I Believe I Found This Number In My Ass

The very serious Roger Cohen (times select):

I see four core American interests in Iraq that cannot be abandoned. There must be no Afghan-like Al Qaeda takeover of wide areas. There must be no genocide (say a Shiite sweep against Sunnis). There must be no regional conflagration (for example, a Turkish invasion). And there must be no return to the old order (murderous Stalinist dictatorship).

To ensure this, the United States must keep a military presence in Iraq for the foreseeable future. The size of this deterrent force is up for debate, but 50,000 soldiers, or 105,000 less than today, is one talked-about figure. The timing of the drawdown will have to be discussed with Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, but it should begin soon after September.

Pulling out a lot of troops is the only way to increase pressure on Maliki to make the political compromises - on distribution of oil revenue, the constitution and de-Baathification - that will give Iraq some long-term chance of cohering. That chance will be increased if, as the United States steps down, the United Nations steps up.

What drives me nuts about this residual force stuff, aside from how arbitrary it is, is that there's never any thought to exactly what these 50,000 should do. Basically, as the violence rages around them they're supposed to sit there to ensure that... there isn't even more violence raging around them. But it isn't really enough people to actually intervene, especially given that not even close to that many would be combat troops.

As for that throwaway line at the end (and it's the only time in the whole piece where the UN is even mentioned), wtf? Just what is the UN supposed to do?

Maybe Under The Bed

I'm sure they're around here somewhere:

UNITED NATIONS, June 16 — The search for Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction appears close to an official conclusion, several years after their absence became a foregone one.

Kenneth Pollack is a very serious person.

Sy Hersh on TV

C&L has the video.

Signed,
Not Atrios

Look the Other Way

We are truly ruled by awful people.

Another Afternoon Thread

Your father just figured out you spent more on your mother in May.

Again.

Afternoon Thread

Travel day. Light posting.

Objectives

At some point it will be necessary to seriously revisit the question of the war in Afghanistan. Whatever justification existed for it, ultimately we must ask whether or not what we've accomplished has been worth the ongoing cost.


Post 9-11 the Andrew Sullivans of the world helped create a climate where even asking about the efficacy of the conflict was problematic, and of course those of us who suggested that going to Iraq might be a wee bit of a distraction from Afghanistan were also attacked.

The US military is operating in two major areas of conflict right now, with no clear goals and not even the hint of an exit strategy. I don't have enough knowledge about the situation in Afghanistan to have any sort of educated opinion, but there's a definite lack of discussion about that situation by all of the very serious foreign policy types who are busy looking for other wars to fight.

Beefs

Abu G wants to formalize the process by which individual [Republican] politicians get to try to interfere with the activities of US Attorneys.

Six Months to Get it Right

One F.U. ago, Senator Thune said:

After spending much of the week in Iraq with a delegation of U.S. lawmakers, Sen. John Thune says he thinks there will be a "change of direction" in Iraq policy.

"We can't continue doing what we're doing," Thune said. "We're spinning our wheels, and we've got to turn the corner on this thing, and we've got to do it, I would say, in the next six months."

Approximately 490 US troops have been killed since then, and it does not seem that we have turned the corner.

Sunday Bobbleheads

Document the atrocities.

ABC's "This Week" ) — Sens. Joe Biden, D-Del., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; actor Martin Sheen.
CBS' "Face the Nation" ) — Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Carl Levin, D-Mich.; former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group.
NBC's "Meet the Press" — Ryan Crocker, U.S. ambassador to Iraq.
CNN's "Late Edition" — Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari; Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jack Reed, D-R.I.; investigative reporter Seymour Hersh; Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.
"Fox News Sunday" — Gen. David Petraeus, U.S. commander in Iraq.

Morning Thread

Call yer dad.



-Molly Ivors

Late Night

Rock on.

Things Change

Watching "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and it occurs to me that while the interracial relationship is perceived as freakishly weird, the fact that the 37 year old distinguished doctor picks up a young 23 year old thing at a "Dean's party" after lecturing at a university is seen as perfectly normal.

More Thread

Jesus wept.

Odierno

About a Friedman ago:

In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the top commander of U.S. ground forces in Iraq, says the current surge of 21,500 troops is not "open-ended" and warned that "time is running out" for the United States to turn things around in Iraq.

Now:

As he boarded the helicopter after his afternoon trip he said that Washington politicians need needed to give the effort more time.

"We need more time, they've got to give us time here," he said. "It's just too early."

Even More Thread

enjoy.

Fresh Thread

enjoy

Rover

Goin' after Karl.

Afternoon Thread

Enjoy.

Timmeh

Could The Nation team up with Air America and offer to sponsor a Republican debate please? We'll even let Lionel be involved.

Though, this bit of punditing from the patron saint of Buffalo was even better:

Hannity: I think the Democrats have gone further left than anybody would have anticipated. I think these bloggers have really gotten to them. I think they’re really positioning themselves that they’re gonna have a very difficult time moving center. Do you see that?”

Russert: Absolutely…