Surging Support For The Invasion

The Times offers a real head-scratcher:

Support for Initial Invasion Has Risen, Poll Shows

Americans’ support for the initial invasion of Iraq has risen somewhat as the White House has continued to ask the public to reserve judgment about the war until at least the fall. In a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted over the weekend, 42 percent of Americans said that looking back, taking military action in Iraq was the right thing to do, while 51 percent said the United States should have stayed out of Iraq.

But two-thirds of those polled said the United States should reduce its forces in Iraq, or remove them altogether. Support for the invasion had been at an all-time low in May, when only 35 percent of Americans said the invasion of Iraq was the right thing and 61 percent said the United States should have stayed out. The latest poll made clear that a two-thirds majority of Americans continue to say the war is going badly.

However, the number of people who say the war is going “very badly” has fallen from 45 percent earlier in July to a current reading of 35 percent, and of those who say it is going well, 29 percent now describe it as “somewhat well” compared with 23 percent just last week.

The story provides this link to the poll itself.

I am baffled - does the Bush Administration actually have enough credibility to move public opinion?  I'll be back with more, but dream with me for a moment - it is the summer of 2008, support for the initial invasion has risen back above 50% and Dem nominee Hillary Clinton is boasting to a roaring convention that she never apologized for her war vote and never wavered in her belief that we could achieve a stable and democratic Iraq.

Well.  Here is the bookend Times story on the latest classified plans:

U.S. Is Seen in Iraq Until at Least ’09

By MICHAEL R. GORDON

 

BAGHDAD, July 23 — While Washington is mired in political debate over the future of Iraq, the American command here has prepared a detailed plan that foresees a significant American role for the next two years.

The classified plan, which represents the coordinated strategy of the top American commander and the American ambassador, calls for restoring security in local areas, including Baghdad, by the summer of 2008. “Sustainable security” is to be established on a nationwide basis by the summer of 2009, according to American officials familiar with the document.

The detailed document, known as the Joint Campaign Plan, is an elaboration of the new strategy President Bush signaled in January when he decided to send five additional American combat brigades and other units to Iraq. That signaled a shift from the previous strategy, which emphasized transferring to Iraqis the responsibility for safeguarding their security.

That new approach put a premium on protecting the Iraqi population in Baghdad, on the theory that improved security would provide Iraqi political leaders with the breathing space they needed to try political reconciliation.

The latest plan, which covers a two-year period, does not explicitly address troop levels or withdrawal schedules. It anticipates a decline in American forces as the “surge” in troops runs its course later this year or in early 2008. But it nonetheless assumes continued American involvement to train soldiers, act as partners with Iraqi forces and fight terrorist groups in Iraq, American officials said.

Although these plans are supposed to be classified I infer from the "added emphasis" bit that this is an Administration leak; presumably it it part of their eerily effective effort to rally public support. 

MORE TO FOLLOW...

MORE: AllahPundit at Hot Air opines on the political motivation behind this leak:

...Petraeus and his team can’t seriously believe they’ll have a chance to put [this plan]t into action with Republicans already itching for September to roll around so they can abandon ship. Mitch McConnell has all but promised to push Baker-Hamilton when it does, and once he heads for the lifeboats he’ll take plenty of others with him. So either they’re leaking this now for political leverage, to make it harder for Congress to withdraw as many troops as it would like after Petraeus’s progress report (”but there’s already a plan in place!”) or it’s an insurance policy to which Bush can point after they pull the plug to claim that Congress abandoned the mission before the new strategy had a chance to work (”but there was a plan in place!”).

Well, OK.

Comments

[clarice]

With a little work we can get HIT to be foer's replacement. Time for PUK and Rick to do their magic.

[Cecil Turner]

The link won't load for me - does the 'one on the right' wear an insignia with three stripes, three rockers and a little diamond in the middle?

Bingo! (Along with a very unsympathetic expression.) That link went dead right after I posted, but it's working sporadically now.

