McSame McCain

Reuters reports President George W. Bush formally endorsed Republican John McCain for president on Wednesday, calling him a man of character who is "not going to change" when it comes to taking on Islamic extremists. "He's going to be the president who will bring determination to defeat an enemy and a heart big enough to love those who hurt," Bush said in a Rose Garden ceremony at which McCain sometimes had trouble getting a word in edgewise.

Bush gave McCain the red-carpet treatment at the White House, a day after McCain sealed the Republican presidential nomination with victories in four states. The two men had a bitter battle for the nomination in 2000 and have disagreed famously on several fronts over the years since then. The endorsement will likely help McCain rally disenchanted conservatives behind his candidacy, and with Bush helping him raise much-needed campaign cash, it will give him a significant boost headed into the campaign for the November election. More HERE

AAPP: Check out this new Ad on McBush and McCain

Texas Political Mayhem

Great Day for Obama!

Record Texas voter turnout tops 4.2 million

Photo Source: Dallas Morning News

AAPP: I agree with Heloise and her post at Strictly Political when she wrote, "Barack Obama should be proud of March 4, 2008. Texas has made Martin Luther King, Jr. smile this week when thousands - millions - went to the polls to vote for a candidate who most embodies the dream of King — the candidate who best represents the closest thing to a third party candidate — a party of the people." The Unexpected turnout seen as big factor in Texas Democratic caucus

Bad Day for Many Voters

Reports are however, Democrats tried to hold one of their Texas caucuses in Precinct 466 at, in all places, the Barbara Bush Public Library in north suburban Houston Tuesday night. More than a thousand enthusiastic voters showed up. They dutifully waited more than three hours to participate. They signed the necessary forms. And when it was all over, nobody quite knew what had happened—not the precinct captains, not the caucus volunteers and certainly not the bewildered and beleaguered voters.

The Caucus chaos leaves voters scratching their heads.

More HERE

Hillary may have won the popular vote in Texas, (by a percentage point or 2) but who cares, it's about the delegates! But guess what, as reported in Business Week, "Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) has another place where she needs to catch up: the Web. Long before Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) began his impressive winning streak in the Democratic primaries, he was trouncing his opponents in their online efforts. Clinton's wins on Mar. 4 in Ohio and Texas may have staved off for now Obama's march to the candidacy. But he still has more than triple the number of supporters on social networks MySpace (NWS) and Facebook, according to techPresident, a nonpartisan blog that covers the 2008 candidates' Web presence. His YouTube (GOOG) videos, with more than 24 million plays a day in March, grab nearly three times more daily views than Clinton's own.

Perhaps most importantly, Obama's fundraising is outpacing Clinton's efforts, thanks largely to online donations. In January Obama raised $36 million, with about 80% coming from online (BusinessWeek.com, 1/17/08). Clinton raised $35 million in the same period, but didn't break out the online component. Pundits project Obama's yet-to-be released February figures will beat the $35 million Clinton raised in February, of which $30 million came from online, according to Peter Daou, the Clinton campaign’s Internet director." Read More HERE

Are Hillary and Bill Clinton plannng to steal the Presidential nomination?

Oh Hell No! You won't be stealing this election Billary!

It's called The Hillary Clinton "Steal the Presidential nominiation - do-over" in Michigan and Florida

Hillary fear-mongering may cost Democrats White House



Check out this article by Nedra Pickler with the Associated Press Writer. It's a great article on issues involving the Michigan and Florida elections.

Yes, Here they come the Hillary Clinton Surrogates, also known as Officials in Michigan and Florida are showing renewed interest in holding repeat presidential nominating contests so that their votes will count in the epic Democratic campaign.

As noted by Nedra Pickler, "The governors of both states, along with top officials in Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign, are now saying they would consider holding a sort of do-over contest by June. That's a change from their previous insistence that the primaries their states held in January should determine how the states' delegates are allocated.

Clinton won both contests, but the results were meaningless because the elections violated national party rules. Neither Clinton nor her rival Barack Obama campaigned in either state, and Obama's name wasn't even on the Michigan ballot.

The Democratic National Committee stripped both states of all their delegates for holding the primaries too early, and all Democratic candidates agreed not to campaign in either state.

