Comments on: Those Crazy Hippies At Brookings Are At It Again http://larison.org/2007/08/06/those-crazy-hippies-at-brookings-are-at-it-again/ n. the principle of good order "Observe the strange inversion of all order and sense! Dignity debased; how vilely is the function of a consul prostituted!" ~The Craftsman Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:18:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Eunomia » For Some Reason, The Tale Of Nancy Boyda Lives On http://larison.org/2007/08/06/those-crazy-hippies-at-brookings-are-at-it-again/#comment-8881 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:07:16 +0000 http://larison.org/2007/08/06/those-crazy-hippies-at-brookings-are-at-it-again/#comment-8881 [...] Last summer, I noted the numerous references to Nancy Boyda’s abrupt departure from an Armed Services Committee hearing featuring testimony from Gen. Keane.  War supporters kept flogging this as evidence of antiwar Democrats’ intransigence and inflexibility in the face of new evidence.  Never mind that Boyda’s frustration with administration spin on Iraq was, is, widely shared, and her gesture, while a tad dramatic, was actually appreciated in many quarters.  Now Politico has dredged up the episode in its profile of five at-risk Democratic incumbents (most of whom are freshmen elected to traditionally Republican-leaning districts in ‘06) as one of the reasons why Boyda’s re-election is at risk.  At the heart of this sort of analysis is a very much inside-the-Beltway assumption that someone’s opposition to the “surge” will prove to be a major liability for Democratic candidates.  Just as I am doubtful that obsessing about the “surge” will aid McCain, I very much doubt that opposition to it is going to hurt House members.   [...] […] Last summer, I noted the numerous references to Nancy Boyda’s abrupt departure from an Armed Services Committee hearing featuring testimony from Gen. Keane.  War supporters kept flogging this as evidence of antiwar Democrats’ intransigence and inflexibility in the face of new evidence.  Never mind that Boyda’s frustration with administration spin on Iraq was, is, widely shared, and her gesture, while a tad dramatic, was actually appreciated in many quarters.  Now Politico has dredged up the episode in its profile of five at-risk Democratic incumbents (most of whom are freshmen elected to traditionally Republican-leaning districts in ‘06) as one of the reasons why Boyda’s re-election is at risk.  At the heart of this sort of analysis is a very much inside-the-Beltway assumption that someone’s opposition to the “surge” will prove to be a major liability for Democratic candidates.  Just as I am doubtful that obsessing about the “surge” will aid McCain, I very much doubt that opposition to it is going to hurt House members.   […]

]]> by: Grumpy Old Man http://larison.org/2007/08/06/those-crazy-hippies-at-brookings-are-at-it-again/#comment-7472 Mon, 06 Aug 2007 13:00:44 +0000 http://larison.org/2007/08/06/those-crazy-hippies-at-brookings-are-at-it-again/#comment-7472 It may be that some progress is being made against the foreign Islamists, who have made themselves unpopular. The fundamental political problem remains. Maliki appears to be ineffectual, and there is no political consensus or compromise in the offing. Maliki may be Iran's puppet, ours, or no one's, but in any case, it appears he can't govern. Whether the Iraqi political circle can be squared without a lot more bloodshed is the question. My glass being habitually half-empty, I fear not. It may be that some progress is being made against the foreign Islamists, who have made themselves unpopular.

The fundamental political problem remains. Maliki appears to be ineffectual, and there is no political consensus or compromise in the offing. Maliki may be Iran’s puppet, ours, or no one’s, but in any case, it appears he can’t govern.

Whether the Iraqi political circle can be squared without a lot more bloodshed is the question. My glass being habitually half-empty, I fear not.

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