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By Mark Kilmer Posted in Elections — Comments (12) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

March 5, 2006

This week is in the can. (A Hollywood term in honor of the still-hyped Academy awards.)

On NBC's Meet the Press, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Peter Pace, USMC, said: "I wouldn't put a great big smiley face on it, but I'd say [things] are going very, very well" in Iraq. Russert reminded him that Ibrahim al-Jaafari reads Noam Chomsky, and Pace quipped that he hoped Jaafari had more books on his nightstand. Later, on CBS's Face the Nation, Bob Schieffer (or his producers) truncated the generals statement simply to "very, very well," eliminating the qualifiers and making the General appear unrealistically Pollyannaish. Jack Kemp on MTP suggested a "Marshall Plan" for the countries which would destroy us, to give them jobs and a sense of hope. He also suggested a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.

Same show, same segment, John Edwards said that now that the 2004 election is over, he is free to tell the world that he thought he blew it when he voted for the invasion of Iraq.

Michael Brown, on FNS, said that Mike Chertoff should not have gotten in his way when he was trying to react to Katrina. Tom Ridge was smart, he said, in that he let Chertoff run with the response to the Florida hurricanes.

Jack Murtha FTN called Joint Chiefs Chairman General Peter Pace, USMC, a liar. Next segment, Schieffer asked Dick Lugar if he agreed.

On LE, DP Ports World CEO Mohammed Sharaf acted like he were a businessman doing business. The bottom line. Asked about the UAE's declaration of enmity for Israel, Sharaf said he does business with Israel's Zim Shipping all the time. No big deal. Chuckie Schumer, next segment, called this "poppycock" and argued that Sharaf "doesn't know the business."

Duncan Hunter on TW raved about a Nazi conspiracy with Dubai to ship heavy water for nukes to the PRC. All sorts of secret stuff about which the President must not have been briefed. Susie Collins might have been made nervous by such banter. She said she wants to review the deal, and she applauded the President for the 45 days.

Read the complete, show-by-show review below the fold…

GENERAL PACE ON MTP. Host Tim Russert's first guest on NBC's Meet the Press was Joint Chiefs Chairman General Peter Pace, USMC.

"What's going on in Iraq?" Pace explained that the terrorist were "so desperate" that they had to destroy some of their most sacred shrines. The Iraqis have pulled together and beaten that.

Russert asked him how things were going in Iraq. Pace said that they were going well: "I wouldn't put a great big smiley face on it, but I'd say they going very, very well." He talked of the political progress and the progress in military training, the number of troops in the field. "Things are much better this year than they were last."

Russert cited a poll that show that Americans don't think things are going well and asked Pace to reconcile his opinion with that of the American people. Pace said that we weren't getting the message out, and the coverage of the situation was much less than it had been and it was concentrated on the bad things.

Russert said that 73% of the American people surveyed believe we are headed for a civil war, and he played a clip of General Casey saying that "anything could happen." General Pace said that "the Iraqi people want to have calm."

Russert talked of executions by the militias, which he claimed suggested that things were "unstable on the ground." Pace said that the militias were a problem, "but it is not a major, long term problem" so long as the Iraqi military remains loyal to the elected government.

Russert asked General Pace if he had any confidence in Ibrahim al-Jaafari to be the Iraqi prime minister. The general replied, "It doesn't matter one way or t'other what Pete Pace thinks. The only thing that's important" is if the Iraqi people want Jaafari to be PM.

Russert told Pace that Jaafari has said that "one of his favorite American writers" is Noam Chomsky. General Pace offered: "I hope he has more than one book on his nightstand." He would be concerned, he said, if Chomsky was his only "access to foreign ideas." As part of a broader reading regimen, Pace said he would consider it "probably healthy."

Russert asked him about the judgments made before the war: WMD, treated as liberators. "How could we be so wrong?" General Pace said he had believed the WMD to be true and his troops were prepared for it. "To date," he admitted, we've found only older caches of WMD.