Florida and Michigan moved up their dates to protest the party's decision to allow Iowa and New Hampshire to go first, followed by South Carolina and Nevada, giving them a disproportionate influence on the presidential selection process.

But no one predicted the race would still be very close this late in the year.

Ironically Michigan and Florida could have held crucial primaries if they had stayed with their traditional later dates. They may yet do so if they decide to hold news contests as Clinton and Obama compete to the wire.

Clinton has been insisting that the desires of more than 2 million people who cast Democratic ballots in the two states should be reflected at the convention, which would help her catch up with Obama's delegate lead. Obama has said he wants to see the delegates from the two critical swing states participate, too, but not if Clinton is rewarded for victories in boycotted primaries.

Now the Clinton campaign has begun expressing openness to a do-over. "Let's let all of the voters go again if they are willing to do it," said Clinton adviser Terry McAuliffe Tuesday night on MSNBC. "Whatever we have to do to get people in the system, let's do it."

The new contests could be part of a strategy for Clinton to come back in the race and attract votes from superdelegates who are not bound by any primary or caucus votes, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell told the network. "Let's assume for the moment Hillary Clinton wins Ohio and Texas, she wins Pennsylvania, Florida and Michigan have primaries in June, she wins both of those," said Rendell, who has endorsed Clinton. "Then, can the superdelegates look at that and say, `Gosh, she's won the last five big primaries in a row. She's won almost every big primary since we began.'"

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Clinton supporter, told the Detroit Free Press that Clinton's victory in Ohio changes "the landscape a bit." She said it could open the door to a caucus, if it can be privately funded and both candidates agree.

Granholm, a Democrat, and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican, issued a joint statement Wednesday demanding that their states' delegates be seated. "We each will call upon our respective state and national party chairs to resolve this matter and to ensure that the voters of Michigan and Florida are full participants in the formal selection of their parties' nominees," the statement said.

Crist told reporters at a news conference that he would be open to another primary, but not if Florida has to foot the bill, estimated by the Florida Democratic Party to be $25 million. He said he discussed the option with Sen. Bill Nelson, the state's senior Democrat. "He said the only way to consider the possibility of that is to have the Democratic National Committee pay for it," Crist said.

Getting funding from the national committee might be difficult when the party has a general election to wage. Last August, the DNC offered to pay for a later, alternate contest, but the Florida state party rejected the idea.

Michigan Democrats are discussing holding a "firehouse" contest in May or June that would be an alternative to a traditional primary or caucus and run by the state party, said a Democratic Party official who has been part of the discussions. "Firehouse" contests usually have fewer polling places and shorter voting hours than traditional state-run primary elections.

The party official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private, said there was general consensus that it could not be held at taxpayers' expense and would attempt to generate participation from about 1 million state Democrats." More HERE

AAPP: I agree with Drew McCurdy,when he wrote, should the fear monger win she will not have the ability to rally independents to her side like John McCain will or the ability to bring new and or young voters with her, and you know what that outcome will look like. If she wins I for one will start getting in shape for the pending draft that should be needed for the 100 year war of our New President.

I'm glad Obama's Team is warning of Consequences of a "Stolen Election."

An Open Letter To Barack Obama

Dear Senator Obama, Don't Let Hillary paint you into a box.

Don't act Like Al Gore, and those two other Democrats from my home town of Massachusetts, who showed no balls and just sat back and let the Republicans beat them to pieces. Do you want the Presidency or not? If you do, you will have to fight for it. Nice guys in politics finish last. stop being Mr. Nice guy and go after Hillary and her corn-ball husband, color aroused husband, and her ignorant black supporters.

Her husband (Bill) created that NAFTA mess and she is running from her own voting past. She voted for Bush’s war on Iraq, she voted for Bush’s USA Patriot Act, she voted to reauthorize Bush’s USA Patriot Act, she opposed the international treaty to ban land mines, and she supported Israel’s massive military assault on the civilian infrastructure of Lebanon and the Gaza Strip which took the lives of over 1,000 civilians, half of whom were children. And get this, Hillary Clinton couldn’t be bothered to read the NIE before casting her pro-Iraq war vote. Enough is enough - Don't let the King pins of the democratic party steal this one from you.

