the washington post reports that the bush administration is slowly coming back to the recommendations of the iraq study group. "They are coming our way," says ISG co-chair lee hamilton.
i remain unconvinced. it is true that the administration is talking seriously about setting benchmarks (but only for the iraq government, not for the u.s.), and is starting to talk to iran and syria, things the ISG recommended and the administration previously rejected. but there's no evidence that the administration will ever adopt the group's the key recommendations (pdf): withdrawing u.s. forces if the iraqi government does not meet its benchmarks (recommendation #21), a statement disavowing permanent military bases in iraq (#22), rejecting an open-ended large-scale military commitment to iraq (#40)
the report is not just about managing iraq. the underlying premise is that we need a road out as well. the administration does not seem to be interesting in ways out. they're not going to change their core premise. any of the administration's shifts in tactics is about finding new ways to avoid leaving iraq. for that reason, at the most basic level, they're not coming mr. hamilton's way.
