Capitol Kabuki
Senator Joe Biden has always been a favorite of mine. The Delaware Democrat is one of our most knowledgeable voices in
foreign affairs. And he speaks plain English, not John Kerryish Senate-speak.
Part of Biden's 'solution' to our Iraq problem is his plea to President Bush to 'level with the American people'. The
president, he says, should go on primetime national television and tell us the truth about what's going on in Iraq, what
it means, what's required of our citizens, and what is the administration's 'strategy for success'.
He adds that he doesn't expect any mea culpas from Mr. Bush. And he believes the United States could still win in Iraq,
"but only if the White House corrects course, rather than just promising to 'stay the course'." But this week's news
brings us yet more sad reminders of the virtual impossibility that any such 'leveling' is likely to happen anytime soon.
In my view, the choicest reminder was the appearance of Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and his top generals before the
Senate Armed Services Committee.
This was Capitol Kabuki at its very best. And if the subject weren't so dead serious, it would be great fodder for Jon
Stewart.
To provide a bit of context for this hearing, it should be noted that it came three days after Vice President Cheney
told us the Iraqi insurgency was "in its last throes", two days after Senate Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durban
took the senate floor to apologize for invoking the 'Nazi, Stalin, Pol Pot ' analogy to describe the Bush
Administration, a day after Bush's 'architect ', Karl Rove, accused liberals of searching for therapists to help us
understand the 9/11 hijackers, and on the same day as a leaked CIA report warned that Iraq is turning into an even more
effective training ground for terrorists than Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Enter the dramatis personae, each with his prepared statement at the ready.
First, Rumsfeld and the Generals, each poised to reassure us that we are making progress in Iraq despite all the
challenges; then the Committee Democrats, wanting desperately to ask tough, probing questions but somewhat constrained
by political correctness lest there might be the slightest hint of denigrating 'our men and women in uniform'; then
their Republican colleagues, mostly panting to salute Rummie, the brass, our troops and the Commander-In-Chief for their
magnificent leadership.
Was there ever a more predictable piece of Kabuki Theater on Capitol Hill? In the end, what did we learn from sitting
through these painful four hours? We learned that none of the generals were prepared to take on the Vice President,
despite what they gingerly acknowledged was overwhelming evidence from other generals that Mr. Cheney simply got it
wrong. The top U.S. regional commander said the insurgency was undiminished, and ever more foreign fighters were
entering the country.
We learned that Senator Robert Byrd, the Methuselah of the Senate, was tired of being lectured and sneered at by Mr.
Rumsfeld. "I can't answer a (voter' s) question with a sneer." We learned that the Defense Secretary does not believe
the U.S. is losing the war in Iraq, and that he rejects demands that the Bush administration set a timetable for the
withdrawal of our 140,000 US troops. Troop reductions would "throw a lifeline to terrorists, who in recent months have
suffered significant losses and casualties, been denied havens and suffered weakened popular support."
We learned that Pentagon commanders are worried about the growing sophistication of the bombs and other devices used
against U.S. troops.
We learned that the Defense Secretary doesn't think he should resign for what Senator Ted Kennedy charged was a series
of "gross errors and mistakes" that had made Iraq an "intractable quagmire". Can quagmires be intractable? We learned
that the Pentagon crew visibly cringes at the use of the dreaded "Q word", so redolent of Vietnam.
And we learned that the generals are surprised at how many American commanders and soldiers are asking whether the
military was losing support at home for their missions overseas. "They worry we don't have the staying power to see the
mission through."
Having imparted all this hot-off-the-press information, the Rummie's Rascals then took their show on the road and gave
virtually the same performance before the House Armed Services Committee.
The Commander-in-Chief will reported take to the tube some time next week to explain Iraq to the people. I have no idea
what he'll say, but I suspect we just sat through a pretty good preview.
We'd learn more at the movies!
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