As blogger, John K Wilson noted in his post, The Case Against Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee appears to be the primary hope Republicans have left to win in November. Rush Limbaugh declared, "Most of our guys want to run against Hillary....it’s a gold mine."(October 22, 2007) Michael Reagan wrote, "let her cruise her way to the nomination so we Republicans can have the pleasure of dissecting her in the general election campaign." If Hillary is the nominee, millions of conservatives and independents who hate her will donate money and come out to vote, people who otherwise might stay home out of disgust with the Republican Party. A Hillary nomination might cost Democrats the presidency, but even if she wins, these reverse coattails will almost certainly cost Democrats several House and Senate seats. In the current political environment, Democrats should easily win the presidency in a landslide and gain a strong majority in Congress. But if Hillary Clinton is nominated, Democrats will be rolling the dice and hoping that she can overcome the tidal wave of hatred against her."

I agree with John. Senator Obama, Get busy and fight hard. They have slung some mud, and they have only begun. The question is, what will you do?

AAPP

Black Superdelegates; The Heat Is On

Source: Jackie Jones, BlackAmericaWeb.com

Black Superdelegates Pressured to Prioritize Will of the People Over Loyalty, but Will They?

Stephen Jaffe

Rep. John Lewis speaks in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC

Rep. John Lewis Switches Support to Obama

Date: Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Superdelegates to the Democratic presidential nominating convention probably aren’t feeling very super right about now. Squeezed is more like it, as pressure mounts from candidates and their supporters to commit to a candidate or even switch their votes right now instead of waiting until the party's convention in August.

As senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton vie in what have been billed as decisive primaries, the superdelegate count could be the deciding factor if the nomination isn’t secured by either Tuesday night.

There are 370 Democratic delegates at stake in four states -- Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont -- but the party's system of awarding delegates proportionally will make it tough for either candidate to post big gains.

The biggest prize is Texas, with 193 delegates, where the Democrats will have a primary and a caucus. The primary will determine 126 delegates, based on voting in 31 individual state senate districts. The caucuses will determine 67 delegates. They will be awarded based on the statewide results of the caucuses, which will be held after the primary polls close.

The two-step system increases the possibility that the primary winner might not win the most delegates to the party's national convention this summer. More HERE

election 2008, Hillary Clinton as the Color Aroused, Race Baiting, Hater of Blacks Who Abandoned Her Campaign

Coming to a community near you! The Three Faces of Hillary Clinton

I Guess Hillary Clinton's True Colors are coming out. Now that black voters have all but abandoned Hillary Clinton, the wife of the former, 1st Black president (whatever), Hillary is having a ball calling black folks out.

Black blogger, Rikyrah, said it best when she wrote, "The Race-Baiter Won the Ohio, Rhode Island and Texas Primaries." Yes, I'm in agreement wih Rikyrah and her Morning After Thoughts about Hillary and company.

Yes, Team Billary Clinton's Primary "Wins" were color aroused. Hillary has proven that there is no low that she will not stoop to in order to become the first woman president of the United States. Good thinking people are becoming rabidly anti-Billary and donot appreciate the fear-mongering.

Obama versus Clinton, Obama Grand Wisdom, The Game Continues

Did Obama Play Patty Cakes While Clinton Punched Him In The Face as one black blogger questions?

Did Obama provide Hillary as one Washington Post writer says, "with seven more weeks to make the case that she is the more experienced and effective agent of change in advance of what is shaping up to be the crucial Pennsylvania primary ?"

As WaPo writer Michael Abramowitz reports, "With more delegates in hand and some party leaders anxious to coalesce behind him, Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) still has a more plausible path to the Democratic nomination than Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.). But his path just got much rockier."

Speaking of Rockier, Check out The Washington Post article about Barack Obama's grandmother.

American shock jocks, dirty tricks masterminds and political bloggers: Beware the wrath of an 86-year-old Kenyan villager.