Russert wanted to know if there were "too few troops" sent into Iraq to ensure security and prevent the formation of private militias. General Pace explained that there were fewer militias than there once were, but they "must be deal with and they must come under a central Iraqi command an control."

The number of troops, he pointed out, was a balancing act: between "enough troops to get the job done" and too many troops, as to be being "oppressive and creating more problems than it solves." He said that he was involved in all troop strength recommendations, and he thinks the military requested and received the right number.

He called for more Iraqi troops and maintained that it is happening.

Russert brought up "dead-enders" and "last throes," and asked if Don Rumsfeld were lying. General Pace explained that the number of people willing to participate in the insurgency is dependent on economic and political conditions as well as military.

Russert quoted WFB writing that Iraq was a failure. General Pace suggested that Buckley go to Iraq and talk to Iraqis about what it going on.

KEMP AND EDWARDS ON MTP. Russert next spoke to Jack Kemp and John Edwards, two unsuccessful Veep candidates, about Iraq. Kemp complained that there was no "economic component" to the GWOT. He wants a "Marshall Plan," to give them jobs and make them feel hope.

Russert asked if there were "fundamental misjudgments" -- "obviously about WMD" -- about the intensity of the opposition and the number of the troops we need. Kemp said certainly there were and we should have provided "little rewards" for those who wanted to bring peace. He called on the Administration to set a timetable for withdrawal and to promise that we'd not set up bases in Ira

Russert quoted an old Edwards Op/Ed about how wrong he was to have voted to invade Iraq. Edwards said that he wasn't the only one who was wrong, but he had to make judgment and vote. He listened to the info and talked to former Clinton officials, and his judgment was wrong. Russert continued to harass him about his vote, playing old clips. Edwards said that in the clip, he was still trying to defend his vote. After he and Kerry lost the election, he said, he could tell the truth about his vote: that it was wrong.

GENERAL PETER PACE ON FNS. General Pace was also host Chris Wallace's first guest on FOX News Sunday, and he had a grip. (This is often a rare thing on these shows.) He said that the Iraqi people had "looked into the abyss," didn't like what they had seen, and "pulled back from violence."

Wallace asked him if the UAE had turned a blind eye to what was being shipped through their ports. Pace could answer only to the military ties between us and them, which he said were great.

On the matter of the U.S. military having stories printed in the Iraq press, Pace said that "we do not want to do any damage at all to the perception of a free press"; above what actually happened, the perception is important. General Casey, he said, is investigating the situation.

BROWNIE ON FNS. Wallace next spoke with former FEMA director Michael Brown. He boasted that he got the President to use his "powers of persuasion" on Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco to implement a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans before the Katrina hit.

The President's Homeland Security Advisor, Fran Townsend, has argued that Brownie didn't follow the chain-of-command, post-Katrina. Brownie blew her off and said that he dealt directly with the President. Chertoff was a boob and Brownie felt he shouldn't report to him. Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge was smart, Brownie argued, because "he got out of the way" and let Brownie take care of the problems after the Florida hurricanes.

"I should have been in charge," Brownie argued.

Brownie said that he knew, in his gut, "that this would be a catastrophe of Biblical proportions."

JACK MURTHA ON FTN. CBS News' Bob Schieffer chatted with Congressman Jack Murtha ("ex-Marine, wounded Vietnam, a hawk..."). Schieffer quoted General Pace as saying the war in Iraq was going "very, very well." (Perhaps what his producers told him Pace had said. Pace said: "I wouldn't put a great big smiley face on it, but I'd say [things] are going very, very well." That counters Schieffer's contention that Pace had asserted that things were wonderful all around.)

Murtha said that BushLied™, so "why should I believe the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs when he said things are going well."

He called General Peter Pace a liar.

Murtha reiterated that Pace was a liar after Schieffer gave him a chance to back off. Schieffer said that Pace was a Marine, not some civilian at a desk job, but Murtha still felt that he was a liar.

