The surge:

[Stanley]

Anyone what to predict what general Patreas will say or is it already a foretold conclusion he will be supporting the Presidents position.
It seems every day GWB is pushing the "Generals on the ground will be the disiding factor" yet he proclaims himself as the decider against all those that have offered wisdom.
Anyone would have told me that a US president would exercise this kind of power in the country and its people i would have never believed it.

[iris in stones]

There was a whole corps of generals to whom he did not listen, to whom he would not promote or work with.
My guess is that Petraeus subscribes to the war on the cheap philosophy and will do just fine defending the policies to Congress.
War is never cheap. Even if you try to fight it cheaply, it ends up costing. The British found this out the hard way in the 7 Years' War.
We are finding out that the MBA degree manages business, not war.
War cannot be managed. Period.

[CHUQ]

There is a wealth of opinions coming out now and until the biggie from Gen. Patraeus. The Admin is attempting to ward any negativity because the Dems do not have the clout to end the war so Bush and the Boyz are trying to make sure that as much positive stuff can be found and can be used to justify thye continuation of the war.

[CHUQ]

Here is the findings of a couple of the early reports.


Findings and recommendations by recent studies on the Iraq war:

The Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq, chaired by retired Marine Corps Gen. James Jones, released Sept. 6:


LINK (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070906/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq_glance)

[CHUQ]

A report on what Congress is facing concerning Iraq.


Members of Congress return this week to Washington and to work, looking uncommonly grim. Ahead they see an autumn of heavy lifting, with precious little leverage and few prospects to improve their abysmal public standing.

The agenda includes war, of course, as well as shaky financial markets, spending bills (and vetoes) and multiple investigations of the executive branch's failings. Daunting as all of these issues are, a functioning Congress would find ways to go forward.

But this Congress is not really functioning, at least not in the sense of finding common ground and striking compromises, which is what the awkward institution was intended and designed to do.


LINK (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14182079)

[Pete]

Well, let's see, this Congress has had the lowest poll rating in the history of the US. They have shown no back bone, their weakness is apparent and they have achieved nothing at all, other then raise minimum wage. I have to think how will history books look upon them and have they taken the heart out of some loyal allegiance voters who thought they would make a change.
I never would have believed that one party could be so irrelevent, insignificant and perhaps the party should be dissolved.

[iris in stones]

The cross-party elite that wanted the Gilded Age back has it.
Our Congress is not the heart of the republic.
It is the interlocking directorate of the few, the rich, and the corporate.

[Sonny]

The cross-party elite that wanted the Gilded Age back has it.
Our Congress is not the heart of the republic.
It is the interlocking directorate of the few, the rich, and the corporate.

Doesn't that make room for corruption, dictatorial policies and neglect of the Constitutional rights of those electing them Iris ?

[iris in stones]

Yes. And all of those were prevalent realities in the Gilded Age also.

[CHUQ]

I watched Patraeus on the telie--what a damn salesman! He sold the whole package to Congress and now the wind is completely out of the sails of the anti-war Dems.