The Conservative Cave
Current Events => Breaking News => Topic started by: Chris_ on July 02, 2008, 01:57:14 AM
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U.S. Embassy Cites Progress in Iraq (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/01/AR2008070102860.html)
Most Congressionally Set Benchmarks Met, Report Finds
Iraq has met all but three of 18 original benchmarks set by Congress last year to measure security, political and economic progress, according to a report by the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
The embassy's evaluation, compiled in May, contrasts sharply with other recent assessments that Iraq has failed to achieve many of the goals that the Baghdad government and President Bush said would be reached by the end of 2007. A report by the Government Accountability Office, released last week, cited little improvement in the political and economic spheres and noted continuing military problems despite a significant decline in overall violence.
The embassy judged that the only remaining shortfalls were the Baghdad government's failure to enact and implement laws governing the oil industry and the disarmament of militia and insurgent groups, and continuing problems with the professionalism of the Iraqi police. All other goals -- including preparations for upcoming elections, reform of de-Baathification and disarmament laws, progress on enacting and spending Iraq's budget, and the capabilities of the Iraqi army -- were rated "satisfactory."
Congress drew up the list of 18 benchmarks early last year, based on pledges by the administration and Baghdad, and passed legislation requiring progress reports. In congressional testimony last September, Gen. David H. Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ryan C. Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, told lawmakers that about half the goals had been met.
(more...)
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Huh...all you'd have to do is change insurgent to illegal aliens, and I coulda swore you'd have been talking about us.
Face it--Congress put arbitrary benchmarks that even THEY couldn't have possibly lived up to in this country. WTF, over?
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Another positive (non-AP) story that probably won't get reported:
Iraqi forces to take over security in Anbar (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080623/wl_nm/iraq_anbar_dc)
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military will transfer control of security in Iraq's Anbar province to Iraqi forces this week, a remarkable turnaround given the vast western region was considered lost to insurgents less than two years ago.
Anbar will be the 10th of Iraq's 18 provinces returned to Iraqi security control since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, but it will be the first Sunni Arab region handed back.
Mamun Sami Rasheed, Anbar's governor, said the handover ceremony would take place on Saturday.
"We have been dreaming of this event since 2003," he said.
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Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-N.C., who requested the administration's updated assessment, scoffed at the report, which he says uses the false standard of determining whether progress on a goal is "satisfactory" versus whether the benchmark has been met. He estimates that only a few of the 18 benchmarks have been fully achieved.
Democrats also say more solid progress could have been made had the administration starting pulling troops out sooner.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080701/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_iraq_progress
:whatever:
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Even Al Franken admits there is progress being made.
[youtube=425,350]LfQYVTCljJ0[/youtube]
So obviously, we need to pull out of Iraq! :loser:
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Even Al Franken admits there is progress being made.
[youtube=425,350]LfQYVTCljJ0[/youtube]
So obviously, we need to pull out of Iraq! :loser:
That's the new Dem line....things are going so well that we need to leave. :whatever: