1115.org

What’s actually new about President Bush’s so-called new Iraq strategy? Not the troop increase; we’ve had that many troops in Iraq before. Not the “clear, hold, build” strategy; as Gen. Wesley Clark schooled Sean Hannity, that’s been the stated strategy for more than a year now. Crooks and Liars provides chapter and verse:

Condoleezza Rice, October 19, 2005:
In short, with the Iraqi Government, our political-military strategy has to be to clear, hold, and build: to clear areas from insurgent control, to hold them securely, and to build durable, national Iraqi institutions.

George W. Bush, October 28, 2005:
As Secretary Rice explained last week, our strategy is to clear, hold, and build.

Condoleezza Rice, November 20, 2005:
When we talk about clear, hold, and build, what we really mean is that we and the Iraqis have been successful now in clearing areas. Iraqi forces are now attaining the numbers and capabilities that will allow them to hold those places and not allow bad guys to come back. And then they can build economic and political institutions.

Title of strategic “Fact Sheet,” March 20, 2006: Strategy for Victory:
Clear, Hold, and Build

So really what Bush’s “new” plan boils down to is: using exactly the same strategy we had before, we now plan to actually implement this strategy. Bush is saying that this time around, baby, “clear, hold, build” will actually translate to “clear, hold, build” instead of “clear, hang about for a bit, vanish”.