Iraq power-sharing still elusive despite surge

[cal04]

Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds drift further apart as U.S. battles insurgents
The U.S. military buildup has brought some relief from bombs and bullets to Baghdad’s battered people. But so far, it has failed at its overarching purpose — getting Iraqis to agree to the political compromises that U.S. commanders themselves believe crucial to a lasting peace.

That’s the sticking point as Congress this week judges how effective the American military surge has been — and what to do next.

The buildup was designed to tamp down sectarian slaughter in Baghdad so that religious and ethnic-based parties could agree on how to share power in the new Iraq.

(snip)
Many Iraqis, bitter and traumatized, complain they don’t feel any effects of improved security — which were supposed to include economic revival.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20659126/

[jimshoes]

1. Whichever neo-putz thought up

"surge" for the recent escalation in troop activity in Iraq should be nailed between two oak trees right after having been drawn and quartered. Surge, indeed. When did we stop calling things what they are and instead make up a focus group feel good moniker for everything.

[tom_paine]

2. We started when BushPutinism started as an evil gleam in the eyes

of evil men.

About the mid-70s, these evil men, including the Bush Family (stil smarting from the defeat of their freind Hitler and the stopping of the Bushies' own facsist coup against FDR in 1934) decided what ultimately amounted to a dusting off and retooling of Hitler's Playbook.

It has been, without a doubt, the most wildly successful propaganda program in human history, for whatever of that is left.

[Igel]

3. It's an old Masison Avenue tactic.

Known for at least a century, I think. The patent on it has been long expired.


Recently, however, a linguist recently became aware of the practice and saw that it was new (or at least new to him). In keeping with the old practice of launching old or suspect goods under a new name--a practice previously known as "rebranding"--he conducted reseach on what to call it so that he could sell it as his own. The decision was to rebrand it as "framing". Or "frame it as 'framing'," as he would say.