Sarah Obama, 86, grandmother of US Sen. Barack Obama sits while she talks with journalists in the courtyard of a school named after her grandson in her home town of Kolengo, western Kenya on Wednesday, March 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Riccardo Gangale) (Riccardo Gangale - AP)

A frown replaces the dimpled beam of Sarah Hussein Obama, grandmother of Barack Obama, when asked on Wednesday about recent attacks on her grandson that include the spreading of rumors that he is secretly a Muslim and the repeated use of his middle name _ Hussein _ by a radio host at a rally for presumptive Republican nominee John McCain.

Note: from AAPP: see how the media had to place her middle name in the article.

"Untruths are told that don't have anything to do with what Barack is about," she said in the local Luo language, her gray hair smoothed neatly under a headwrap. "I am very against it."

Hillary Rodham Clinton won primaries Tuesday in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island, halting Obama's winning streak. Obama won in Vermont.

Each twist and turn of the race is closely scrutinized, said Barack Obama's half-sister, Auma Obama. The family gathered in his grandmother's house on Tuesday night to watch the results come in on a television donated by a family friend, she said _ the grandmother's own simple house does not have one of its own.

"Barack's done extremely well and we're very proud of him," Auma Obama said when asked for a reaction to the losses on Tuesday. "This is like a football match. The game continues." More HERE

Election o8: the Hillary Clinton campaign, Black Women, Black men and The Three Faces of Hillary Clinton

The Three Faces of Hillary. Before I start talking about the 3 faces of Hillary, let me ask this. Did you notice how many in the main stream media have not really talked about the significance of Obama winning the lilly white state of Vermont? Ok, now back to the 3 faces of Hillary: Face 1 Politico's Mike Allen is reporting that, The morning after reviving her candidacy with two big primary wins, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) hinted Wednesday that she and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) may wind up as ticket mates. “That may, you know, be where this is headed, but of course we have to decide who’s on the top of ticket,” Clinton said with a laugh on the CBS's “The Early Show.” “I think that the people of Ohio very clearly said that it should be me." More HERE AAPP: Oh hell no! Not a Obama/Hillary ticket! Although Obama Couldn’t Deliver The Knockout Blow I cant' see Barack allowing Hillary on a Barack ticket. Not after her color aroused campaigning.

I guess the folks at Politico must be right. Hillary Clinton learned a lot in the past week.

Face 2



Clinton's lesson: Attacking Obama works



Now there are questions to whether Clinton Ad darkened Obama
making Obama "Too Black"

More HERE and HERE




I Guess Hillary is trying to say voting for Obama will be An Political American Tragedy? I think she has it twisted! It's the other way around.

Face 3









Now the question is, as International political and social activist Francis L. Holland's says: Did Hillary Just Endorse John McCain over Obama?

See, now that pisses me off. This AAPP will not vote for Hillary Clinton! Like many brothers and sisters in the field I would rather build a black social and political movement in this country that takes the black political action to the next level.

Super Tuesday Part 2 - Live - Texas, Ohio. R.I. and Vermont

Election 08, Hillary Clinton's Last Chance

(photo Jahi Chikwendiu/Post)

Billary Clinton has not had a primary victory since Feb. 5th. While Hillaryland, as Perry Bacon Jr. writes, the question is whether the candidate has stopped thinking about tomorrow. More HERE

She is on a political losing streak that could end her efforts to become the first wife of a former President who had sexual relations with a young girl "in the White House."
Ok... that we know about.

Democrats Want Hillary to Stay, Could be another Democratic Convention Brawl

Are Democratic voters stupid?

OK, I don't trust polls, but it appears that a new ABC News/Washington Post poll shows that a majority of Democrats want Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., to stay in the 2008 nomination race if she loses Ohio or Texas; but if the former first lady loses both, the poll shows most would want her to end her presidential bid. (AP Photo)

ABC reports, Democrats by more than a 2-1 margin say Hillary Clinton should stay in the presidential race even if she loses either the Texas or Ohio primary on Tuesday. But if she fails in both, fewer than half say they'd want her to fight on. Many, in that case, have another idea for Clinton: the vice presidency. More HERE

So are Democratic Voters Stupid? Why should Hillary get a pass?




