The Curse of the Revenge of the Zombie Surrender Monkeys

David Weigel | May 21, 2007

Via Matthew Yglesias, the Post reports that the Bush White House, when it can finally vanquish the grave and imminent threat of Jimmy Carter, will take another look at the Iraq Study Group report.

With negotiations continuing this week on a new war funding bill, the administration is strongly signaling that it would accept the idea of requiring the Iraqi government to meet political benchmarks or else risk losing some assistance from the United States. That was one of the key proposals from the group headed by former secretary of state James A. Baker III and former Indiana congressman Lee H. Hamilton, but it was initially dismissed by the White House when first proposed last December.

The administration is also preparing for its first substantive discussions with Iran, to begin on Memorial Day, not long after its first high-level talks with Syria in more than two years. The Iraq Study Group had strongly urged such regional diplomacy aimed at fostering a political settlement and bringing down the sectarian violence in Baghdad.

"They are coming our way," Hamilton said in a recent interview.

Revisiting the Iraq Study Group's proposals, we'll recall, is one of Rep. Wayne Gilchrest's causes. In related news, the talk of this weekend's Maryland Republican meeting was State Rep. Andy Harris's coming challenge to Gilchrest, to finally punish him for his damnable correctness.

Comments

Guy Montag|5.21.07 @ 8:34AM|#

Looks like Jimmy Carter is campaigning to be Ron Paul's Secretary of State.

Grotius|5.21.07 @ 9:18AM|#

On Sunday, in a biting rebuke, the White House dismissed Carter as "increasingly irrelevant."

With its low approval ratings, etc. isn't that an apt description of the Bush Presidency?

Guy Montag|5.21.07 @ 9:21AM|#

With its low approval ratings, etc. isn't that an apt description of the Bush Presidency?

Right down there with the new Congress.

Grotius|5.21.07 @ 9:30AM|#

Guy Montag,

Well that sure is an endorsement of the Bush administration and its incompetency, isn't?

Grotius|5.21.07 @ 9:34AM|#

Guy Montag,

BTW, if I recall correctly, the ratings of the Congress as a body are nearly always lower than the President's. Indeed, significantly lower than such. The trend tends to be for the public to rate the Congress as a body with a less than stellar but to praise their individual Congressman.

VM|5.21.07 @ 10:03AM|#

Zombie Surrender Monkeys.

hmmmmm. Urkobold's Palace Guards moonlight? hmmm. The Urkobold won't be pleased.

|5.21.07 @ 10:08AM|#

I love the way Jimmy Carter makes the monkeys start throwing poo.

|5.21.07 @ 10:11AM|#

One more step towards the implementation of John Kerry's 2004 Iraq policy.

How long until Bush starts talking about asking other countries to help with security? Four months? Six?

|5.21.07 @ 10:25AM|#

VM

I would think that Urkobold would not permit himself to hire guards that ... surrender.

Thus, I think you have those monkeys confused with other zombie monkeys.

Bongo Fury|5.21.07 @ 10:29AM|#

Can we even leave Iraq?

I'm starting to wonder if our leaders' hesitance to break off the occupation and "bring the boys home" springs from a tactical fear of leaving ourselves open to the free shot(s) that moving out of Iraq would allow. Like a tired boxer in the clutch, we can't break away, because to do so would leave us vulnerable to a nasty flurry of parting shots.

Iran's had such low-cost success with us running a clusterfuck of a belligerent occupation next door, they might be hesitant to let us leave. So long as we're thrashing around looking inept, Iran likes us fine. But if we get smart and start leaving? Dimes to dollars says Iran makes a move (before we're gone) and "liberates" Iraq. From us.

highnumber|5.21.07 @ 11:48AM|#

tarran,

The guards are just for show anyway.
1. Urkobold can defend himself.
2. Have you seen Urkobold's "palace"? More important, have you smelled it? No one's trying to get in, and he doesn't keep prisoners. He eats them.

|5.21.07 @ 1:05PM|#

The Iraq Study Group is history's *second* greatest monster.