[hit and run]

Who wants to go in with me and get the lovely couple a wedding gift?

I was thinking the Yellow Tea Infuser or the Silicone Egg Whisk.

[clarice]

I was thinking of Elspeth and sent a do it yourself divorce form, Hit. It's so hard to know what young couples want these days.

[hit and run]

TNR's next move?

"We are ending the investigation into the claims made by Scott Thomas Beauchamp, to bring about closure and begin the healing process."

[clarice]

Something like that, I'm afraid..But I'm afraid part of the healing process will involve Foer's leaving for integrity rehab.

[hit and run]

Scott Beauchamp's next move?

"I am a staunch republican"

[cathyf]

"Gracie" from TNR was feeding Ace information last night, TNR found out and fired him/her this morning for it.

This needs more coverage. During the time that TNR claims that they were attempting to "fact check" Beauchamp's crap, they in fact were searching their corporate logs to ferret out Gracie's identity. Beth/Gracie was fired at 7:25am...

[PeterUK]

Clarice,
Well if you think the uberliberal Hit & Run from Iraq is the right man for the job.Franklin F***er should be promoted to something in the Democrat party,saddle beautician for Edwards.

[PeterUK]

"to bring about closure and begin the healing process."

Back to the Edwards story?

[hit and run]

PUK:
Back to the Edwards story?

OK, that's just gross. But, if you insist...

"Do you want some Chamois Butt'r?" Peter Klein, of Beloit, Wisc., asked him.

"What's that?" Edwards said, as a string of riders from Team Trousermouse cruised past.

Klein, a 27-year-old with a beard and round John Lennon-style sunglasses, explained that it's a skin cream cyclists use to prevent chafing and soothe saddle sores. He handed the senator a travel-sized packet and said he hoped it helped.

you know, i didn't even notice it the first time, but Team Trousermouse?

You have got to be kidding me.

[Sara]

Crossposting this to new Spitzer thread:

OT - Malkin, Bryan at Hot Air, and Ace are reporting:

Update 2:54pm Eastern. Ace reports that the soon-to-be wife of Scott Thomas Beauchamp is…TNR staffer Elspeth Reeve. According to the TNR masthead, she’s a reporter-researcher for the magazine. Or was? According to Discarded Lies, a TNR staffer was fired this morning. Update again…I just called TNR’s office and left a message for Reeve. She still works there. Will see if she calls back.

In Ace's post, he questions is he husband or fiance?

[hit and run]

Reeve wasn't fired. "Gracie" the informant was. Name, Beth Greem.

[clarice]

Team trousermouse, indeed.
As if the story weren't good enough without that. Reminds me of John Spandex Kerry's biker as he man pose.
What can we look forward to next week? Elizabeth Edwards takes on Malkin and John goes wind surfing.
Is Shrumm handling his campaign now?

[clarice]

And while their wedding registration list Oct 2007 as the date, his old website indicated they married before he was shipped out to Iraq.

[glasater]

Regarding Edwards--he was interviewed on CNBC this AM saying the rich aren't taxed enough and the market is now in the tank.

[Sara]

H&R, re: wedding gift, there is only one for PV2 Beauchamp -- he needs his own "magic hat."

[PeterUK]

H&R,
The whole exercise was just an excuse to wear skin tight lycra.

[hit and run]

Sara, you nailed it. The hat...Hah!

[hit and run]

Cathy:
This needs more coverage. During the time that TNR claims that they were attempting to "fact check" Beauchamp's crap, they in fact were searching their corporate logs to ferret out Gracie's identity. Beth/Gracie was fired at 7:25am...

Discarded Lies, another blog Gracie was feeding, tells the story .

[Rick Ballard]

"(Along with a very unsympathetic expression.)"

Personally I hope this doesn't go beyond an Article 15 with the CO finishing a brief discussion by saying; "The First Sergeant will be personally responsible for seeing that this doesn't happen again." The company clerk will permanently append Pvt Beauchamp's name to the head of the Extra Duty Roster and the private will come to consider sleep a true luxury.

