Strategic Delay
After the Iraq Study Group’s report came out, the country was anticipating an announcement of the results of the ongoing policy review by the Bush Administration. But this announcement has now been postponed to January. One guess had been that the Administration wanted the press flurry from the ISG report release to cool off. President Bush stated that one reason was to allow the newly confirmed Defense Secretary, Bob Gates, to add to the discussion.
But the timing seemed off – The Decider can’t seem to, well, decide. It has been more than a month since Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation was accepted. Then the Administration stated that they were waiting on the ISG report before any change in Iraq policy would be announced. But then there was a crush of press coverage on the ISG report, emphasizing the suggestion that the Baker-Hamilton Commission was sent to fix the problems created by the current Administration. Perhaps the embarassment of this group of elder statesmen, led by the ultimate fixer James Baker, has led the Bush Administration to attempt it’s own display of gravitas through massive consultation. But there seemed to be something missing. Democratic strategist Paul Begala thinks that postponing the new policy announcement until January would be a mistake, because that month is usually reserved by an administration solely for the State of the Union, which normally provides a boost in presidential poll numbers. Begala can’t help but think of events in their political context, but perhaps he missed another major consideration.
Incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has stated that she would use the first 100 hours to “drain the swamp” created by 12 years of Republican rule. Rep. Henry Waxman, who will become chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, is intent on using his new position to open a variety of investigations into the Administration. And Sen. Patrick Leahy, the incoming Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is planning to subpoena members of the administration to testify at congressional hearings.
Perhaps the delay in announcing a new Iraq strategy is just another Rovian political calculation. In January, the United States will swear in the first female Speaker of the House, the highest ranking woman ever in government. The new Democratic majorities in the House and Senate (although the tenuous nature of the Democratic majority in the Senate has already been exposed by the illness of South Dakota Senator Tom Johnson) would inspire a new round of press coverage. Given that many in the Bush Administration are still clinging to the now discredited slogan of “stay the course”, perhaps they view a “major announcement” of Iraq policy as a mere political tool, just the thing to divert attention from the new Congressional regime.
But the timing seemed off – The Decider can’t seem to, well, decide. It has been more than a month since Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation was accepted. Then the Administration stated that they were waiting on the ISG report before any change in Iraq policy would be announced. But then there was a crush of press coverage on the ISG report, emphasizing the suggestion that the Baker-Hamilton Commission was sent to fix the problems created by the current Administration. Perhaps the embarassment of this group of elder statesmen, led by the ultimate fixer James Baker, has led the Bush Administration to attempt it’s own display of gravitas through massive consultation. But there seemed to be something missing. Democratic strategist Paul Begala thinks that postponing the new policy announcement until January would be a mistake, because that month is usually reserved by an administration solely for the State of the Union, which normally provides a boost in presidential poll numbers. Begala can’t help but think of events in their political context, but perhaps he missed another major consideration.
Incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has stated that she would use the first 100 hours to “drain the swamp” created by 12 years of Republican rule. Rep. Henry Waxman, who will become chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, is intent on using his new position to open a variety of investigations into the Administration. And Sen. Patrick Leahy, the incoming Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is planning to subpoena members of the administration to testify at congressional hearings.
Perhaps the delay in announcing a new Iraq strategy is just another Rovian political calculation. In January, the United States will swear in the first female Speaker of the House, the highest ranking woman ever in government. The new Democratic majorities in the House and Senate (although the tenuous nature of the Democratic majority in the Senate has already been exposed by the illness of South Dakota Senator Tom Johnson) would inspire a new round of press coverage. Given that many in the Bush Administration are still clinging to the now discredited slogan of “stay the course”, perhaps they view a “major announcement” of Iraq policy as a mere political tool, just the thing to divert attention from the new Congressional regime.
posted by balto at 12:35 AM
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