Iraq Study Group: We cannot win

I have not read the Iraq Study Group's report but after hearing Jim Baker and company describe it, the AP headline on the story seems most accurate: "Panel: Try Diplomacy in Iraq, Then Leave."

Robin Wright of the Washington Post asked Baker if all 79 recommendations are implemented if there will be success in Iraq. Baker hemmed, hawed and said no.

The report itself said: "There is no path that can guarantee success, but the prospects can be improved."

The White House issued a statement from the president:

"The country, in my judgment, is tired of pure political bickering that happens in Washington, and they understand that on this important issue of war and peace, it is best for our country to work together. And I understand how difficult that is, but this report will give us all an opportunity to find common ground, for the good of the country -- not for the good of the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, but for the good of the country.

"We can achieve long-lasting peace for this country, and it requires tough work. It also requires a strategy that will be effective. And we've got men and women of both political parties around this table who spent a lot of time thinking about the way forward in Iraq, and the way forward in the Middle East, and I can't thank them enough for your time. You could be doing a lot of other things, you could have had a lot more simple life than to allow your government to call you back into service. But you did allow us to call you back into service, and you made a vital contribution to the country. Our fellow citizens have got to know that it is possible for people of goodwill to come together to help make recommendations on how to deal with a very serious situation."

As to this report, I say it is spinach and to hell with it. Make adjustments. Stay the course. And be polite to those who say we cannot win.

The full report is here.

UPDATE: Bill Kristol on Fox News said it is not a serious report that is dishonest -- he said it is not about winning but mitigating defeat. Ouch.

The key is to win the war, not necessarily be unanimous and bipartisan.

UPDATE II: Johnny Dollar, an anti-Fox site, has video. Eh.

Our friends at Stop the ACLU have a roundup of blog reaction.

Linked by The American Israeli Patriot and Rightwing Guy. Thanks!