[PeterUK]

"The company clerk will permanently append Pvt Beauchamp's name to the head of the Extra Duty Roster and the private will come to consider sleep a true luxury."
But will he have time for the all important depilation?

[PeterUK]

How did this get past the style police?

"But the close up from his right side is a revelation. Girding the long side of his part is an extraordinary spring-like wedge of hair running from front to back. And though bouncy, every hair remains in place -- even during vigorous head shaking and bobbing. This gives his entire hairstyle a lively, youthful look. Most middle-aged men's hair just sits on the head like a wet rag. Admittedly, the bouncy wedge does look a little flouncy when viewed from the candidate's front right. But from any other angle and from all distances other than close up, it simply gives his entire visage a healthy, animated look. Well worth a thousand bucks a crack -- at least in his part of the two Americas."

Powerline

[perc]

Unfortunately, this TNR episode could result in a review of ALL blogging within the military. Maybe that was the intention of this exercise from the get go; I think the lefties would love to shut down the milbloggers.

[clarice]

Rick, you are so evil..Maybe not as evil as PUK, but it's close.

[MikeS]

Let’s not jump to the conclusion that Beauchamp made up his stories.
Maybe his outfit did discover a mass grave and most of the guys just forgot about it. And maybe they had some of those new Bradleys with the race tuned suspension and the dog view side mirrors. And the incident in the mess hall when Beauchamp and his buddies were ridiculing a woman who had been horribly disfigured … well some people are like that. Who is to say that Beauchamp isn’t one of them?

[Ralph L]

I demand a special prosecutor to determine if laws were broken when Rove exposed this valuable covert intelligence asset of the Republic, new that is.

[cathyf]

Unfortunately, this TNR episode could result in a review of ALL blogging within the military.

I think you are right, and it would be typically ham-handed couterproductive of them. TNR is old media -- Beauchamp could have sent the stuff to them on parchment written with quill pen and they could have published it. But finding his blog was one of the things that helped unmask him.

[MayBee]

Let's just keep in mind that the guy admitted to taunting a disfigured woman, and that he is a liberal,

[MayBee]

.

[centralcal]

It is just amazing what people reveal about themselves on the internet. Mr. Sir Real (surreal) Scott Thomas Beauchamp's entire sorry little life will be known to many, many who never heard of him or would have ever read the New Republic.

Now, he is being investigated by the military, is probably not too popular among his fellow soldiers anyway, his fiance/or wife/or girlfriend is having an equally stressful time at work I am sure, people are ogling their pictures, etc. etc. etc. - all this in just the span of a few days. And all of it because of information on the internet.

Amazing.

I hope his CO makes his life miserable. Then Sir Real will really have something "real" to write about.

[clarice]

He may have to write it using his bodily fluids and scrap paper.

[Ralph L]

Maybee, what's your point?

[Ralph L]

Clarice, could you be more specific?

[PeterUK]

"Let's just keep in mind that the guy admitted to taunting a disfigured woman, and that he is a liberal,"

Yes but just as they knew that her injuries were from and IED rather than an accident,they knew instinctively she was a Republican,thus mock worthy.

BTW,These were Iraqi dogs,born during war time,and they lie about in the street?

[Rick Ballard]

"I hope his CO makes his life miserable."

No, no, no - the CO provides company level punishment, cut in rank, couple of weeks pay, maybe, confinement to base - then he charges the First Sergeant with overseeing the soldiers welfare in a manner which prevents recurrence. The Top knows how to do that - "idle hands are the devil's workshop" is one of their mottos and they hold it very dear. It's not "punishment", it's rehabilitation. Probably 'til discharge.

The thing we should not hope for is an Article 32 and courtmartial. Pvt BS Beauchamp isn't worth the time or trouble.

[clarice]

Ralph, I was being sarcastic. In less advanced places, political prisoners are often denied any means to write and have been known to use their blood and shreeds of paper to write their memoirs or pen their ideas or communicate with anyone.

