Washington Watch Articles From 2005
FROM THE WHITE HOUSE: SOME CANDOR, BUT NOT ENOUGH
In the lead-up to the Iraq elections, the White House has embarked on a new public relations strategy. For months now, the President has responded to critics of the war by presenting an exaggerated rosy picture of success.
ADRIFT AND NO SUBSTANTIVE DEBATE
It is not just that the Administration’s current course isn’t working, it’s that there is no clarity as to what that course is. There are slogans: “supporting our troops,” “fighting terrorists there so we won’t have to fight them here,” “advancing democracy,” etc. They all sound clear and quite simple, but they do not provide a realizable goal let alone a strategy.
THE QUANDARY CALLED IRAQ
There is growing concern being voiced in the US over the quandary called Iraq. At issue is both the Bush Administration’s handling of the war and the role that Iraq plays in shaping the President’s overall vision for the Middle East.
BUSH: FIGHTING THE IRAQ WAR AT HOME
This war was supposed to have gone so differently. By now it is clear that the infantile fantasy of its architects (“shock and awe,” “a cake walk,” “flowers at our feet,” “six months and out,” and “the spreading of democracy throughout the Middle East”) did not pan out.
IRAQ OVERSEAS VOTING:A BAD IDEA, POORLY EXECUTED
Less than 26,000 Iraqi Americans registered to vote for the Iraqi elections. An even smaller number were expected to actually vote.