This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE

This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE.

The Iraq picture is certainly a muddle mess at the moment.

The national media were busy last week extolling the virtues of the panel lead by James Baker and Lee Hamilton on Iraq. After a long conference the committed came forth with recommendations that many hailed as the answer for the future in Iraq.

President Bush was being urged to accept and institute the actions that the committee recommended. Some reports said he had rejected it...others that he objected to the part that called for conferences with Syria and Iran.

Meantime….most of the action in Iraq appears to be in the vicinity of Ramadi and Baghdad itself.

The President has indicated he will wait for a recommendation from the Pentagon, and also for recommendations from the commanders in the field, as well as his own circle of advisors.

Many of the media have claimed that all they’re doing is looking for a way out of Iraq, and that the country is spinning into a full blown civil war.

So….where are we?

Well, forces on the ground state that Ramadi in the Anbar province and Baghdad itself are the two battlegrounds, and that if those two areas can be brought under control, victory can be accomplished.

One other possible course of action that has not been evidenced is that of pulling our forces back and establishing controls at the borders of both Syria and Iran. This would prevent further incursion with terrorists or supplies. Couple that with further select training of the Iraqi military forces, and the situation would improve.

All these recommendations are floating around with the national media doing purely speculative reports on what might or might not be decided by the President as he has promised to report to the nation prior to Christmas.

And….despite the fact that the Democrats will be taking over control of the Congress the first week in January, the decision of future action in Iraq is strictly in the hands of the President.

At the moment even the incoming Democrats haven’t come forth with recommendations. A number of them have agreed with the suggestions of the Baker-Hamilton commission, but not all.

Meantime...the President of Iraq has come out flatly against the recommendations of that committee. Obviously the leaders of Iran as well as Syria would welcome talks with the President so they can demand a number of concessions in exchange for a promise of help.

And that’s what it would be….just another promise.

There is no question but what the final actions taken will highlight the fact that the Iraqis must take control of their own country. In the meantime the national medias will continue to speculate on what President Bush will eventually decide.

One thing it will not be is a pullout of the troops, but much more emphasis will be placed on the Iraqi forces with our forces moving into a secondary role.

We’ll have to wait and see.

This is Floyd Wynne and that’s THE VIEW FROM HERE.

Text Box:
This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE.

The Iraq picture is certainly a muddle mess at the moment.
              The national media were busy last week extolling the virtues of the panel lead by James Baker and Lee Hamilton on Iraq.   After a long conference the committed came forth with recommendations that many hailed as the answer for the future in Iraq.
              President Bush was being urged to accept and institute the actions that the committee recommended. Some reports said he had rejected it...others that he objected to the part that called for conferences with Syria and Iran.
Meantime….most of the action in Iraq appears to be in the vicinity of Ramadi and Baghdad itself.
The President has indicated he will wait for a recommendation from the Pentagon, and also for recommendations from the commanders in the field, as well as his own circle of advisors.
Many of the media have claimed that all they’re doing is looking for a way out of Iraq, and that the country is spinning into a full blown civil war.
So….where are we?
Well, forces on the ground state that Ramadi in the Anbar province and Baghdad itself are the two battlegrounds, and that if those two areas can be brought under control, victory can be accomplished.
One other possible course of action that has not been evidenced is that of pulling our forces back and establishing controls at the borders of both Syria and Iran. This would prevent further incursion with terrorists or supplies. Couple that with further select training of the Iraqi military forces, and the situation would improve.
All these recommendations are floating around with the national media doing purely speculative reports on what might or might not be decided by the President as he has promised to report to the nation prior to Christmas.
And….despite the fact that the Democrats will be taking over control of the Congress the first week in January, the decision of future action in Iraq is strictly in the hands of the President.
              At the moment even the incoming Democrats haven’t come forth with recommendations. A number of them have agreed with the suggestions of the Baker-Hamilton commission, but not all.
              Meantime...the President of Iraq has come out flatly against the recommendations of that committee.   Obviously the leaders of Iran as well as Syria would welcome talks with the President so they can demand a number of concessions in exchange for a promise of help.
And that’s what it would be….just another promise.
There is no question but what the final actions taken will highlight the fact that the Iraqis must take control of their own country. In the meantime the national medias will continue to speculate on what President Bush will eventually decide.
One thing it will not be is a pullout of the troops, but much more emphasis will be placed on the Iraqi forces with our forces moving into a secondary role.
We’ll have to wait and see.
This is Floyd Wynne and that’s THE VIEW FROM HERE.