Iraq War Refresher: Statistics, 18 Benchmarks for Success, Iraq War Study Group

As you listen to the unrealities and obfuscations about the Iraq War by Bush administration defenders General David Petraeus, a wannabe politician if I ever saw one, and Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq... refresh yourself about the basics of the abysmal and painful failure for which they want yet another $108 billion:

• Iraq War Results & Statistics at April 6, 2008
  Includes U.S. spending to date, as well as billions "lost" and unaccounted for by the Bush administration, plus billions more mismanaged and wasted. Also includes casualty and serious injury counts, and stats showing the decreased quality of life for Iraqis.

• The 18 Benchmarks to Gauge "Success in Iraq"
  The 18 benchmarks to gauge "success in Iraq" were drafted by Iraqi leaders, and inserted into Congressional bill H.R. 2206, which was passed by Congress in May 2007, and signed into law by the President on May 25, 2007. The White House, and its minions, now want to back away from these benchmarks. Move the goalposts, again, so to speak. Of course...

• The Iraq Study Group: The 79 Recommendations
  On December 6, 2006, the Iraq Study Group (ISG), co-chaired by Republican James A. Baker III, former Secretary of State, and Democrat Lee H. Hamilton, a 34-year Congressman and 9/11 Commission member, issued its report, which included 79 specific recommendations, which intelligently reviewed the situation on the ground, and proposed rational strategies for the way forward and eventually out.

  The Bush administration ignored this bipartisan report, which was based on eight months of meetings with military officers, regional experts, academics, journalists and high-level government officials from America and abroad.

Convinced yet that the U.S. needs a fresh outlook on the Iraq War? A change of course? A new strategy?

While we suffer through this last wave of the Bush administration's abject incompetency and moral blindness in this matter, I recommend that you take some time to study presidential candidate Barack Obama's specific plans and intentions for Iraq and the Middle East:

• Barack Obama's Visionary Peace Plan for Iraq

• Obama vs. McCain: Overdue National Referendum on Iraq

• Barack Obama on Israel, Iran and Iraq

• Barack Obama's Stirring 2002 Speech Against the Iraq War

At least reading Sen. Obama's words will give you much-needed hope that something better can be brought to the White House on January 20, 2009.... as versus those of John "Stay the Course" McCain.

(Photo of U.S. soldier who has returned from Iraq: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)