re: "Obama to reduce Iraq strength to 3,000, lose election… "

Moe Lane at RedState ("the most widely read right of center blog on Capitol Hill") is crystal-balling some crystal-balling.

Money quote(s):

"(S)et up the bank shot in 2016 for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton"

Since this post, the target troop strength for the end of this year has dropped another couple of zeros, to (essentially) nothing. The primary official U.S. presence by 2012 in Iraq will be the State Dept. mission there. This actually would seem to put the "blame line" firmly on Sec. Clinton's desk, should anything not go spectacularly well.

(Does anyone actually, seriously, forecast things going spectularly well in Iraq after our withdrawel?)

This would seem to defeat the purpose in setting up a bank shot for her.

(Unless it was a double bank shot intended to sink her.)

"(T)his would work as a long term strategy. Accept that the election’s lost, set up a disaster for the Republican President to inherit and take the blame for, and put the one brave truth-teller in position to come over in 2016 and save the day. It’s not optimal, but then it’s going to take a couple of years for the Democrats to fix everything that Obama’s done to their party. They might as well sabotage things for the GOP in the meantime."

It's not that political strategists can't/don't plan this far ahead, but this is shading past strategizing into the realm of conspiracy.

(Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity and incompetence.)

(9/6)

S&S - Odierno expands Super Bowl beer policy

Stars and Stripes

Odierno expands Super Bowl beer policy


Stars and Stripes

Mideast edition, Sunday, January 18, 2009


The top U.S. military commander in Iraq has expanded an order that originally would have allowed only Baghdad-based U.S. troops to enjoy a couple of beers while watching the Super Bowl.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of Multi-National Force–Iraq, issued an expanded waiver to the policy last week, according to military officials.

The change allows all units in Iraq to serve two beers per servicemember during the big game.
Originally, Multi-National Division–Baghdad had received permission to allow its servicemembers two beers each while watching the National Football League’s championship game, which takes place Sunday, Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla.

Odierno’s order is the first time all servicemembers in Iraq are allowed to break General Order No. 1, which prohibits the possession and consumption of alcohol, among other things."

&

"Previously, units other than MND-Baghdad had declined to follow suit by approving the two beers.

General Order No. 1 has banned U.S. forces from drinking alcohol in Iraq since troops deployed to the Middle East.

There has been at least one previous instance in which units could drink in Iraq, military officials said, but it is not known exactly how many times this has been done in the past.
The beer must be consumed in the dining facility where soldiers can watch the game."