[antimedia] antimedia: I haven't commented on the President's speech....

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Posted by antimedia:
I haven't commented on the President's speech....
http://www.antimedia.us/posts/1168811606.shtml


   ....because I needed time to reflect on what he said. My initial
   reaction was that his delivery was dull and uninspiring. The words he
   chose, however, were a different story. Was this really a new
   strategy? Or was it more of the same?
   I watched a discussion on CSPAN of a British government committee on
   Defense in which his words were carefully parsed and questioned. Then
   I read [1]an Iraqi leader's reaction to the speech. I read both
   cheerleading and sharp criticism [2]in the blogosphere.
   I'm still not certain, however, what the President's true intentions
   are. The key graf in [3]his speech, the one that has the most people
   talking, is clearly this.

     Succeeding in Iraq also requires defending its territorial
     integrity and stabilizing the region in the face of extremist
     challenges. This begins with addressing Iran and Syria. These two
     regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their
     territory to move in and out of Iraq. Iran is providing material
     support for attacks on American troops. We will disrupt the attacks
     on our forces. We'll interrupt the flow of support from Iran and
     Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing
     advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq.

   The question is, what does it mean? Will the words be backed with
   decisive action? Will we pursue the terrorists into Syria and Iran?
   Will we attack the supply lines and routes that feed the lethality of
   the terrorists? Or will we continue to tap dance around the problem as
   though it doesn't exist?
   There's a lot of talk in the country about the poll numbers on Iraq.
   From my viewpoint those numbers are deeply misunderstood. The
   questions the polls ask do not bring out the dichotomy between those
   are disappointed because they think we should be much more aggressive
   and those who just want us to give up and leave. I believe the former
   group significantly outweighs the latter. If Bush is serious about
   getting tough with Syria and Iran and I'm right about the polls, look
   for those numbers to change noticeably.

References

   1. http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/007544.html
   2. http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2007/01/bush_surge_speech_-_reaction_roundup/
   3. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070110-7.html