him to take notice. Oprah is seen as a credible source by a lot of people,” said political science professor Arthur Sanders of Drake University in Des Moines. At the very least, it should get more women to vote next year.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
County officials in Kansas may feel the need to know how to run an effective campaign. But it hardly seems appropriate for their taxpayer-funded time at a Kansas County Officials Association conference at the Hyatt Regency Wichita to include a session Friday titled “How to Run an Effective Campaign,” to include tips on using yard signs, direct mail and door-to-door campaigning. Steve Kearney, executive vice president of the KCOA, told the Hutchinson News, “It’ll just be some very basic stuff that anyone could avail themselves of.”
But Randall Allen, executive director of the Kansas Association of Counties, said: “I would be appalled if we had something like that at our conference.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
