Now that the Hamilton Baker Commission has released its findings concerning the war in Iraq, it makes it painfully obvious that we have been led into a war based on a foreign policy that was not vigilantly deliberated. Actually it tells us what we already knew but it had to be spelled out for some to see. Now, this country has been put on a path of no return. You have a policy that was blindly implemented, and has put the troops and this country in a precarious situation. As it has been stated maybe not in so many words, the Hamilton Baker Commission’s finding is just short of a concession and a public one at that. World leaders who are watching these events are taking note no doubt. Hopefully these events will reflect only on the administration, but now that this “my way or the highway”, pre-emptive strike seed has been sown, will they be willing to forget that US went down this path or going forward will they always be suspicious no matter who leads this country? We should not have been put in the position where we are bound in a situation that looks as if we are going to be on the short end of the stick. This was very poor planning on the part of the administration. Even as they made the findings public you could just feel the bottom falling out. The damage that has been done to this country by going into an unjustified war in Iraq maybe beyond comprehension. It has not sunk in yet.

The fact that a commission outside of the administration made this careful determination that the situation in Iraq is “grave and deteriorating” does not reflect well on the administration. It makes them look incompetent. It was the administration’s responsibility to make the proper assessment of the situation and take the appropriate course of action. Oh the folly of this administration. It makes the commission look like the mess hall clean up crew.

When the findings were released and presented to the president, he did not appear to publicly accept them. His actions maybe a different story though. His public rhetoric has not changed but perhaps he will do as he did when we saw the release of the secretary of defense from his duties when publicly the president kept saying he was not letting him go. In the days ahead, the president will be consulting with and reviewing various other proposals as to the condition in Iraq and how best to approach the situation. Once this fact finding, information gathering period ends, he will announce his plan of action based on all of these reports. This is the kind of research that should have taken place before going into Iraq but should of could of would of. My prediction he may not have a choice .