U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Sums Up Atmosphere on the Ground: 'Fear'
Washington Dispatch: Before a war-weary Senate yesterday, Ambassador Ryan Crocker gave a candid assessment of the security situation in Iraq, but downplayed the significance of the Iraqi government's poor progress on meeting congressionally mandated benchmarks.
By Jonathan Stein
July 20, 2007
Appearing via video link from Baghdad yesterday, Ryan Crocker, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, provided testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee amidst eroding support for the war among the committee's Republican members. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) has long been a critic of the Bush administration's handling of Iraq, but in recent months he has been joined by Norm Coleman (R-MN) and John Sununu (R-NH), who are facing tough reelection races in 2008. The latest GOP defectors are two of the Senate's most influential Republicans, George Voinovich (R-OH) and Dick Lugar (R-IN), the committee's ranking member.
It was Lugar who pointedly asked Crocker if there is currently any preparation for "Plan B," the Republicans' euphemism for withdrawal. Lugar added that such preparation will prove vital if the decision to withdraw is made, and that he suspects high-level figures in the Bush administration have been stymieing efforts to plan for this outcome. Crocker gave no indication that any serious consideration is being given to a withdrawal strategy, saying, "My whole focus is involved in the implementation of 'Plan A.'"
Voinovich told Crocker that disengagement is "inevitable." "We must start to face reality.... Our commitment is not open-ended."
While Crocker may have seemed a likely target for the ire of war-weary members of Congress, it was the administration's policy, not Crocker himself, that came under attack. A former envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan who has a reputation as a straight-shooter, Crocker recently sent a memo to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice complaining that the Baghdad embassy he oversees is not receiving top-notch talent. The very public missive was an embarrassment for the administration and made clear Crocker is more than a White House mouthpiece.
LinkHere
By Jonathan Stein
July 20, 2007
Appearing via video link from Baghdad yesterday, Ryan Crocker, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, provided testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee amidst eroding support for the war among the committee's Republican members. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) has long been a critic of the Bush administration's handling of Iraq, but in recent months he has been joined by Norm Coleman (R-MN) and John Sununu (R-NH), who are facing tough reelection races in 2008. The latest GOP defectors are two of the Senate's most influential Republicans, George Voinovich (R-OH) and Dick Lugar (R-IN), the committee's ranking member.
It was Lugar who pointedly asked Crocker if there is currently any preparation for "Plan B," the Republicans' euphemism for withdrawal. Lugar added that such preparation will prove vital if the decision to withdraw is made, and that he suspects high-level figures in the Bush administration have been stymieing efforts to plan for this outcome. Crocker gave no indication that any serious consideration is being given to a withdrawal strategy, saying, "My whole focus is involved in the implementation of 'Plan A.'"
Voinovich told Crocker that disengagement is "inevitable." "We must start to face reality.... Our commitment is not open-ended."
While Crocker may have seemed a likely target for the ire of war-weary members of Congress, it was the administration's policy, not Crocker himself, that came under attack. A former envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan who has a reputation as a straight-shooter, Crocker recently sent a memo to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice complaining that the Baghdad embassy he oversees is not receiving top-notch talent. The very public missive was an embarrassment for the administration and made clear Crocker is more than a White House mouthpiece.
LinkHere
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 3:42 PM
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