Leaked

Washington Post:

Iraq has failed to meet all but three of 18 congressionally mandated benchmarks for political and military progress, according to a draft of a Government Accountability Office report. The document questions whether some aspects of a more positive assessment by the White House last month adequately reflected the range of views the GAO found within the administration.

The strikingly negative GAO draft, which will be delivered to Congress in final form on Tuesday, comes as the White House prepares to deliver its own new benchmark report in the second week of September, along with congressional testimony from Iraq commander Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker. They are expected to describe significant security improvements and offer at least some promise for political reconciliation in Iraq.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[wayoutleft]

03:22 PM on 08/30/2007

war supporters are very, very simple people.

[innerpeace]

02:06 PM on 08/30/2007

Ghostinthemachine-Why do you post about the troops and then post your hatred of our freedoms?Why do you promote cowardice?I noticed that you want the freedom hater to hit the anti war person when the person doesn't expect it.Are all of you in the military such haters of freedom and such cowards?Is that why you can't win in Iraq?

[tcuoohjohn]

02:11 PM on 08/30/2007

Ghostinthemachine is a coward of the worst sort. Not only is he a physical coward ( I know who he is) but he is an intellectual coward as well.

[innerpeace]

02:13 PM on 08/30/2007

He is a hypocrite who contradicts himself.Is he really in the military?

[tcuoohjohn]

02:01 PM on 08/30/2007

Gonna be interesting to see how the White House and Pentagon are gonna spin 16.6% achievement into passing performance.

[JackSlappyNotYourPappy]

02:03 PM on 08/30/2007

They'll blame dems and clinton!

cuz 22% will believe anything they say!

[tcuoohjohn]

02:08 PM on 08/30/2007

Difficult to do when Democrats gave the White House everything they asked for including 419 Billion dollars and four years. The best they could come up with was 16.6% performance?

Time to pull the plug on this fiasco. Waaay past time...

[GhostintheMachine]

01:53 PM on 08/30/2007

The Proper Rules of Etiquette when Dealing with War Protesters:

1. Listen politely while this person explains their views. Strike up a conversation if necessary and look very interested in their ideas. They will tell you how revenge is immoral, and that by attacking the people who did this to us, we will only bring on more violence. They will probably use many arguments, ranging from political to religious to humanitarian.

2. In the middle of their remarks, without any warning, punch them in the nose.

3. When the person gets up off of the ground, they will be very angry and they may try to hit you, so be careful.

4. Very quickly and calmly remind the person that violence only brings about more violence and remind them of their stand on this matter. Tell them if they are really committed to a non-violent approach to undeserved attacks, they will turn the other cheek and negotiate a solution. Tell them they must lead by example if they really believe what they are saying.

5. Most of them will think for a moment and then agree that you are correct.

6. As soon as they do that, hit them again. Only this time hit them much harder. Square in the nose.

7. Repeat steps 2-5 until the desired results are obtained and the idiot realizes how stupid of an argument he/she is making.

[Tabasco]

02:06 PM on 08/30/2007

On the other hand, this post of your was a load of horesh*t.

Stick to poetry.

[GhostintheMachine]

02:23 PM on 08/30/2007

I am sorry if you took offense, it is not meant literally. It is meant in the context of dealing with terrorists.

[lornejl]

01:51 PM on 08/30/2007

Trolls, tune in to your local fascist radio station for marching orders, It will be a difficult assignment, lying you're asses off, but you have done it before,Hell, its second nature to you by now, you can do this !

Seik Repub !!!

[tcuoohjohn]

01:50 PM on 08/30/2007

16.6% is about as dismal a performance as you can get. I had low expectatations but figured the Iragis could muster up a 40% figure just through guile. But no...16.6%. SHEESH.

[Loonie]

01:49 PM on 08/30/2007

WH version: "We're making great progress on 15 of the 18 milestones. More surging."

[JackSlappyNotYourPappy]

01:46 PM on 08/30/2007

Leave it to the repugs to go out ugly!

They know their party is on its last breaths so why not fuck up everything a lot more on the way out!



The GOP ... ClusterFuck Queens of the Universe!

[JaneC]

01:50 PM on 08/30/2007

Yep, and as they leave they turn and say, "Wow, somebody ought to clean up that mess." Every single time.

[JackSlappyNotYourPappy]

01:56 PM on 08/30/2007

As a party ... the GOP has become tragically pathetic!

The only upside of bush is he is the one who is sending them ... like a rocket - into political obscurity!

[tcuoohjohn]

01:45 PM on 08/30/2007

There really is no way to effectively spin 3 out of 18 benchmarks as progress ( that's 16.6%) Even if you add in the two disputed benchmarks to 5 your still only at 27.7% achievement. That's failure by anyone's standards.

[GhostintheMachine]

01:43 PM on 08/30/2007

THE FINAL INSPECTION

The soldier stood and faced his God, Which always comes to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining, Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, you soldier, How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ? To My Church have you been true?"

The soldier squared his shoulders and said, "No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns, Can't always be a saint

I've had to work most Sundays, And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent, Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny, That wasn't mine to keep..
Though I worked a lot of overtime, When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help, Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me, I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place, Among the people here.
They never wanted me around, Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord, It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much, But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne, Where the saints had often trod
As the soldier waited quietly, For the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, you soldier, You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets, You've done your time in Hell."

[Tabasco]

02:02 PM on 08/30/2007

Thanks, GhostintheMachine.

That one brought back a lot.

Not sure who wrote the lines, but it brought a smile.... and a couple tears.

[only1Demvoter]

02:16 PM on 08/30/2007

ALWAYS brings a tear Tabasco. Thanx Ghost. -ralph

[outsurgency]

01:40 PM on 08/30/2007

Could the white house report be biased? The GAO report describes a performance decline in '6 of 10' Iraqi military units which the white house then characterized as a 'slight decline?'. 60 percent is slight by administration standards? And theres the ongoing problem. The administration can never seem to get real with serious issues because well, it is riddled with cronic liars who refuse to accept reality.

[JaneC]

01:43 PM on 08/30/2007

Right. And 51% of the vote was a blank check.

[tcuoohjohn]

01:40 PM on 08/30/2007

You know conservatives are failing badly when they can't even agree among themselves.

[humuhumunukunukuapuaa]

01:36 PM on 08/30/2007

OK,

So your boss gives you an assignment... a very important one... the future of your organization depends on it. He gives you a set of goals to complete... 18 goals. You accept the task because you are supposed to be qualified to do this job.

At the deadline, you report to your boss. Of the eighteen goals, you accomplished only three.

Do you ask your boss for a raise, or do you tender your resignation.

[gardengoddess]

01:50 PM on 08/30/2007

The problem with your little scenario, kuapuaa, is that we're not al Maliki's BOSS! We don't own Iraq, we don't get to order their government around. They are a sovereign nation, not an underling in a corporation.

[JackSlappyNotYourPappy]

01:54 PM on 08/30/2007

Hummmmmmm

I'm pretty sure he was referrng to the unhappy and unsuccesful general Petraeus!

[tcuoohjohn]

01:36 PM on 08/30/2007

This is the part I like best. The part when conservatives start pissing on each other from a great height.

[JackSlappyNotYourPappy]

01:41 PM on 08/30/2007

Hey ... in bushco land 3 out of 18 is considered highly successful!

[noamjunior]

01:26 PM on 08/30/2007

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070830/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq

and the Bush spinning begins!