[cathyf]

...cut in rank, couple of weeks pay, maybe, confinement to base...

Speculation is that he's already had a cut in rank from PV3 (PFC or E3) to PV2 (his current rank according to an active-duty person with access to the database.) Is it possible to break him further? (I'm not sure I'm following all of the jargon here -- I don't know is PV1 or E1 are valid ranks.)

[Patrick R. Sullivan]

Foer has ALOT of 'splainin to do.

Iraq the Novel.

[centralcal]

Sorry Rick - know as much about the military as I do the law (grin)!

I especially like the part about his 1st Sgt. overseeing his welfare. What a thoughtful thing for him to do. You are absolutely correct that his offenses don't rise to the level of courtmartial. I would say they just rise to level of, well - rehabilitation, you called it?

[centralcal]

I have a question for H & R since he seems to be keeping up with Ace's blog on this. Can you explain the connection between the Glenn Rehn(sp?) from Scott's college days and Glenn Greenwald, the My Space page, etc.?

Are they inferring the 2 Glenns are the same. I didn't quite get it and I know Hit is really savvy.

[MayBee]

RalphL-
!

[Ralph L]

Thank you, Clarice. I was thinking he is a pencil-dick, literally.

[PeterUK]

Glenn Rehn - Scott Beauchump Beauchump was the editor of Prospectus the college liberal rag.Dis boy,he got form!

[clarice]

The only people more disturbed than psych majors on college campuses in my experience are those as politically active as old Glenn was. (Also a good way to blow off studies for "more improtant endeavors.")

[Patrick R. Sullivan]

From the TNR piece:

One private, infamous as a joker and troublemaker, found the top part of a human skull, which was almost perfectly preserved. It even had chunks of hair, which were stiff and matted down with dirt. He squealed as he placed it on his head like a crown. It was a perfect fit. As he marched around with the skull on his head, people dropped shovels and sandbags, folding in half with laughter. No one thought to tell him to stop. No one was disgusted. Me included.

The private wore the skull for the rest of the day and night. Even on a mission, he put his helmet over the skull.

What do you think, Cecil, is that a physical possibility?

[PeterUK]

"“I can always earn more money after the election, so I don’t see the point in saving it when I realize the number one priority this November is John Kerry’s victory,” Rehn says.

Rehn is a 21-year-old Illinois native who usually pads around campus in a pair of blue rubber flip-flops half-concealed by pants that barely hang on to his thin frame. He wears wire-rimmed glasses and his polo shirt with the collar turned up, its polyester knit tugged slightly out of shape by an ever-present accessory: his Kerry/Edwards lapel pin.

“Glenn is completely submerged in politics on campus. It is honestly impossible to think about politics at MU without thinking of Glenn,” says Scott Beauchamp, editor-in-chief of Prospectus, a liberal campus news magazine. Beauchamp and Rehn met one year ago while campaigning for Howard Dean."

Beauchump seems an odd sort of a cove to join the military,looks like Kerry lite.

[Ralph L]

Fifth columnist?

[Patrick R. Sullivan]

Okay, as I suspected, it isn't possible:

...I can tell you that no Soldier put a human skull under his helmet and wore it around. The Army Combat Helmet (ACH) is form fitted to the head. Unlike the old Kevlar helmets, the ACH does not have a gap between the helmet and the liner, only pads. It would have been impossible for him to have placed and human skull, of any size, between his helmet and his head. Further more, no leader would have tolerated this type of behavior. This type of behavior is strictly forbidden in the U.S. Army and would have made the individual involved subject to UCMJ actions.

[PeterUK]

"Fifth columnist?"

Well your girlfriend and all your friends are liberals and you up and say,"I'm off to join the Baby Killers and fight Bushitler's illegal,genocidal war for oil".That's your dance ticket flushed straight away,they aren't passing you the bong anymore.

