A risk or two in attacking Syria

If you favor attacking Syria, you don't want to read this article.  It lists the views of "Middle East experts" as to the consequences of an attack.  The primary issue seems to be that expressed by Ryan C. Crocker, a former ambassador to Syria and Lebanon, who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, "Our biggest problem is ignorance; we’re pretty ignorant about Syria,”  Particularly as to what Assad might do.  Crocker again, “So he continues on in defiance — maybe he even launches another chemical attack to put a stick in our eye — and then what?  Because once you start down this road, it’s pretty hard to get off it and maintain political credibility.” 

Plus, we have to remember that the Assad opposition is not made up entirely of those who are our friends.  Nor is Syria without allies.  The possibility of unintended consequences is enormous.

Obama has demonstrated that he is as ignorant as Bush with regards to our economy and such concepts as privacy and liberty.  With Syria he seems to demonstrate another area in which he is as good as GW.

Time to face reality

Ryan Crocker, our ambassador disagrees,  “This is not the time to decide that we’re done here. We have got to redouble our efforts. We’ve got to create a situation in which Al Qaeda is not coming back.”  How many more American deaths does Crocker think we need before saying 'Sayonara'? Two of our soldiers were killed inside the Afghan Interior Ministry.  How many more days of protest by larger and larger crowds can we tolerate?  How much more money do we waste trying to train the Afghan 'security forces'?  

It's a lost cause there.  It's time to declare victory and leave.

Speaking 21st Century Style

Dick Cavett has a wonderful piece in the NY Times about the language and speaking styles of General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker. I urge you to read it. Here is how Cavett concludes the article:

It’s like listening to someone speaking a language you only partly know. And who’s being paid by the syllable. You miss a lot. I guess a guy bearing up under such a chestload of hardware — and pretty ribbons in a variety of decorator colors — can’t be expected to speak like ordinary mortals, for example you and me. He should try once saying — instead of “ongoing process of high level engagements” — maybe something in colloquial English? Like: “fights” or “meetings” (or whatever the hell it’s supposed to mean).

I find it painful to watch this team of two straight men, straining on the potty of language. Only to deliver such . . . what? Such knobbed and lumpy artifacts of superfluous verbiage? (Sorry, now I’m doing it…)

But I must hand it to his generalship. He did say something quite clearly and admirably and I am grateful for his frankness. He told us that our gains are largely imaginary: that our alleged “progress” is “fragile and reversible.” (Quite an accomplishment in our sixth year of war.) This provides, of course, a bit of pre-emptive covering of the general’s hindquarters next time that, true to Murphy’s Law, things turn sour again.

Back to poor Crocker. His brows are knitted. And he has a perpetually alarmed expression, as if, perhaps, he feels something crawling up his leg.

Could it be he is being overtaken by the thought that an honorable career has been besmirched by his obediently doing the dirty work of the tinpot Genghis Khan of Crawford, Texas? The one whose foolish military misadventure seems to increasingly resemble that of Gen. George Armstrong Custer at Little Bighorn?

Not an apt comparison, I admit.

Custer sent only 258 soldiers to their deaths.

Think before you act

Ryan Crocker is retiring as our Ambassador to Afghanistan. He has three "rules" for his successor and us:

• Remember the law of unintended consequences. 
• Recognize the limits of the United States’ actual capabilities. 
• Understand that getting out of a conflict once you are in can often be dangerous and as destructive for the country as the original conflict.

And a couple of interesting quotes:

•  “You better do some cold calculating, you know, about how do you really think you are going to influence things for the better.” 
• “We’re a superpower, we don’t fight on our territory, but that means you are in somebody else’s stadium, playing by somebody else’s ground rules, and you have to understand the environment, the history, the politics of the country you wish to intervene in.”

  I'm not so sure he has been following his rules and observations.  Look at these and tell me what you think.

Lord of all he surveys

Retired Major General Charles Williams is in charge of Overseas Building Operations (OBO) for the State Department. And he really is in charge. He barred diplomats and Congressmen from entering the embassy being built in Iraq. The State Department refuses to have him grant interviews. His underling on the scene in Iraq, James Golden, was thrown out of Iraq by Ambassador Crocker for incompetence in overseeing the construction of the embassy, but Golden now oversees it from Washington.

One has to question Williams' ability as a construction manager. In August he announced that the embassy in Iraq would open in September. But, as we've seen, there are a few problems there. Now, the sprinkler system has been demonstrated to be faulty and there are questions as to how blast-resistant the building really is.

Williams strives to bring his projects in on time. However, sometimes he cuts corners to do so. In Berlin in order to meet deadlines he built one less floor in the new embassy, which means that one design goal - have all employees in one building - will not be met.

Finally, we have hints of skulduggery with regards to the building of the Iraq embassy.

A Sad Occasion

The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday in Minneapolis of a yeast infection and traumatic complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71. 

Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The gravesite was piled high with flours. Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded. 

Born and bread in Minnesota, Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not regarded as a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, he still was a crusty old man and served as a positive roll model for millions. 

Doughboy is survived by his wife, Play Dough, three children: John Dough, Jane Dough and Dosey Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart. The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 min. If you smiled while reading this, please rise to the occasion and pass it on to someone having a crumby day and kneading a lift.

Courtesy of a child friend

What Will Petraeus and Crocker Say Next Week?

One of the purposes - if not the main purpose - of the surge was to give the Maliki government time to be able to stand up and control the country. It does not seem as though that has happened in Basra and other places as most observers feel that the Mahdi Army won; clearly Maliki is not a military planner or executor.

It is looking like the civil war is not only a three-ring circus - Shia, Sunni, Kurd -, but within the Shia there are major disagreements And it looks as though Iran is playing all sides of the Shia street and exerting more and more control.

For an up-to-the-minute listing of the deaths and injuries that went on today in Iraq, go to Iraq Today. I counted 36 incidents today.

Who said "we'll stand down as the Iraqis stand up"? This certainly is looking more and more unlikely.