This report confirms what most have known for the past several years - staying the course in Iraq is not a viable option. We need a new approach, and this report provides us some possible options that deserve serious consideration. Those options include: launching a new diplomatic offensive to build an international consensus for stability in Iraq, including engaging with Iran and Syria; transitioning U.S. combat forces out of from Iraq by 2008 while embedding remaining forces in Iraqi units as advisors
Oopsies, Silvestre. What a difference a day makes. Thank god the ISG cleared that up! No apologies or even a reference to his remarks the day prior, which leads me to believe that those of you who thought Reyes was being clever (ala Rangel and the draft) uh- were maybe looking too hard for some brainwave activity in his reasoning.
Forgive me for apparently being more informed on, uh - THE SITUATION in IRAQ - than a politician who has been "a senior member of both the Armed Services and Select Intelligence Committees. Congressman Reyes is a key member of Congress on Defense and military issues." Or so Wikipedia says.
How could he be so clueless and backtrack so quickly? He's not exactly one of our Democratic stand up guys- In 2005 he missed 94 votes in the House, the ninth most of any member. Wow even among a Do-Nothing Congress, he stands out.
He's currently in his 5th term and he pulled 68% of the vote in his last election. His voting record ain't bad- mainly straight Democratic party, although he did vote along with the GOP to give Oil companies incentives against the Democratic party line as well as for the Unborn Child Pain act that failed. And he was linked to a controversy concerning the failure of a $239 million Border patrol network and the contractor who employing his daughter. Other than that, he looks pretty good, except for his flip floppery on Iraq recently.
So, hey, it's a simple mistake. Two days ago he wanted to send 30,000 More troops. Today he doesn't. Just forget everything he was saying to NEWSWEEK. Or that's WHAT he's telling his Democratic constituency NOW. Too bad we probably won't see any MSNBC headlines about him changing his tune. The damage has been done. So rest easy - He wasn't paid off, or anything nefarious like that. He just needed Jim Baker to pop the bubble he was in.