After 103 ballots, the DNC in New York came up with a nominee, but it's hard to say that the bruising 16-day gathering produced a winner. (Getty Images) Read More about the Ballot Brawl: 1924's Democratic Convention.

Election 08, David Pompeii, Black Voters, Black Folks and Barack Obama

Check out this video (below) by David Pompeii. He is a LA based comic who has many TV and Film credits. He works with a group called Election08. They created a video called "John.he.is" that received over 1,460,000 hits on Youtube as of today. They have been featured on CNN, Nightline, Huffington Post, Newsweek and more. This brother creates Afrocenetric, satirical, politically slanted videos in support of the Black community.

Also check out his website at:

www.davidpompeii.com

West Virginia, Megan Williams, Rape, Sexual Assualt and Battery, and Justice for a Black Woman and Black Women ?? Really ???

The Politics of color aroused justice in West Virginia

Williams family says sentences too light, calls for protest march

Shaya tayefe Mohajer a writer with the Associated Press says, The parents of a black woman who was allegedly tortured by six white men and women in Logan County are lashing out at the county's prosecutor for not demanding harsher penalties. Matthew and Carmen Williams held a news conference Wednesday at the First Baptist Church in Charleston to voice their frustration with Logan County Prosecutor Brian Abraham."We were OK with the first two deals that (Abraham) made with Alisha Burton and George Messer, but then he started getting up to plea deals with Karen Burton and Frankie Brewster,'' said Carmen Williams, referring to four of the defendants. "I think they should have gotten, to be honest, life in prison. We were very dissatisfied.''

Her 20-year-old daughter Megan Williams was allegedly held captive at Brewster's trailer in Big Creek for days last summer, forced to eat feces, sexually assaulted and stabbed. Megan Williams was rescued Sept. 8 after an anonymous caller alerted deputies. Karen Burton, her daughter Alisha Burton, Brewster and Messer all were initially charged with kidnapping, which carries a maximum life sentence. Alisha Burton and Messer each pleaded guilty to kidnapping and assault but received 10-year sentences. Karen Burton and Brewster pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

"To me, what's going on here is a slap in Megan's face. Not mine, but Megan's. They promised her one thing, and then destroyed it,'' Matthew Williams said before breaking down into tears and leaving the podium. Abraham said all six defendants were given identical charges before the investigation was complete, and that those charges were never intended to stand throughout the criminal process.

"Each defendant will be held accountable for his or her personal actions in the case,'' said Abraham. "I have and will base all of my decisions on the evidence that the investigation has revealed.''

The Williams family said the 49-year-old Brewster's sentence could be especially light. Brewster pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault, which carries a 10- to 25-year prison term. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 12. Karen Burton, 46, of Chapmanville, pleaded guilty to malicious wounding, assault and violating Williams' civil rights. If served consecutively, the charges could result in 30 years in prison. Karen Burton was the only defendant charged with a hate crime. Burton's sentencing is set for March 3 at the Logan County Courthouse. The Williams family urged protesters to attend that hearing. They plan to organize a car pool to depart from First Baptist Church at 8 a.m. that day. More HERE

Election 2008; Hillary gets the endorsement from a Joker, Jack Nicholson

LOS ANGELES -- He was The Joker in Batman, but Jack Nicholson says he wasn't fooling around when he said in "A Few Good Men'' that there was nothing sexier than saluting a woman.

Nicholson, who is backing Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for president, took his endorsement to the Internet on Saturday with a humorous collection of clips that put his support into the mouths of his most film famous characters.

AAPP: What Next? The Riddler?

McCain, Hillary, Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and other bugs

Something is bugging me.

I'm listening to John McCain and he wants us to believe everything that he and his buddy George W. Bush have to say about how great the United States surge in Iraq is working.

I wonder if anyone asks the parents and children of Iraq if the surge is working? I guess America should feel proud of the Bush/McCain/Clinton policy of blowing up Iraqi children, and the providing the children wheelchairs. I guess Hillary should be proud of her vote to go to war?