Murtha declared that al Qaeda wants us in Iraq, as we "deplete our resources" and are distracted from the GWOT.

"The Iraqis don't pay attention to our advice. ... We're caught in a civil war."

Murtha thinks the Iraqis know where the al Qaeda are but won't tell us because they don't like us.

Schieffer asked how long it takes to make a Marine a Marine -- 16-weeks, he suggested -- and why can't we do it with Iraqis? Murtha said it takes 16-weeks initially then a year, and now we have no Iraqis trained.

Everyone is against what we are doing in Iraq, he declared, and there will be "a large turnover" in Congress -- Iraq, Katrina, Medicare -- "just like we had in '94."

Murtha said that "these people have used fear as a club" and now expect the Administration just to give the ports to the A-rabs. Right now, he said, he is against Dubai.

Murtha said he prefers to give advice behind the scenes, but now he has to go public because Iran and North Korea know that our forces are depleted and we cannot do anything.

Schieffer asked Murtha if that wouldn't send a signal to the terrorists that they've beaten us, and Murtha said that the Iraqis have a government now, "and they have to settle it."

Murtha said that some Republicans tell him in private that he's helping them, as they will lose their elections if we don't get out of Iraq.

Murtha said that "it's not a we problem; it's a them problem."

LUGAR ON FTN. Next up on CBS' Face the Nation was Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Dick Lugar. Lugar said we're "not certain if it's a civil war yet, but it could be." He added: "We're on the cusp..."

"This is a period of decision right... immediately ahead of us." He described it all falling apart in "internal conflict."

Schieffer wanted to know if Lugar agreed with General Pace's assessment that things were going "very, very well." (See above.) Lugar said that things were going okay with the training and that there is hope. The Iraqis are not thinking as Iraqis, he argued; they are thinking as members of various sects.

Schieffer asked if the Administration, and he included General Pace as a "part of that," is lying. Lugar said Iraqis have to decide they want to be Iraqis.

Lugar thinks it important that we stick with Iraq until they can get their act together. He argued that they have to be successful.

Schieffer asked if we cannot any longer withdraw troops. Lugar said that we can if they can have a government and fight the insurgency. Lugar predicted no troop withdrawals "in the next several weeks."

Lugar thinks it is wise to have the 45-days to review DP World.

DP WORLD ON LE. CNN's Late Edition host Wolf Blitzer decided he wanted to do the "ports controversy." Live from Dubai. He spoke first to DP World CEO Mohammed Sharaf.

Sharaf looked spiffy in his white headdress as Blitzer confronted him with how much the American people loathe the deal, according to polls. Sharaf, calm and capitalist, replied that he is "confident that we have met and will meet all the requirements."

Blitzer talked about Duncan Hunter's disgust, and Sharaf reminded that they operate ports around the world. Blitzer wanted to know about terrorists coming to the United States through DP World and "wreaking havoc." Sharaf challenged Blitzer to "look at our credentials at various ports around the world." DP World is in the major facilities which ship to the U.S., he said.

Blitzer cited former Maritime bigshot Warren Leback as warning that the UAE could decide to "clandestinely" blow up bombs in the United States using cell phones. Sharaf said that they would not get through port inspections. The U.S. Navy, Blitzer allowed, was a customer of DP World.

Wolf cited Joseph King, who did terrorism at Customs, as claiming that DP World could sneak in hijackers and terrorists on genuine work visas. Sharaf explained that all workers would have to come through U.S. authorities and security measures, in the U.S. and everywhere else.

Within the 45-day investigation, Sharaf said, DP World would "not interfere" in the operations of the ports. They'd be willing to cooperate fully with the U.S. government. His first job, as he sees it, is to create U.S. confidence in his company.

Sharaf said he considers the Port Authority to be partners, as they share security concerns.

