Idea of Rapid Withdrawal From Iraq Seems to Fade

"In the cacophony of competing plans about how to deal with Iraq, one reality now appears clear: despite the Democrats’ victory this month in an election viewed as a referendum on the war, the idea of a rapid American troop withdrawal is fast receding as a viable...

As Iraq Bleeds, the U.S. Policy Cupboard Remains Bare

"Despite the hype, the Baker group's recommendations may be too little and too late to turn Iraq around. Like the wild, but vain, windmilling of arms by traffic cops hoping to prevent an imminent accident, the signs emanating from Baghdad — as well as Amman and...

Extracts from Confidential Memo --NY Sun

"Baker and Hamilton will soon announce a set of recommendations of which the following is, in my opinion at least, the most important and potentially the most controversial: Encourage the holding of a regional conference to enlist the support of neighboring states in...

Washington Bureau [news]

News Headlines.

Moon of Alabama [blog]

IRAQ / IRAN / ISRAEL / BUSH / MILITARY / LEBANON

Iraq's Divide at the Top

" Iraq's national unity government is the cornerstone of the U.S. exit strategy. But the week's events only highlight that national unity is its name, not its nature. That Iraq is spinning dangerously out of control is no longer a matter of debate; the question has become how...

Here In Reality [unusual topics]

BUSH / CARLYLE / ENRON / IRAN / GOVERNMENT / CONTRA

Bush's Iraq-Iran-Israel Dilemma

"Two visits to the White House earlier this week highlighted the key dilemma facing President Bush as he contemplates changes to his Iraq policy: One guest was former Secretary of State James Baker and the rest of the Iraq Study Group, which together with much of the...

antiwar [news]

IRAQ / IRAN / BUSH / MILITARY / BAGHDAD / IRAQI   

Can James Baker Save Iraq?

"The former Secretary of State is admired and trusted by Gulf Arabs, but that may be as much a liability as an asset. The other day I called an Arab security official in the Gulf and joked with him about how well things are going in Iraq. He wasn't in the mood for irony. "The...

Nur al-Cubicle [blog]

BUSH / IRAQ

rickeyre [news]

World News.

Bake me a cake, Baker man

"If I told most people in Washington that there was something called the Baker Commission, they could probably guess many of its members without even knowing what it was about. Oh, there might be some quibbles: now that Sandra Day O'Connor is available, is Madeleine Albright...

POAC [news]

News & Opinion.