This as Iranian President Ahmadinejad arrives in Iraq.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, and his Iraqi counterpart Jalal Talabani, right, during a welcome ceremony in Baghdad, Sunday, March 2, 2008. (ABCNEWS.com) Yes, Ahmadinejad went to Iraq taunting the US during his historic visit to Iraqi capital As reported by ABC News, "It was also a show of defiance to the United States, which accuses Iran of contributing to the destabilization of Iraq.

Unlike visits by President Bush, which are kept secret until the last minute for security reasons, Ahmadinejad's visit had been telegraphed long in advance.

The United States did not provide security for Ahmadinejad's visit. Instead, the Iraqis brought in hundreds of extra police and soldiers to protect the route from the airport into the center of Baghdad.

Security has been tightened in the Iraqi capital for the

The Iranian president was due to spend the night at the residence of Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, and not in a villa inside the U.S.-controlled Green Zone, which is where most high-level visitors stay.

Ahmadinejad criticized the United States at a press conference with Maliki, saying that "the Iraqi people do not like America."

He has repeatedly called for a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq -- something that even the Iraqi government opposes in the short term.

The Iraqi defense minister recently said he thought some U.S. troops should remain for 10 years until the Iraqi army is ready to defend the country on its own."

AAPP: What! - 10 years until the Iraqi army is ready to defend the country on its own? Oh hell to the no! All of this as Iraqi Children experience this:

Photo: The Children of Iraq

Hadi Mizban/Associated Press

Iraqi boys staged a mock execution Monday in Baghdad, with a 4-year-old, center, playing the role of the condemned. Children in Iraq have been heavily influenced by violence. Among other games the youngsters play is one that imitates a clash between militias and the police.
They have also been disabled at crazy numbers.

Candidly, I think John McCain is nothing more than an old fart and a bug that just needs to go away and retire. I wonder if there is anything in the Iran leaders accusation of US terrorism ?

Hopefully the American people will decide the Bush/McCain/Hillary Clinton plan for Iraq is just as bad as the Bush/McCain economic policies. I don't like bugs. Do you?

Join African American Political Pundit on March 4, 2008 - 2008 Election Results, Black Women and Black Men Speak Election Politics

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Sit back, get the popcorn, bottled water, and get on the phone to join in on the conversation.

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African American Political Pundit's
"Late Night Political Slugfest"

John McCain, Angry Old Man, Iraq, Barack Obama and Time for Change

Angry Old Man John McCain

Even as John McCain continues to support the Bush invasion of Iraq and finds his own inner Billary, Barack Obama is taking On McCain because of his naive blind support of a surge that truly is not working. I think guy (Mccain) is just another Angry old man and war hero that just needs to retire. There are groups on the left who are targeting McCain

What do you think?

As the good folks at American Progress point out; "As any sixth-grader could probably tell you, three out of 18 is a failing grade on any test or report card. When the Center for American Progress recently evaluated President Bush’s 18 benchmarks for Iraq, we found that only three had been met since the surge began one year ago. But we’re not the only ones who’ve evaluated the evidence only to find that the surge has failed to meet its primary objective of political progress."

A sampling of other experts, politicians, and journalists shows a widespread consensus that the surge isn’t working where it matters most:

"Judged on the terms in which the president presented it, the surge has not worked." "The purpose was to improve security, but to improve it to lead to a political breakthrough, and that political breakthrough has not happened."
-Thomas E. Ricks, Washington Post Pentagon reporter, Jan. 10, 2008

"The troop escalation has not succeeded in prompting the Iraqi government to make the hard choices or meet the benchmarks laid out by this administration. As General Petraeus told me in Baghdad, this surge can only be won politically, not militarily. But on national reconciliation, oil-sharing, and the other key issues that will allow U.S. forces to eventually withdraw without a return of widespread violence, the evidence is bleak."
-Sen. Bob Casey, Jan. 18, 2008

"The surge has worked, but it is all temporary... without some sort of reconciliation. We don't see any reconciliation."
-Independent Kurdish Legislator Mahmud Othman, Sept. 12, 2007

"From the Washington beltway, Iraq looks more ‘stable’ because American generals are using cash to temporarily manipulate local tribal interests, but when the Sunni Arab tribes coalesce to fight for control of Iraq, the façade of progress will collapse and the violence will be worse than before."
-Col. Douglas MacGregor (ret.), Jan. 8, 2008

