LIEBERMAN CLAPS LOUDLY AGAIN

(From the WaPo)

One Choice in Iraq

By Joe Lieberman
Thursday, April 26, 2007; Page A29

(excerpts)

Indeed, to the extent that last week's bloodshed clarified anything, it is that the battle of Baghdad is increasingly a battle against al-Qaeda. Whether we like it or not, al-Qaeda views the Iraqi capital as a central front of its war against us.

Al-Qaeda's strategy for victory in Iraq is clear. It is trying to kill as many innocent people as possible in the hope of reigniting Shiite sectarian violence and terrorizing the Sunnis into submission.

In other words, just as Petraeus and his troops are working to empower and unite Iraqi moderates by establishing basic security, al-Qaeda is trying to divide and conquer with spectacular acts of butchery.


There is no victory possible for Al Qaeda in Iraq. They will not be able to rule the country and they will not have a safe haven and they will never have popular support. Leaving those points aside, let's recall that Al Qaeda is a SUNNI organization and can only suffer if it stirs up the Shiites in Iraq and it is not at all clear that Al Qaeda could terrorize the Sunnis into submission.
Further, one would like to know just who these moderates are and how much power they have.

Lieberman goes on to claim:

Even as the American political center falters, the Iraqi political center is holding. In the aftermath of last week's attacks, there were no large-scale reprisals by Shiite militias -- as undoubtedly would have occurred last year. Despite the violence, Iraq's leadership continues to make slow but visible progress toward compromise and reconciliation.

There is little evidence that the Iraqis leaders are making any progress and that may be due to both a lack of power and a lack of will.

Sadly, Lieberman concludes by presenting us with an tiresome refrain:

To me, there is only one choice that protects America's security -- and that is to stand, and fight, and win.

The same edition of the Wapo has this article:

Baghdad's Fissures and Mistrust Keep Political Goals Out of Reach

By Sudarsan Raghavan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, April 26, 2007; Page A01

Ten weeks into the security plan, even as U.S. lawmakers propose timelines for a U.S. troop withdrawal, there has been little or no progress in achieving three key political benchmarks set by the Bush administration: new laws governing the sharing of Iraq's oil resources and allowing many former members of the banned Baath Party to return to their jobs, and amendments to Iraq's constitution. As divisions widen, a bitter, prolonged legislative struggle is hindering prospects for political reconciliation.

Other benchmarks such as provincial elections, a political agreement on dismantling militias and a program for reconciliation announced last July also have not moved forward, Iraqi officials said.