Blitzer asked him about Israel, and Sharaf explained that Israeli company Zim Shipping comes in to DP World Ports in Dubai. Sharaf is doing this as a "commercial operator," leaving the politics out of it. DP World regularly deals with Israeli companies "all around the world." No big deal, he suggested with his mannerisms.

Wolf asked him what would happen if the deal did not go through, and Sharaf said that it will go through. It's been approved by Britain, and it would mean only losses for investors if the U.S. blocked it from their end.

SCHUMER ON LE. Wolf Blitzer next spoke with Chuckie Schumer, live from New York, about his concerns. Schumer said he was "disturbed" by the interview, as he doesn't know anything about security. Schumer said he did not know the percentage of containers which are inspected and how workers get in. He said that it was an economic deal, not a security deal, and that's just not right!

Chuckie warned on terrorists who could sneak into containers and wreak havoc. He called it "poppycock" to argue that DP Ports World would have nothing to do with security. Anyone who says otherwise, he declares, "doesn't know the business."

He accused the President, "in an Alice-like-Wonderland sort of way," of "putting the verdict before the trial." He said that he is "dubious" about DP World because of their "nexus with terrorism," and he is even more dubious because Sharaf doesn't know the intricacies of port security. Then he added that the "country of Dubai" has a "nexus with terrorism."

Schumer wants to know why objectors to the deal were "overruled so quickly and so quietly."

He demands to know why foreign companies are being allowed to operate our ports.

He's angry that Bush doesn't examine the containers.

He wants an examination of the CFIUS process. He thinks that one of the good things that can come of this "sad mess" is a greater examination of port security.

Chuckie is playing politics.

COLLINS AND HUNTER ON TW. Steph interviewed House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter and Senate Homeland Security Committee Chair Susie Collins. For her part, Collins said that we did not know much about the DP World takeover and praised the President's call for 45-day period for hearings. Hunter, on the other hand, said he knew of secret stuff the President hadn't heard. There were 66 switches for nuclear purposes shipped through Dubai, he intoned, and a former Nazi named Hempel who was selling heavy water. (Alfred Hempel's heavy water to the PRC was in 1982, Dunc.)

Hunter complained of the anonymity with which people can transport dangerous stuff through Dubai. Bush doesn't have this information, he insisted, and the entire process was examined only at a "superficial level." He spoke of selling nuclear components to Iran.

Collins thinks the approval process should be removed from the treasury department (CFIUS) and put with the Department of Homeland Security.

Hunter kept mentioning Steph's former boss, pointing out that he was Steph's former Boss. Clinton (Bill) doesn't know about these secret shipments, Hunter argued. Hunter thinks we should divest ourselves of all foreign investment. Collins disagreed, pointing out that Canada was okay. She called the UAE a "persistent problem," though, citing the 9-11 Commission.

Steph played a clip of a Harold Ford for Senate commercial airing in Tennessee, in which the candidate mouths off about DP World. Steph asked Hunter if this would hurt the GOP, and Hunter said it would not. It was, he said, the Republicans who kept the ChiComms out of Long Beach even though Clinton (Bill, Steph's former boss) wanted them there.

Collins displayed visible anguish that this was being used for political purposes. She just wants to review it.

WES CLARK ON TW. What of retired General Wesley Clark? Steph couldn't pin him up or down as for or against DP World, but Clark did offer that we have to "fit into the modern world." He added that "it doesn't matter who runs port security," as the larger problem is at the originating ports, where the cargo is loaded. (DP World would not run port security. Clark, it seems, needs to fit into the modern world.)

What is happening now in Iraq is political, not military, Clark averred. We haven't given the military the help it needs, he submitted, adding that "jawboning" was not enough. We have to use our "leverage" to get responsible Sunnis into the Iraqi government. (Circumventing elections?)

Wes argues that with Iran, we have to talk directly to the Iranian leadership. If we continue to alienate them, he argued, they'll be put in a stubborn position.

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Have at it.