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So Much For "Benchmarks"
In the middle of a Los Angeles Times profile of Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, comes news that the Maliki government almost certainly won't meet any of the political "benchmarks" that President Bush said he would hold Iraq to in his January 10 speech announcing the surge:
Maliki is the man U.S. officials are counting on to bring Iraq's civil war under control, yet he seems unable to break the government's deadlock.Even Maliki's top political advisor, Sadiq Rikabi, says he doubts the prime minister will be able to win passage of key legislation ardently sought by U.S. officials, including a law governing the oil industry and one that would allow more Sunni Arabs to gain government jobs.
"We hope to achieve some of them, but solving the Iraqi problems and resolving the different challenges in the [next] three months would need a miracle," Rikabi said.
Deadlines for most of the "benchmarks" have come and gone. On January 31, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wrote to Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) to clarify what the benchmarks Bush referred to actually are, and some of their deadlines were already obsolete: the Iraqi parliament was supposed to have completed its review of possible constitutional changes by January. Instead, due to ongoing sectarian rancor, May 15 became the new date by which the committee needed to assemble proposed changes to Iraq's constitution. It didn't happen. Similarly, May 31 was the date by which Iraq needed to pass a law clarifying how Baghdad will distribute oil revenue. That didn't happen, either.
On January 10, President Bush said, "America will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it has announced." Ribaki's statement to the Los Angeles Times's Ned Parker creates pressure on Bush to explain whether there will be any penalty for not meeting the benchmarks. If there isn't, it remains to be seen what action Congress will take, particularly after it backed away last month from linking funding for the war to a timetable for withdrawal.
Comments (22)
lampwick wrote on June 6, 2007 12:05 PM:"Yes, but the thing is, we're making progress. See, back in January it was only January, but now it's June. January, June, see? We're making progress, progress through TIME. Now it's true we're not making as much progress as I would like to see. It's not October; it's not even July. But we're moving forward, and I can inform the American people that that's a good thing. It's a good thing, something that's good, because I say so. I like to think of Iraq as the Move Forward, like a Great Leap, a Great Leap into the Forward: our Future."
George W Bush (R-Outer Space)
supersaurus wrote on June 6, 2007 12:14 PM:yes, we are making progress, only 594 more days to go.
joejoejoe wrote on June 6, 2007 12:15 PM:The Maliki government is not long for the world. The UN mandate for the US occupation is up for renewal in 6 months and the Iraqi Parliament is on the verge of blocking renewal of the UN mandate if it doesn't include a timetable for US withdrawal. If Maliki blocks the measure his government will unravel overnight and Iraqis Sunnis and Shia will unify in opposition to the US and Maliki.
See this Alternet piece for more.
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/53230/
SocraticGadfly wrote on June 6, 2007 12:16 PM:Benchmarks, nothing.
As reported on AlterNet, the Iraqi parliament is working on a **binding resolution** to end the UN mandate for the occupation:
[N]ationalists in the Iraqi parliament -- now representing a majority of the body -- continue to make progress toward bringing an end to their country's occupation.
The parliament [June 5] passed a binding resolution that will guarantee lawmakers an opportunity to block the extension of the U.N. mandate under which coalition troops now remain in Iraq when it comes up for renewal in December.
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/53230/
SocraticGadfly wrote on June 6, 2007 12:17 PM:Benchmarks, nothing.
As reported on AlterNet, the Iraqi parliament is working on a **binding resolution** to end the UN mandate for the occupation:
[N]ationalists in the Iraqi parliament -- now representing a majority of the body -- continue to make progress toward bringing an end to their country's occupation.
The parliament [June 5] passed a binding resolution that will guarantee lawmakers an opportunity to block the extension of the U.N. mandate under which coalition troops now remain in Iraq when it comes up for renewal in December.
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/53230/
johnnydoughey wrote on June 6, 2007 12:20 PM:You really cannot expect government beauracrats, who have never been held accountable in their life, to understand that lack of accountability and noncompliance has consequences. These terms are used by and meant for the uneducated, misinformed, nonpatriotic, and other common people who desparately need guidance from the wise leadership selected by the Republican and Democrat leadership... those who TRULY know the meaning of benchmarks and accountability... the rest of us minions just need to listen to them and do as we are told....
Anonymous wrote on June 6, 2007 12:22 PM:Lampwick, you are wasting your life if you aren't applying for a job as Bush's speech writer! That was a heartening and, dare I say it, heart warming explanation that - contrary to the lib-terrorist image of a dumb cowboy president - clearly shows that the war on terror has to be fought on the ontological level of space and time itself! So often, this has been intentionally obscured. To clear the obstacles to becoming the number one Bush speechwriter (and after that, of course, there is the job as a Washington Post columnist), I'd write off to one of Dick Cheney's daughters - I think one of them is now the Undersecretary for Temporary Coup d'Etats in the Defense Department.
