Baker-Hamilton / Classic Whore-Panel

Not so nice article in Rolling Stone.

That Iraq Report? More of the Same
The great Baker-Hamilton crock: A classic bullshit-cloud in the proud tradition of congressional "studies"

MATT TAIBBI


For the Iraq disaster to end, someone among these actors is going to have to make a difficult decision -- admit defeat, invite a bloody civil war, lose face before a pair of rogue terror-supporting states -- and it's obvious that none of them is ever going to do that, not until there's absolutely no choice.

There's one more possibility... The folks that are fighting us, could force us to ante up. In war its not unusual for one side to redouble their efforts and press an offensive.

So far, the Bush administration has been able to keep the rate of carnage from taking any dramatic turns. It provides us with the illusion of control. As long as the carnage doesn't ramp up dramatically, it can continue to rise and fester for years. And every year that the carnage continues is another year that Halliburton pumps and sells Iraqi oil, and another year of fiscal joy and happiness for our President and his friends and family.

To keep the free flowing luchre of bipartisanship flowing, the war must be managed carefully. Our enemies must not dramatically increase the kill rate or take any strategic positions that fox news would be forced to talk about. This is the real challenge of the Bush administration.

Only time will tell if they'll profit for the next twenty years from a steady stream of butchered US soldiers, or if they'll be forced to change course. But whichever happens, you can bet they'll find a way make money on any outcome their war may see.

Between now and Christmas, soldier will die to keep Halliburton in Iraq and soldiers will require Donald Rumsfield's medical supplies to staunch their wounds, but none of this will trouble the First Family, who will be smiling all through Christmas. Though many families will attend funerals of loved ones between now and Christmas, have no fear, it won't affect Bush's countenance, as he'll never attend the funeral of loved one who has died in Iraq. Nor will he attend any funeral of any soldier who has died there. There's no profit in it.