This Holiday Season, More of the Same On the War Front

President Bush is set to meet with Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki next week... in Jordan. Huh. Seems odd to have such a major summit about Iraq not in Iraq, you know where people and fighting and dying every day for the mission the President has staked our lives and reputation on. But when, after 3.5 years, they can't even secure the airport runway, it's no wonder Bush (and Maliki) want to stay away. Anyway, from the article-

...The White House announcement of the November 29-30 meeting in Amman came as Bush faces calls to begin a phased withdrawal of US troops and engage Syria and Iran on Iraq.

Bush and Maliki said in a joint statement that they will review a panel's discussions on the transfer of security from US troops to Iraqi forces as well as the role of Iraq's neighbors.

"We will focus our discussions on current developments in Iraq, progress made to date in the deliberations of a high-level joint committee on transferring security responsibility and the role of the region in supporting Iraq," the leaders said in a statement distributed by the White House on Air Force One, as Bush returned from a week-long trip in Asia...

So far, it's still sounds like an updated version of 'stay the course'. Yay.

Speaking of the President's super-historic trip to Asia this past week, it turns out the President is as much a man of the people there as he is in his own country. His national security adviser, Stephen J. Hadley, admits he didn't interact with the Vietnamese people, but the President feels as if he did anyway. Says Hadley, "If you'd been part of the president's motorcade as we've shuttled back and forth, the president has been doing a lot of waving and getting a lot of waving and smiles... I think he's gotten a real sense of the warmth of the Vietnamese people and their willingness to put a very difficult period for both the United States and Vietnam behind them." Yep, it's amazing how much you can learn from a people by waving to them through your motorcade window.

Back in Iraq, it appears our battle to win hearts and minds is not going very well. A new poll of Iraqis shows that they want us out of their country... with the % approving of attacks on U.S. troops increasing. Money quote from the analysis- "'Seven out of ten Iraqis overall–including both the Shia majority (74%) and the Sunni minority (91%)–say they want the United States to leave within a year.' Note: less than 10% of Iraqis nationwide support a U.S. withdrawal only as 'the security situation improves,' the current policy of the Bush administration." The American people made clear in this month's elections they support the Democratic position on Iraq (focused on an exit strategy) and the President didn't listen to them thus far, so I doubt he cares what the Iraqis are saying.

The Iraqis better suck it up and realize American politicians need to try to save face before worrying about them.

Finally, Firedoglake takes another sobering look at the training of the Iraqi military.

And more than 140 bodies have been found dumped across Baghdad over the past three days.

So, it looks like no 'surprise trip' to Iraq this year for 'turkey' dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!