[MayBee]

I see him as more of a Jar Head enlistee. Join the military, write a critical book, be famous.

[Sara]

Dan Riehl gives us a glimpse of the life of Beauchamp before he joined the military. Surprise, surprise, he is a Deaniac.

Wait a minute - via The Weekly Standard:

From the Missourian in 2004:

Going for broke MU junior Glenn Rehn plans to back his candidate with every cent in his bank account By ELSPETH REEVE

“Glenn (Rehn) is completely submerged in politics on campus. It is honestly impossible to think about politics at MU without thinking of Glenn,” says Scott Beauchamp, editor-in-chief of Prospectus, a liberal campus news magazine. Beauchamp and Rehn met one year ago while campaigning for Howard Dean.

So Elspeth, now working for TNR - writes a piece quoting her now fiancee on Glenn Rehn, apparently associated with Drinking Liberally.

Beauchamp falls on hard times, enlists - and is next publishing anti-war agitprop from Iraq?

Dan also has this:

Seems our boy Beauchamp marched before he was in the Army. I'm glad he isn't ideological about things, maybe he was just looking for a little action from some gal with more than half a face. Such compassion for Women's Rights, just sayin'.

[Ralph L]

I was going for the pun, but why did he join the Army? And why doesn't he have Al Gore's old job as an Army journalist? How many other Deaniacs joined up?

[PeterUK]

German soldiers playing with skill in Afghanistan Is this where the mini-Kerry,Beauchamp, got his inspiration?

[PeterUK]

Should be SKULLS.

[PeterUK]

Beauchamps deathless airport novel prose Seems a bit obsessed with violent images,the boy needs to stop it or someone will be checking out his crawl space.

[Sue]

PUK,

I think so.

[kim]

Ah, lay off him; he's a sweet polar bear.
=========================

[hit and run]

centralcal:
I have a question for H & R since he seems to be keeping up with Ace's blog on this.

Well, I took off earlier to go to a baseball game with the group from work. Wasn't planning on staying long, but the boss' boss was there, and after a few beers I was on a roll. "Few" beers, heh. It was "Thirsty Thursday" at the ballpark. $1 beers.

Anyway, I get back home, go check out Ace's and, holy moly, that boy is going to town on new posts.

I am no longer "keeping up" with his stuff. And I hadn't digested the Glenn stuff before I left.

Oh well. Tomorrow's a new day.

[Sara]

From a comment at Malkin's:

On July 26th, 2007 at 5:35 pm, TheBigOldDog said:

His Timeline:

We finally got official dates on Iraq deployment:

May 15 - Our Bradleys get shipped to Kuwaite

June 11- Advanced Units move in

June 28 - Bravo Team, second squad, first platoon, Alpha Company, first battalion, 18th brigade, first infantry division (the breakdown of who I belong to) deploys.

He had leave in April

I’ll be in the States come April (10 - 22), and get to see loved ones before going to Iraq (June 27)…also a three day weekend coming up.

[Walter]

First Best of the Web, then American Thinker, and finally the Corner. When will it end?

I regret the post because it was hit and run and such things do lend themselves to offense and ill will on such personal issues. I'm sorry. It was very bad judgment.

.

I kid because I love...

[hit and run]

Walter:
When will it end?

The question isn't so much when, but how.

In a blaze of glory, if I have any say in the matter whatsoever.

Actually, a few weeks back K-Lo put up a post soliciting suggestions for the Corner.

My suggestion? Weekly guest contributors - who are not regular bloggers. Put in layers of editors to run posts through first to keep unwanted material out - but think of the number of readers NRO has that could really be fun to read.

Of course, I also told her that I was too modest to recommend myself, followed by a lavish non-recommendation of myself.

And, of course, it was email #3,278 to her that went unrequited.

[Walter]

I kid because I love...

Who am I fooling? It's envy, pure and simple.

Something to for me to consider in a few months whilst composing New Year's resolutions.

