According to one of my favorite bloggers, Taylor Marsh, fellow Vietnam veterans and US Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE) may be coming "to the rescue" with regard to Iraq:
...By mid-week the Webb - Hagel Iraq solution should be clearer. However, one thing is certain. Both senators plan on stopping the military collapse currently underway through Mr. Bush's continued incompetence, which began under the 109th Republican Congress.[...]
The legislation from Senators Webb and Hagel could be a defining moment in the U.S. Senate action on Iraq, maybe even a turning point. Depending on what comes forward from these distinguished veterans, it could land a death blow to Mr. Bush's foreign policy adventure in Iraq that everyone believes has no military solution. There are many signs that with last week's important Democratic House victory vote, Webb and Hagel are going to move it one step further into a reality that Republicans will eventually have to swallow.
Let's just put it this way: if George Allen were still Senator, do any of you think this would be happening? Right, didn't think so.
Besides the separate thread in which we have been discussing the dustup between Iran and the UK in the Shatt al-Arab two days ago, Pakistan may be approaching the brink of political disintegration.
There is very little press coverage of this very important development, so it is hard to figure out exactly what is going on. It now appears that Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have joined forces in an effort to take down Musharraf.
Below is a link to my quick first take posted at DailyKos just now. Don't take my views too seriously on this topic, but maybe someone out there has a better handle on likely scenarios than I do. What bothers me is that there does not seem to be any evidence that anyone in Washington is paying attention. It almost seems like a Katrina all over again, but this time it is a political hurricane approaching South Asia.
Actually, this Pakistan situation is incredibly complicated and difficult to understand or explain, which is probably a major reason why the All Celebrities All the Time networks are unwilling to tackle the problem.
Thanks for the cite.
Webb doesn't disappoint. I listened several times to his speech at the National Press Club and took away something new each time. So much substance. Allen not only lacked cojones in the Senate, but he lacked independence, intellect, and interest in the job. He viewed the Senate as a mere stepping stone to the White House, whereas Webb seems delighted that he actually has the power to change things. All he has to do is persuade other Senators to his point of view, and to him it seems doable. He seems very happy to be there, with no signs of the boredom his detractors were sure he would feel. He really is the next Moynihan.