The New Way Forward: A Progress Report

    I have already commented on Bush's new way forward but here is a little extra from DailyKos

The New Way Forward:  A Progress Report

by BarbinMD

Sat Jan 27, 2007

It's been two weeks since George W. Bush announced his new way forward in Iraq and results are already being seen. During Thursday's White House press briefing, Tony Snow said:

Before we begin, let me just -- a couple of comments on developments in Iraq. The Prime Minister today has given an address --

...it demonstrates the kind of vigor we've been talking about and that the American people expect, and also responds specifically to concerns members of Congress have been expressing, in terms of the aims of and the determination of the government of Iraq.

And here's some more of that vigor from the determined government of Iraq:

Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s presentation of a new Baghdad security plan to the Iraqi Parliament on Thursday broke down in bitter sectarian recriminations, with Mr. Maliki threatening a Sunni Arab lawmaker with arrest and, in response, the Sunni speaker of Parliament threatening to quit.

The prime minister’s claim was challenged by Abdul Nasir al-Janabi, who represents a powerful Sunni Arab bloc. “We can not trust the office of the prime minister,” he said over jeers from the Shiite politicians before his microphone was cut off.

Mr. Maliki could barely contain his rage, waving his finger in the air and essentially accusing Mr. Nasir of being a criminal.

“I will show you,” Mr. Maliki said. “I will turn over the documents on you” showing all your crimes, “then you can talk about trust,” Mr. Maliki said.

Well, that should allay any concerns that Congress and the American people have about the Iraq government's will to succeed.  And getting the hydrocarbon law and de-Baathification reform hammered out in the couple of weeks remaining in their legislative session should be a breeze.  

Later during the briefing, Snow said:

We have seen assertive action on the part of Iraqi forces and joint Iraqi-U.S. forces within Baghdad taking on terror.

While some may call it joint forces taking on terror, others describe it this way:

In a miniature version of the troop increase that the United States hopes will secure the city, American soldiers and armored vehicles raced onto Haifa Street before dawn to dislodge Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias who have been battling for a stretch of ragged slums and mostly abandoned high rises. But as the sun rose, many of the Iraqi Army units who were supposed to do the actual searches of the buildings did not arrive on time, forcing the Americans to start the job on their own.

When the Iraqi units finally did show up, it was with the air of a class outing, cheering and laughing as the Americans blew locks off doors with shotguns.

Two allies taking on terror, or American troops in the middle of a civil war...you make the call.

And let's hear from some of the people directly involved in this war, beginning with a U.S. serviceman in Baghdad:

Who the hell is shooting at us? Who’s shooting at us? Do we know who they are?

From a Sunni member of the Iraq  Parliment:

I cannot see how it is possible that a new security plan can work.

Dick Cheney's response to a question about how he feels:

Good.

And finally, the Decider himself to Nancy Pelosi on why the escalation will work:

Because I told them it had to.

You can almost smell victory in the air.

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   I can smell something in the air and it ain't victory!