[Elliott]

Yes, Walter, many of us may have a bit of envy when it comes to Hit and Run. We think we've thrown the perfect barb and he turns it around on us without fail.

I think though we have far more admiration for you, Hit and Run, than envy.

[Sara]

Regarding the Timeline entry from the Malkin commenter I referenced above, Confederate Yankee has this to report about Beauchamp posting operational info on his blog:

That post is over a year old and was obsoleted be a changed deployment schedule, but the facts are clear: Beauchamp clearly violated operational security by posting the deployment schedule for his unit to his blog.

Major Kirk Luedeke, PAO for 4th IBCT, 1st ID at FOB Falcon, stated in response to my inquiry about this blog entry:

It most certainly is an OPSEC violation.

[hit and run]

Garsh, thanks.

I have more admiration for the knowledge and analytical ability of the people on this board and am just happy to be able to make people smile or laugh or even cringe once in a while. I especially like making people cringe.

Oh yeah, and I'm gonna stick this on the end of this thread since we had somewhat of a discussion of the Fred stuff ... and one of my contentions was my distate for how early the campaigning starts (which of course is fallacious, it never ends).

From Geraghty, the Campaign Spotter, who does this for a living, responding to the latest tempest in a thimble about Romney and flying F-16s and firing AK-47s:

I don't know about you guys, but I'm finding this kind of back-and-forth gotcha games triggering premature exhaustion with this campaign.

Amen brother Jim.

[hit and run]

Howard Kurtz interviews Franklin Foer...

Foer said: "It is really unfortunate that someone like Scott, who was really only trying to tell his particular story, has become a pawn in the debate over the war and the Weekly Standard's efforts to press an ideological agenda."

He's laying the groundwork for "closure and healing", but first he's got to try and make Beauchamp a martyr at the hands of the neocons.

[Cecil Turner]

Okay, as I suspected, it isn't possible:

Yeah, I've never worked with one of the new helmets, but the consensus is that it isn't. (Nor can I easily imagine how one could wear a child's skull like a hat . . . but I've no experience in that sort of thing, either.) I have seen combat troops take inappropriate pictures with enemy dead . . . and be belatedly corrected by the second officer on the scene, so the concept behind the idea isn't inconceivable, but the actual claim is hard to credit.

Regardless, that doesn't get TNR off the hook for the propaganda charge. The meme proffered by "Shock Troops" was of an out-of-control group dehumanized by war. Just in case one missed it, Scotty summarized the main point:

Funny? Of course not. But many of my friends were laughing anyway. That is how war works: It degrades every part of you, and your sense of humor is no exception. [emphasis added]

That degrading effect seems to act dang quickly. That cutesy little homily was delivered by a man we now know was in-country for less than a month at the time of the writing, who just happened to be a liberal activist and former editor of "a liberal campus news magazine" . . . who just happens to be married to a TNR staffer. I can see why they'd want to hide his identity.

[boris]

That degrading effect seems to act dang quickly.

From abortion marcher (womyn's civil rights issue) to mocking a female disfigured burn victim as "hot" in the blink of an eye.

Perhaps faking sincerity is somewhat beyond Scott's writing talent.

[PeterUK]

"He's laying the groundwork for "closure and healing", but first he's got to try and make Beauchamp a martyr at the hands of the neocons."

Another cyclist is he?

[Cecil Turner]

a man we now know was in-country for less than a month

Oops, my bust, that post was dated '06, not '07. Please disregard that bit.

[hit and run]

Another cyclist is he?

To paraphrase Obama:

"The biggest enemy I think we have in this whole process ... it's not just terrorists, it's not just Hezbollah, it's not just Hamas -- it's also cyclism".

[Ralph L]

I think they're trying to tempt Hillary onto a bicycle. What a photo op!

[PeterUK]

"I think they're trying to tempt Hillary onto a bicycle. What a photo op!"
She had one,disappeared the same time as the thong.

[jdpolson]

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[cwxwwwxwwxwx]

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[sophy]

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