(1)
Since it’s worked so well for Snarlin’ Arlen, Senator Lindsey Graham has now decided to get into the stern warning business:

Two Republican senators said Monday that unless Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki makes more political progress by January, the U.S. should consider pulling political or financial support for his government.

The stern warnings, coming from Sens. Lindsey Graham and Saxby Chambliss, are an indication that while GOP patience on the war has greatly increased this fall because of security gains made by the military, it isn’t bottomless.

I do wish that Graham had at least found the balls to say “the U.S. should pull political or financial support for his government” instead of “should consider pulling”. (But maybe Lindsey will keep on looking for his balls?)

Stern warnings, indeed!

(2)
And you know what Lindsey will do if Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki doesn’t make more political progress by January? Why, he’ll push for regime change in Iraq.

“I do expect them to deliver,” Graham, R-S.C., said in a phone interview upon returning from a Thanksgiving trip to Iraq. “What would happen for me if there’s no progress on reconciliation after the first of the year, I would be looking at ways to invest our money into groups that can deliver.”

Since it worked so well before, I guess…

(3)
Maybe someone should tell Lindsey that we now have a principled obligation to support the Iraqi government, and to defend it against all outlaw groups who seek to oppose, overthrow or otherwise destabilize the democratically elected government of the sovereign nation of Iraq?

And I’m sure the Bush administration would not hesitate to fight these forces here so that they don’t have to fight them over there. (Hopefully, with all the weapons that Lindsey has fought so hard to put at Bush’s disposal, and no doubt gives thanks for every November: warrantless wiretapping, extraordinary rendition, water-boarding, …)

(4)
I am extremely interested in knowing why AP‘s Ben Evans and Anne Flaherty (who are hereby irrevocably enshrined in the 1115 Kneepad Hall of Media Shame) would say:

While GOP support stumbled this summer as voter opposition to the war grew, Republicans have since rallied behind President Bush’s Iraq policies because of a sharp reduction in violence largely credited to a buildup of 30,000 additional troops. U.S. combat deaths in Iraq stood at 38 last month, down from 126 in May, 101 in June and 65 in September.

“Have since rallied“? When, pray, did congressional Republicans ever fall out of goose-step on Iraq policy (in terms of action, not empty words)? Even for a nano-second?

(5)

On their trip to Iraq, Chambliss and Graham were joined by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Utah’s Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman.

No doubt we shall also keep hearing from some of these other clear-eyed observers of the politico-military realities in Iraq.

(6)
But let’s give the last word to Lindsey. He’s earned it the old-fashioned way—through outrageous lies. According to the Graham cracker, Gen. David Petraeus — he who single-handedly breathed brand-new life into the phrase “military prostitute” — has been presiding over “the most successful military operation in counterinsurgency in American history, maybe world history”.