Paul wrote on June 6, 2007 12:40 PM:Let's be real here.
The Malaki government doesn't want to make benchmarks and doesn't want us to leave. It's all about money. While we're emptying our treasury into Iraq with little or no accountability, *some* people are making out like bandits. When we do leave, they know they'll be first against the wall in front of the hardliners and nationalists. So, for a number of people, Malaki probably included, they realize that the gravy train will be replaced by huge instability for them personally (to put it mildly), of course they will do whatever they can to keep us there and not make benchmarks.
So, what do we do? We take away any of these incentives. Withdrawal deadlines would work here, and more careful control of all money put into the country for either military or reconustruction purposes - although to be realistic, that won't stop the "black" money.
Kurt wrote on June 6, 2007 12:45 PM:I think I've figured it out - by not pulling American troops out of Iraq, we are actually helping the Iraqi people to put aside their sectarian and ethnic division to focus on the uniting goal of opposing the continuing presence of American troops in Iraq...
Or something like that.
JoeB wrote on June 6, 2007 12:51 PM:The only "benchmark" Bush cares about is the ratification of the "oil law" which would effectively transfer Iraqi oil to Western oil interests and in so doing provide the rationale for maintaining an all but permanent American military presence on Iraqi soil.
It is sad that the Democrats have been largely complicit in providing cover for Bush's oil grab. The only member on the Hill of which I'm aware who has actually attempted to address the realities of the so-called "oil law" has been Kucinich; the rest of them continue to perpetuate the spin that the principal purpose of the law is to provide for the distribution of oil revenue between the Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. Ironically, if the law is passed enabling private Western interests to take over under the financial terms as written, there won't be much revenue available to distribute.
gregor wrote on June 6, 2007 1:00 PM:Are benchmarks going to be met by Maliki?
That question is a non-sequiter or what is actually a 'null set' or for the more literate of you a fake projective plane on a non-differentiable manifold of fractional dimension.
Damian wrote on June 6, 2007 1:01 PM:Malaki and his aides must not be listening to Ryan Crocker, our Ambassador to Iraq. During his interview with NPR played this morning, Crocker specifically said that the US would be looking for Iraq to meet these political benchmarks over the summer. What gives?
pointus wrote on June 6, 2007 1:44 PM:JoeB: you speak true. "Benchmarks" = Oil Grab.
H8Generation wrote on June 6, 2007 2:07 PM:Its all part of that misinformation information campaign America now wades through to get to the truth. What is truth?
SocraticGadfly wrote on June 6, 2007 2:14 PM:Paul, Gregor, et al:
As I posted on my blog, if Maliki vetoes this bill, he is quite possibly, literally a dead man.
714Day wrote on June 6, 2007 3:00 PM:Oh, hell, this is all so whacky!
Mock Turtle wrote on June 6, 2007 3:36 PM:The U.S. backed government in a foreign sovereign country we shouldn't have invaded is not doing what we want when we want it to for our interests? What the hell is the matter with them not following our direction after all we've done.
Get our troops out now.
Why can't we leave? asked Alice. Because we haven't finished our mission, said the Queen. What was the mission, asked Alice? To rid this poor land of the evil monster who ruled it, said the Queen. But the monster is dead, said the Griffon. True, said the Mad Hatter, but don't forget about the oil. Why do we care about the oil now that the monster is dead, asked Alice. Foolish question, answered the Queen. Off with their heads.
Yellow DOg wrote on June 6, 2007 4:23 PM:Sorry, but the security code says it all:
PROFIT
Seriously.
I suspect a conspiracy.
freepatriot wrote on June 6, 2007 4:58 PM:it would be, if it wasn't so, but since it is, it can't be
wash, rinse, repeat
I been washin my haif for 4 years now, when do I stop ???
Xman wrote on June 6, 2007 7:34 PM:It's all just a game, folks. We can all decide not to play, pick up our marbles and go home.
hairy pussy wrote on December 20, 2007 2:31 PM:Disengage. Take the rest of the day off and go home, play with the kids, throw the dog a ball, chase your mate around the house and wake up with a smile on your face.
qijy039k6dgg hairy pussy hairy pussy
epenisa wrote on January 11, 2008 12:09 AM:Hi
Nice work from your side... have a nice time with yoru blog :)
G'night