ISG Disappoints

So, the Iraq Study Group has released their report and there is really nothing new to add. Frankly, the vast majority of the Group are a bunch of old, egotistic windbags. (Full disclosure: I know most of the guys on the Council of Colonels that contributed to the Study... and they are seriously the best and brightest that we have in uniform.) I have worked on many a task force and study group and let me tell you, they are not particularly focus driven.

I'm not sure how I missed it, but Hugh Hewitt has been tracking some of their "research." For example: Mark Danner of the New York Review of Books. You should remember that particular periodical was proud to publish an early version of the Walt/Mearsheimer report castigating those who support Israel. How about journalist Tom Ricks, who accused Israel of allowing Hezb'allah to retain rockets, to engender an attack, to give Israel an excuse to attack Lebanon. They also heard from "expert" Tom Friedman of the New York Times, who pushed the "Saudi Peace Plan."

I think that we all need to remember something. Journalists are good at one thing... writing. They are not policy experts, foreign area experts, economists, pharmacists, businessmen, etc. You don't go to a journalist to learn about how crunchy peanut butter is made. You don't go to a journalist to learn about how to determine victory in Iraq. Hell, I don't even go to them for news!

For Pete's sake! As the title points out... I'm disappointed.

Update: Here is the link to the Executive Summary and here is the link to the full report.

BTW - These guys make Tolstoy look like a posterchild for brevity.