Good Cop/Bad Cop

Does anybody else sense a certain amount of orchestration between the reportedly in conflict State Department and Defense Department. In a way a nation's armed forces have always been the blunt instrument standing behind a diplomat in negotiations with those who do not see the world quite as we would like them to. But, current reports suggest that the United States has taken this to an entirely new level. Colin Powell, the consumate good cop, is all smiles while in negotiations and publicly tells the world that the United States has not plan RIGHT NOW to invade Syria. Meanwhile, bad cop (we will call him Rumsfeld, but there are actually many casted in this role) is warning of the serious consequences and authorizing leaks out of the Pentagon that war plans against Syria are on the table. Oh, and just for good measure lets take a couple of carrier battle groups out of the Persian Gulf, take them up through the Suez Canal and park them in the eastern Mediteranean of of Syria's coast. Then their is the supporting cast of bad cops (lets call this one Wolfowitz) declaring on national television that if he were Kim Jong Ill he would be very nervous right now.

One can just imagine our good cop in Damascus or Pyong Yang looking back over his shoulder saying, "Look, I'm your friend in this thing and I am trying to work something out, but you have to give me some coorperation. Look what just happened to Iraq. Those guys behind me a crazy and just looking for an excuse. If you don't work with me, you going to have to deal with them." Shortly after good cop get all the concessions he requires maybe he and all the bad cops will sit down for a beer and talk about how well the plan worked. And maybe they will authorize a couple of leaks to the press about how much they hate each other.
- posted by Anonymous @ 7:31 AM