Gates and the US Iraq Exit Plan
With Rumsfeld out and Gates in the buzz is that the U.S. will be actively pursuing an exit scenario from Iraq in the very near future.
Bush has finally listened to some sage advice to cut and run from Rumsfeld. The debacle in Iraq is certainly not getting any better and actually is getting worse with time. American actions in Iraq have polarized the Middle East, sabotaged our relationships with previously close allies, and painted Americans in a very negative light. It is time that we had a new approach to our Middle Eastern foreign policy and a new direction for a partnership with Iraq.
Now I am not saying that Rumsfeld is all to blame, I think that much of what he has done is highly partisan, but I also feel that President Bush has surrounded himself with a circle of people who do not necessarily have a broad focus and that has hurt our country. Sometime Bush's decisions have been guided by the political leaning of a person, their "loyalty factor", and a who-knows-who scenario. (We call that the "good 'ole boy network"). Yup, that is right up there with the Cowboy politics and swagger and political posturing that we have seen from Bush over the past years.
I have to say that I simply do not have the stomach for two more years of business as usual, so I am really hoping that Gates will bring in some fresh approaches and consensus building.
Bush has finally listened to some sage advice to cut and run from Rumsfeld. The debacle in Iraq is certainly not getting any better and actually is getting worse with time. American actions in Iraq have polarized the Middle East, sabotaged our relationships with previously close allies, and painted Americans in a very negative light. It is time that we had a new approach to our Middle Eastern foreign policy and a new direction for a partnership with Iraq.
Now I am not saying that Rumsfeld is all to blame, I think that much of what he has done is highly partisan, but I also feel that President Bush has surrounded himself with a circle of people who do not necessarily have a broad focus and that has hurt our country. Sometime Bush's decisions have been guided by the political leaning of a person, their "loyalty factor", and a who-knows-who scenario. (We call that the "good 'ole boy network"). Yup, that is right up there with the Cowboy politics and swagger and political posturing that we have seen from Bush over the past years.
I have to say that I simply do not have the stomach for two more years of business as usual, so I am really hoping that Gates will bring in some fresh approaches and consensus building.
