GAO’s Tough Marks On Iraq
Though he’s long blasted the “soft bigotry of diminished expectations” in demanding accountability of our nation’s schools, president Bush yesterday bemoaned that Iraq couldn’t — you know — get a social promotion, despite its ludicrously failing grades.
“A bar was set so high, that it was almost not to be able to be met,” whinged White House spokesfox Dana Perino.
Here (via Yahoo! News) Iraq’s unmet benchmarks:
_Providing three trained and ready Iraqi brigades to support Baghdad operations._Ensuring that the Baghdad security plan will not provide a safe haven for outlaws, regardless of sectarian or political affiliation, as Bush says Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has pledged to do.
_Enacting and implementing legislation on de-Baathification.
_Enacting and implementing legislation to ensure the equitable distribution of hydrocarbon resources of the people of Iraq without regard to the sect or ethnicity of recipients, and enacting and implementing legislation to ensure that the energy resources of Iraq benefit Sunni Arabs, Shia Arabs, Kurds, and other Iraqi citizens in an equitable manner.
_Providing Iraqi commanders with all authorities to execute this plan and to make tactical and operational decisions, in consultation with U.S commanders, without political intervention, to include the authority to pursue all extremists, including Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias.
_Ensuring that the Iraqi Security Forces are providing evenhanded enforcement of the law.
_Increasing the number of Iraqi security forces units capable of operating independently.
_Ensuring that Iraq’s political authorities are not undermining or making false accusations against members of the Iraqi Security Forces.
_Reducing the level of sectarian violence in Iraq and eliminating militia control of local security.
_Enacting and implementing legislation establishing an Independent High Electoral Commission, provincial elections law, provincial council authorities, and a date for provincial elections.
_Forming a Constitutional Review Committee and then completing the constitutional review.
_Enacting and implementing legislation addressing amnesty.
_Enacting and implementing legislation establishing a strong militia disarmament program to ensure that such security forces are accountable only to the central government and loyal to the constitution of Iraq.