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Fixing Potholes

Speaking of politics, Bush’s Iraq reconstruction update, per CBS/AP. 

Gateway with some ground reports: 64,000-plus returned home, security transfers. 

He also points to Totten’s lunch with Iraqi cops in Fallujah, insightful as always.

While we’re at it, a quick 2006-07 retrospective on Iraq’s media battlespace from Yon, media warrior extraordinaire, who has a book out in April.

Meanwhile, new offensive versus AQ underway. Roggio at Fourth Rail here. AFP’s quick take.

In other business, Reuters reports nearly half of diplomats who don’t want to serve in Iraq say its because they don’t support policy there. I believe that’s why they invented the letter of resignation. 

Topics: Iraq

  Posted by Jules Crittenden at 9:49 am on Wednesday, January 9, 2008

7 Responses to “Fixing Potholes”

1. Don Surber » Blog Archive » Mayor Bush Says:
   January 9th, 2008 at 1:53 pm

   [...] Fixing potholes in Iraq — Jules Crittenden has the details. [...]

2. MikeH Says:
   January 9th, 2008 at 3:49 pm

   “In other business, Reuters reports nearly half of diplomats who don’t want to serve in Iraq say its because they don’t support policy there. I believe that’s why they invented the letter of resignation.”

   I’ll volunteer to write one up for them. All they have to do is sign it.

   I have access to a copy machine!

3. MikeH Says:
   January 9th, 2008 at 3:51 pm

   Dear Secretary Rice,
   I quit!

   Love___________

4. Focusing on Victory « Tai-Chi Policy Says:
   January 10th, 2008 at 11:53 am

   [...] Iraq War, Politics. trackback McCain and Lieberman have an update on the surge. Here’s more. We’re winning, and the Democrats probably won’t be able to stop that. I could [...]

5. Continued Success and Progress in Iraq « AmeriCAN-DO Attitude Says:
   January 10th, 2008 at 10:45 pm

   [...] Jules Crittenden: Fixing Potholes [...]

6. bill_w Says:
   January 12th, 2008 at 11:26 am

   How many of you who read the Reuters article think that about half of the US Diplomatic Corps oppose the policies of the US in Iraq?

   al-Reuters does a good job of biasing the story as usual. “Nearly half of U.S. diplomats who do not want to serve in Iraq say a key reason is because they do not support the Bush administration’s policies there, according to a union survey released on Tuesday.”

   1- It never says anywhere how many of those surveyed said they did not want to serve in Iraq. It only says that of those that did not want to serve in Iraq, that half of those people cited disagreement with the policy as one of the key reasons not to go. Would be nice to see the actual survey question, methodology and responses to see how far they really skewed things, but you can imagine a scenario that gives them a list of reasons that influence their decision of not going, of which they can select several of, and disagreement with policy being on 48% of those- among other items. You also don’t know what percentage of people actually said they would not go - 48% of what %? If it was 10% that did not want to go, then it is 4.8% of all employees that have a problem with the policies. Which give a whole different meaning to the survey than what Reuters

   2 - this is a union survey of union members, not of US diplomatic corps per se. (How many union surveys have you seen that support the “company” they work for:?)

   3- “Four out of 10 think Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is doing a bad job supporting them.” How come when it comes to Bush’s approval rating it is all about 38% approve, but when it appears it might be 60% of rank & file union members, it is turned around.

   “Asked about those who would not go to Iraq because they had policy disagreements, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said people who signed up as foreign service officers were expected to support the policies of the U.S. government.

   “And if people have a problem with that, they know what they can do,” said McCormack, indicating disgruntled employees could quit if they were unhappy.”

   Good for him.

7. bill_w Says:
   January 12th, 2008 at 11:44 am

   wow, went and looked at survey/ results on AFSA’s website, and it would take too long to point out the many inconsitencies with Reuter’s story or the weird “science” that went into the “survey”.

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