Notes to self and Charlie Rose producers:
What we don't want to hear about:
- "The Stakes" - the fact that there are 'stakes' means that there is a quagmire. We know this.
- "Good things are happening in Iraq, too" - we know this, already, too.
- "The troops want to finish the mission" - we know that many do, but I'd prefer a realistic assessment of goal attainment to a generalized hope of "non-failure", which is how "finish the mission" is redefined, against the backdrop of quagmire.
- "We said there were going to be good days and bad days." [eyes roll]
What we do want to hear about:
Fact-filled, realistic, strategic assessment, as follows:
- Are the troops getting more "tips" about bad guys than before the surge
- Are 'intimidation' tactics significantly curtailed, despite these giant and spectacular bombings
- Are execution-style deaths down, overall
- Is kidnapping down
- Are Iraqi civilian deaths down
- Are Iraqi troops showing signs of increased professionalism
- Has administration of Justice improved - are their groups watching the watchers (in particular, the Iraq Study Group items 50-61).
- What are the improvements in the past six months to the jail system, which has been a revolving door in a few important instances.
- Muqtada has been outside of direct politics for weeks. Is there political progress to report?
- What is the date set for elections? When will a date be set, if it hasn't been?
- Zakaria has noticed that the State Organizations, which could re-employ tens of thousands could be re-opened at a fraction of the cost that we are spending on a monthly basis to maintain troops in Iraq
- What is the deadline for the oil law?
- Is it o.k. to leave all the war costs to the Next President to figure out how to finance? What is the projected cost-benefit, from here on out?
Here is the administrations own report card, with the grades not filled in:
1. Judiciary 2. Police 3. Detention Facilities 4. Integration of justice 5. Access to Justice 6. Legal Framework.
Next stop:
Afghanistan
[to be continued]
