Dems Missing Plot In Iraq
By RS Insider Posted in Dick Durbin | War — Comments (7) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
The RS Insider hears of another example of Democrats losing the plot in Iraq. On the floor of the Senate today, Senator Durbin said Iraq controlled only “three out of eighteen provinces”.
In fact, the fourth province, Maysan, was handed over last week, and five more provinces are getting close to fulfilling the requirements necessary to be handed over to Iraqis. In fact, recent reports indicate that Dahuk, Irbil, and Sulaymaniyah are peaceful and awaiting impending transfer, and Kerbala and Wasit will be ready for handover soon, as well.
Senator Durbin should be aware of this kind of thing, since it was included in the Congressionally-mandated “March 2007 Report to Congress”. (of course, Democrats may not have read that, either) For example…
On December 17, 2006, the Prime Minister and the Ministerial Committee for National Security approved the transfer of security responsibility for Dahuk, Irbil, and Sulaymaniyah to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). These provinces will transition to PIC on completion of negotiations between the GOI and the KRG to resolve a national budgetary issue concerning the defense budget. These three provinces and three others—Qadisiyah, Maysan, and Ninewah—are expected to transition to PIC by the spring of 2007. The remaining provinces are expected to achieve PIC in 2007 except for Anbar, which is projected to transfer to PIC in early 2008.
Apparently, Senator Durbin didn’t get the memo. Or perhaps, like other Democrats, he’s just not reading them anymore.
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is the fact that a lot of us can read
In fact, the fourth province, Maysan, was handed over last week, and five more provinces are getting close to fulfilling the requirements necessary to be handed over to Iraqis. In fact, recent reports indicate that Dahuk, Irbil, and Sulaymaniyah are peaceful and awaiting impending transfer, and Kerbala and Wasit will be ready for handover soon, as well.
The RS Insider story shows 1) Durbin is so disengaged from what is happening that he doesn't know the status of the turn over, 2) Kurdistan does count, 3) Kerbala and Wasit are not in Kurdistan and it is not generally known that they are verging on turn over.
If you want to criticize the story and lecture us on "what it really means" at least do us the common courtesy of reading the story you're criticizing first.
"A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition." -- Rudyard Kipling
if you want to criticize my comment, at least do yourself the common courtesy of reading it first.
In my comment I stated that 1) most of the violence in Iraq occurs in Baghdad and the provinces that surround it (especially Anbar and Diyala). 2) the areas that are under Iraqi control (and basically have been since 1991) are in Iraqi Kurdistan. This is great. The Iraqi Kurds are doing a very good job with the security of their territory, when they aren't busy meeting with the Iranians. But this isn't news. They've been in control for a long time.
I hope the turnovers in Karbala and Wasit are a success and don't turn out like the turnovers of the past where we've had to go back in months later and clear the place out in a heavy firefight. But don't count me among the strongest believers in that rosy scenario playing out.
Streif,
You say " it is not generally known that they are verging on turn over."
How did you learn this? And what is the best news source you've found regarding conditions in Iraq?
MNF-I is the best followed by CENTCOM.
If you use a feedreader (try bloglines.com), MNF-I and CENTCOM have RSS feed.
"A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition." -- Rudyard Kipling
and he just wants to be able to say with some small bit of honesty that only a few have been handed over to Iraqi's.
He needs to say this before the real truth comes out. Much like Peid saying the "war is lost". He needs to say it now because when the surge really starts to happen and the truth cannot be hid it will be to late. Why do you think Pelosi did not attend the meeting today? If she did she would have to admit the truth.
"I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way."
John Paul Jones (letter to M. Le Ray de Chaumont,16 Nov.1778)
someone with more time and/or better researching skills compare the public pronouncements of prominent Democrats last fall on the subject of precipitous withdrawal to what they're saying and doing right now. I don't go overboard with the media bias hypothesis, but I'm reasonably comfortable asserting that had Republicans campaigned on one policy provision and undertook the exact opposite course of action not six months later it would be bigger news.
Is the fact that the vast majority of the violence in Baghdad is limited to Anbar, Baghdad, and the area surrounding the capital. These are the areas we haven't had any luck in controlling (and, not coincidentally, these are also the most populated areas). By the way, Dahuk, Arbil, and Sulaymaniyah are the Kurdish provinces--so don't take this as a sign that we're getting anywhere with the Sunni-Shi'a problem (not saying that I'm sure we aren't, just saying that this post proves nothing we didn't already know).