The United States and Iraq Security Pact

Over the past several weeks there have been news reports concerning a drafting of a security pact between the U.S. and Iraq.  Most reports were confusing at best and talked about american troop withdrawal; both full withdrawal and partial; training and support forces to stay; full sovereignty and a time line wanted by Iraq but not the U.S. and etc.

 

Lets try to cut through what is happening here.  Bush and Iraqi prime minister al Maliki are using our men and women in uniform for their own political purpose.  Al Maliki would like to see the U.S. continue to pour billions of dollars into his country.  Bush wants to continue this war beyond his presidency to tie the hands of the next president.  Both have made safety the corner stone for American withdrawal. 

 

Lets examine that because it is a chess game to keep america occupied in Iraq.  We are 5 1/2 years into this war and Bush and his military advisers still can't tell the people when Iraq can take over the security of their country and we are the one's training them.  If we don't know how long it takes, who does?  Al Maliki and his people certainly should know.

 

The other point, al Maliki is reported to want a date certain of when all U.S. troops will leave.  Bush does not want a time table.  If al Maliki was serious all he has to do is demand  the U.S. leave and we would have to do so.  Bush and al Maliki are both playing this con game on america.  It is way past time our troops come home from this senseless war and occupation over WMD that did not exist.

 

Get this: the N.Y. Times reported "graffiti can be seen on the walls in Shiite districts of Baghdad saying: 'Iraq for sale, see Maliki'".  It seems the Iraqi people also see what is going on.  What a shame.

The Presidential Debate Moderators

The moderators for the three Presidential debates have been named and are Jim Lehrer of the Lehrer News Hour, Tom Brokaw, former NBC News anchor, and Bob Schieffer of CBS and moderator of Face the Nation.

 

All three have been around for a long time and John McCain is one of their fair head boys and has appeared many times with Schieffer and Brokaw.  In my judgement, all three leave a lot to be desired as debate moderators.

 

Jim Lehrer has appeared as a moderator in past presidential debates and really showed his bias as a moderator in the 2000 debates when he questioned Al Gore's character.  He soft balled questions to Bush and now after almost 8 years of Bush we know whose character he should have questioned.

 

Tom Brokaw is now doing Meet the Press on a temporary basis and his performance with his questions are silly at best.  He is a Republican supporter that comes through when he questions Democrats.  You can count on that showing up during the coming debates.

 

Bob Schieffer is a McCain supporter and his questions on Face the Nation are soft.  Several weeks ago Schieffer used the Republican talking point and asked the question: "Why can't Obama acknowledge the surge in Iraq is working?", as if the Iraqi government has accomplished all the things  the surge was supposed to have them accomplish.

 

The voters are faced with so much propaganda by the news media.  First, on all the regular news programs, journalists interview the same 10 or 12 members of Congress over and over and the people never get the opportunity to hear the thoughts of the other 400 plus members.

 

Then we have moderators for the debates whose questions will favor one candidate over the other, instead of neutral questions that will bring about answers that inform the American people of what the candidate would do if elected.  It is time for the people to stand up and be counted in this election.  The news media, journalists, and moderators offer no help.