More Time, Please
The NY Times reports that General Petraeus "has recommended that decisions on the contentious issue of reducing the main body of the American troops in Iraq be put off for six months;” surprise, surprise. In other breaking news, the rich get richer, the Cleveland Browns lose, and college students binge drink.
Anybody’s whose surprised that the long-awaited report on Iraq concludes that more time is needed, please contact me immediately; I’ve got a great deal for you on some beachfront property in South Florida.
Of course the administration is going to ask for more time so the “surge” can work; ideally, Bush and his cronies would like to put off any decision on whether or not to “stay the course” until after January 19, 2009 when the then former President tucks his tail between his legs and heads back to Crawford, Texas to start fielding lucrative speaking offers from major corporations that have benefited mightily from his pro-Big Business economic policies.
In general, whenever things are going badly, it makes sense to ask for a reprieve; I get this all the time from students when papers are due. A typical policy of many instructors is that with each later increment, the work in question receives an incrementally lower grade. So, if the military commanders in Iraq want another six months to do their job, they can have it, but with each passing day, let’s say, they get paid a little less. And so does Haliburton.
Alternately, we could give Petraeus all the additional time he wants but let any soldier or contract employee who wants to come home now come home now. This would give us all a better picture of how those really involved in the fighting assess the situation; maybe things look like they need another six months when you’re sitting in an air-conditioned office in the Green Zone; getting shot at by snipers in 115 degree heat probably makes you somewhat less patient.
Anybody’s whose surprised that the long-awaited report on Iraq concludes that more time is needed, please contact me immediately; I’ve got a great deal for you on some beachfront property in South Florida.
Of course the administration is going to ask for more time so the “surge” can work; ideally, Bush and his cronies would like to put off any decision on whether or not to “stay the course” until after January 19, 2009 when the then former President tucks his tail between his legs and heads back to Crawford, Texas to start fielding lucrative speaking offers from major corporations that have benefited mightily from his pro-Big Business economic policies.
In general, whenever things are going badly, it makes sense to ask for a reprieve; I get this all the time from students when papers are due. A typical policy of many instructors is that with each later increment, the work in question receives an incrementally lower grade. So, if the military commanders in Iraq want another six months to do their job, they can have it, but with each passing day, let’s say, they get paid a little less. And so does Haliburton.
Alternately, we could give Petraeus all the additional time he wants but let any soldier or contract employee who wants to come home now come home now. This would give us all a better picture of how those really involved in the fighting assess the situation; maybe things look like they need another six months when you’re sitting in an air-conditioned office in the Green Zone; getting shot at by snipers in 115 degree heat probably makes you somewhat less patient.
posted by Professor Dave at 11:10 AM
2 Comments:
I worked for a guy once who had a policy of granting project deadline extensions only as much as the time from the deadline in which the request was made.
So, if you said you needed more time a month before the thing was due, you could get only a month more. And if it was the day before, only one day.
No one ever had the guts, though, on the first day of a two-year project to ask for another two years.
That last paragraph contains far more truth than the Bushies could ever handle.
Brian
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