"By shifting the conversation to tactics, they seek to divert attention from flagrant failures of basic strategy. Yet what exactly has the surge wrought? In substantive terms, the answer is: not much…As the violence in Baghdad and Anbar province abates, the political and economic dysfunction enveloping Iraq has become all the more apparent."
-Andrew J. Bacevich, Professor of History, Boston University, Washington Post, Jan. 20, 2008

"The surge has sucked all of the flexibility out of the system... And we need to find a way of getting back into balance."
-Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey, Jan. 17, 2008

"2008 and beyond will be a success, the surge will be a success, if the gains in security can be translated into gains in stability…if I had to put a number to it, maybe it’s three in 10, maybe it’s 50-50, if we play our cards right."
-Mark Kimmitt, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle Eastern Affairs, Jan. 8, 2008

"Administration strategy (at least since last January) has been that security gains would provide breathing room for democracy and good governance to take hold. If you reread Bush's speech announcing the surge almost exactly a year ago, you'll see a number of fairly explicit political events that he said would happen in Iraq. Haven't happened, for the most part."
-Karen DeYoung, Washington Post, Jan. 8, 2008

"Iraqis have not used the opportunity provided by the slowdown of sectarian killings to engage more effectively in a national dialogue and reach accommodations. The United States, despite its demand for the Iraqi government to meet benchmarks, has not made the political process in Iraq its highest priority."
-Rend al-Rahim Francke, December 2007

"With the recent lowering of violence in Iraq, we assume that counterinsurgency doctrine applied by competent military outfits has reduced and almost removed the enemy from the equation in Baghdad. It is very possible, however, that the enemy has removed himself temporarily and is waiting for the opportunity to renew the fight when he feels ready."
-Col. Gian P. Gentile, Jan. 2008

"[Maliki] has achieved nothing—no national reconciliation... no reform of the army, no reform of security bodies, no services. He failed in each and every one of them."
-Iraqi Islamic Party leader Usama al-Tikriti, Sept. 8, 2007

"I don't think there is something called reconciliation, and there will be no reconciliation as such."
-Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, Oct. 8, 2007

"The surge hasn't accomplished its goals... We're involved, still, in an intractable civil war."
-Sen. Harry Reid, Dec. 3, 2007

"Unfortunately, according to the President’s own measure the surge has failed. The troops have performed bravely and violence in Iraq appears to be diminishing. But there is still no political plan to turn the recent tactical gains into lasting strategic success or a plan for bringing our troops home."
-National Security Network, Jan. 9, 2008

"The violence came down for four reasons: what we’re doing, the decision the Sunni combatants made to turn against al-Qaeda, Moqtada Sadr’s ceasefire and the prior ethnic cleansing of 2006 and early 2007. All those things could unwind. We’re unsurging. The talk is that for the next couple of months, if the Maliki government doesn’t do enough to appease the Sunni groups [that have turned against al-Qaeda] and incorporate them into the Iraqi security forces, they could go game-on again. This kind of—pick your metaphor—ticking clock, or closing window, gives a reason to believe that if there isn’t a series of political compromises by when the surge brigades leave we’ll be in real trouble."
-Colin Kahl, Center for a New American Security, Washington Independent, Jan. 31, 2008

Kahl’s comments confirm the existence of what Brian Katulis and Peter Juul have called four ticking time bombs to watch in the coming months in Iraq:

• The collapse of “bottom up” reconciliation among Sunnis
• Increased instability in northern Iraq
• The continuing plight of refugees and internally displaced Iraqis
• Continued deadlock among Iraq’s national political leaders

The consensus is clear. Despite the best efforts of our military men and women in creating a temporary lull in violence, substantial progress toward a sustainable and independent Iraq has not been made. It’s time to implement a Strategic Reset in Iraq so that the United States can take control of its own national security interests in the country and in the greater Middle East.

For more on CAP's policies about Iraq, see:

• Strategic Reset: Reclaiming Control of U.S. Security in the Middle East
• How to Redeploy: Implementing a Responsible Drawdown of U.S. Forces from Ira