From this morning's WaPo... Maliki says Bush admininstration criticisms of him only embolden the terrorists. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/17/AR2007011702346_pf.html
i actually agree somewhat w/ Maliki, but you forgot to bold another germane portion of his remarks: "Maliki disputed President Bush's remarks broadcast Tuesday that the execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein "looked like it was kind of a revenge killing" and took exception to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's Senate testimony last week that Maliki's administration was on "borrowed time." The prime minister said statements such as Rice's "give morale boosts for the terrorists and push them toward making an extra effort and making them believe they have defeated the American administration," Maliki said. "But I can tell you that they have not defeated the Iraqi government."... "I know President Bush and I know him as a strong person that does not get affected by the media pressure, but it seems the pressure has gone to a great extent that led to the president giving this statement," Maliki said.
we all bow to pressure at some point, and bush has resisted remarkably well up to now. and there's a great deal of pressure to pull out and come home, not just by democrats but w/in the republican party as well. i admire him for having the courage of his convictions and electing a strategy that offers the chance of victory. i think it's unfortunate he chose to chastise the iraqis on this point, and i think it's counterproductive, but i think he was speaking to a domestic and european audience, not just not an iraqi one. that said, it still think it's unwise.
Under that basis, you should probably admire the terrorists as well. They have resisted a lot of pressure from outside and within and from other muslims, they have courage in their convictions and are electing strategies that offer the chance for victory.
And you only care about the bleeding crowd. I get it. D&D. I've never had Three Dogs at the same time.
I don't think you get what I am saying. I was quoting a US Marines motto. It is easier to double down your losses than to think of a better way to solve the problem (or limit the loss if there are no good options left)
For the last time... "double down" means you likely have a good hand and an increased chance of winning. This does not apply. Betting "Double or Nothing" is more a more apt description of the desperation evident in the administration's actions.
This can't be good. White House rebuffs Iraqi PM's criticism Washington- The White House on Thursday dismissed charges by Iraq's prime minister that the United States has been slow to arm Iraqi security forces, helping insurgents and costing American and Iraqi lives, and has wavered in its support for his government. In remarks published Thursday in US and Britsh newspapers, Nuri al-Maliki said the need for US troops in Iraq would drop "dramatically" in three to six months if the US speeded up equipping and arming the Iraqi military. "The prime minister has made this point a number of times," said US President George W Bush's chief spokesman, Tony Snow. "He wants to make sure that his forces are fully armed and capable, and we agree." Al-Maliki said suggestions by Bush administration officials that the US did not fully support his government had given "a morale boost" to Iraqi insurgents, the Los Angeles Times quoted the Iraqi leader as saying. Al-Maliki appeared to be referring to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's remark last week "that his government is, in a sense, on borrowed time, not just in terms of the American people, but in terms of the Iraqi people." Rice, testifying to a US Senate panel, added that she had confidence in al-Maliki's government. Snow suggested the criticism was based on a misunderstanding. "The context on that is wrong," he told reporters in Washington. "We have indicated no lack of support for the Iraqi government." Snow said Al-Maliki fully agreed with the new Iraq policy Bush announced last week, which includes sending more than 20,000 more US troops to Baghdad and Anbar province to help Iraqi forces quell sectarian killings. http://rawstory.com/news/2007/White_House_rebuffs_Iraqi_PM_s_crit_01182007.html
