Monthly Archives: September 2005

“Drinking the Kool-Aid” by W. Patrick Lang

This article appeared in 2004 in "Middle East Policy."  I have been asked by a number of people to post it on the blog. Pat Lang Download drinking_the_kool_aid3.pdf

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Have You Read the Book?

"MILES O’BRIEN: You know, General, I’ve got to say, I’m having a hard time seeing the signs of success. We don’t have much evidence that the Iraqis are stepping up to the plate. The U.S. is having to provide whatever … Continue reading

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No. No, General. Strength is Supposed to be going up!

According to George Casey, General, US Army, commander of US Forces in Iraq, Iraqi forces are declining (at the moment) in terms of combat ready battalions of infantry: In June, the Pentagon told lawmakers that three Iraqi battalions were fully … Continue reading

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“The undersecretary’s dangerous trip”

This requires no comment by me. Pat Lang "By Sidney Blumenthal Sept. 29, 2005  | President Bush has no advisor more loyal and less self-serving than Karen Hughes. As governor of Texas he implicitly trusted the former Dallas television reporter … Continue reading

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The Sunni Insurgency In Iraq

By my colleague T.J. Snodgrass II Download the_sunni_insurgency_in_iraq.pdf Pat Lang

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Where Do They Get These Guys?

BAGHDAD — The top U.S. military intelligence officer in Iraq said Abu Musab Zarqawi and his foreign and Iraqi associates have essentially commandeered the insurgency, becoming the dominant opposition force and the greatest immediate threat to U.S. objectives in the … Continue reading

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Karen Hughes – Texas Missionary

"Hughes said her remarks were part of a U.S. policy of "slowly advancing ideas" with the Saudis. "My job is to raise issues in, I hope, a respectful way, to help other countries understand concerns Americans have," she said. During … Continue reading

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Round 2 to Mr. Broussard

The spin moguls in the administration and their faithless lackeys in corporate offices evidently got busy after Aaron Broussard’s on the air denuncuation of the slowness of federal relief efforts in Louisiana. That was on "Meet the Press" 3 weeks … Continue reading

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Homage to David Gregory

Watch Chertoff.  Reminds me of Nancy Reagan dealing with embarassing moments.  Pat Lang http://www.canofun.com/blog/videos/bushovercompensationsep2305.wmv

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Saud al-Faisal on “the threat”

"and the main worry of all the neighbors" was that the potential disintegration of Iraq into Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish states would "bring other countries in the region into the conflict."  Reuter and the NY Times. Saud al-Faisal is one … Continue reading

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