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ISG – A Role Model for Bi-Partisanship
David Broder writes in today’s Washington Post
“>A Study In Comity about the process of the Iraq Study Group.
Whatever the final impact of the Iraq Study Group report being issued today, for the 10 commission members this was an exhilarating experience, a demonstration of genuine bipartisanship that they hope will serve as an example to the broader political world.
“It was a very wonderful experience,” former Republican senator Al Simpson of Wyoming told me last weekend. “We very quickly stopped considering ourselves as Republicans and Democrats, but as Americans trying to deal with a most urgent problem.”
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Update:
From Hundreds Of Sources, Panel Forged Consensus
Intense Talks Bridged Ideological Divide
7 Responses to “ISG – A Role Model for Bi-Partisanship”
While bipartisanship can be good, bipartisanship in and of itself doesn’t mean the end product is necessarily of good quality.
After all, the vote on the Iraq War itself was bipartisan.
True, but to me the chance of finding the most durable pragmatic solution comes out of an active collaboration.
I think that if the Democratic Leadership were fully informed and fully involved in the Iraq decisions we would have had a different outcome.
I agree with Doctor Gonzo, we don’t need “bipartisanship” we need solutions. Bipartisanship without solutions is useless, counterproductive and dangerous. I don’t see any solutions here.
A fully informed and involved Democratic leadership was never going to happen. It was politics first, last and always with the Bush administration and they’re still with us.
Like a lot of people here I had high hopes for the Iraq Study Group. I hoped they would produce a radical plan that both parties and the country could get behind.
Rather than being exhaustive in its search for a new way forward, the report communicates an almost profound exhaustion- nothing to be done really, but you might give the following a try….
Still, Al had a good time and David got a column out of it, so it wasn’t a total waste.
I understand the disappointment with finding of the ISG. They were given a losing hand to play. I don’t know what miracles they could have proposed.
The purpose of the post was to focus on the mechanics of the team as a model for moving forward.
If a similar process were established a few years ago the outcome would have been different.
Like the move to replace Rumsfeld, this group released its findings too late to do any real good. Even one of the co-chairman said it may be too late to reverse the situation in Iraq. We are stuck there but good. Too much time dilly-dallying and denying reality. I wish I felt more optimistic. Al Gore and General Odom already called this the worst strategic mistake in the history of our country. Are they right?
Its very existance is a direct result of the midterm elections. Its a damn shame that so many had to die before the republicans would engage in “bi-partisanship”. However they will now.